Another great option from LLL. I have the AA version and its quite beautiful in its rendering. Backlight and flare are the main issues I have with the lens but my main photography does not often entail those situations.
Im jealous of the silver or Ti finishes with the LLL. My Leica APO only comes in black. It gets me to think, I should have done a 35 Noct and this LLL Apochromatic.
The early samples look like the LLL is a performer.
highdesertmesa wrote:
In looking at the photos, I'm rethinking the knurling versus smooth and may have changed my mind. I think with the knurling version, it might be too easy to confuse the focus ring with the aperture ring when trying to adjust the aperture by feel while looking through the viewfinder.
Same here. The smooth design without the knurling is really growing on me the more I compare them, and the magnetic hood seems like a great feature, too.
I should have a copy in hand for review next month, and I will be doing extensive comparisons against other lenses!
PhotoKid62 wrote:
Just FYI, the 5% discount doesn't happen automatically using the link above.
This is my favorite focal length, and so impressed with LLL, I went ahead and ordered despite only being a film user, and virtually all B&W at that. Might be a bit of overkill; I tend to favor the older, tone monster, singe coated lenses. It'll definitely be a different look, although I suspect there will be a limit to resolution, sharpness on film.
You're not going to notice any difference on film.
endergemini wrote:
I ordered a titanium without knurling as I like the clean look but I will say i am slightly worried about the magnetic hood. I'm not sure how well (or if at all) it will work with a circular polarizer or other filters and it is another thing to lose. Also from the preview images it looks kind of ugly without the hood but that is simply cosmetic.
Hoping aside from the small nitpicks this lens delivers. I have had great experiences with my other LLL lenses so I feel confident that it will be a great lens.
highdesertmesa wrote:
Youd want to keep the hood off with a CPL anyway so you can rotate it.
I wonder if they will provide a beauty ring for the screw on hood versions for when not using the hood.
You could use a step ring, like 39-46 or 39-49 to hide the magnets and make the filter easier to manipulate. My experience with lenses like the 50 Lux ASPH, when you mount a 46mm polarizer on that lens, it's very difficult to grip the filter to remove it because it's smaller in diameter than the lens body & hood below it, making it difficult to get a grip on the base of the filter. Therefore I switched to using a 49mm filter shared with the 28 Lux on a 46-49 step ring. Similar could happen with the LLL APO. If one doesn't want to use a hood on the titanium, a step ring would also hide the magnets. One problem with the step ring approach is that it won't match the titanium finish, if going with that option.
PhotoKid62 wrote:
Just FYI, the 5% discount doesn't happen automatically using the link above.
This is my favorite focal length, and so impressed with LLL, I went ahead and ordered despite only being a film user, and virtually all B&W at that. Might be a bit of overkill; I tend to favor the older, tone monster, singe coated lenses. It'll definitely be a different look, although I suspect there will be a limit to resolution, sharpness on film.
Desmolicious wrote:
You're not going to notice any difference on film.
Maybe he has a stash of Tech Pan just waiting for the right lens..
rscheffler wrote:
Hopefully before the Sept. 10th titanium pre-order deadline!
The titanium version is just a steal considering it's manufactured from titanium. Imagine what Leica would charge for that. This special edition only costs $300 more. Leica would charge many thousands more on top of the 35/2 APO's aluminum black price for the same treatment. Nobody really knows how much.
Titanium captivates humanity because it blends extreme strength, featherlight weight, and total rust immunity. Named after the powerful Greek Titans, this "wonder metal" bridges the gap between science fiction and heavy industry.
It matches the strength of steel while weighing nearly half as much. Used for artificial hip joints, pins, and dental screws.
highdesertmesa wrote:
Youd want to keep the hood off with a CPL anyway so you can rotate it.
I wonder if they will provide a beauty ring for the screw on hood versions for when not using the hood.
It's not super often, but there are some instances where I will rotate my CPL and then put the hood on to combat flare while in the same position; in which case the magnetic hood may actually be a boon IF it still fits with a filter attached. That's my main concern: that even UV/Mist filters etc might not fit with the magnetic hood, but I'm hoping LLL thought of that before creating one of their most ambitious lenses. I (and many) had this issue with the Q3 43 and having to buy third party hoods, one of which (Freewell) has the neat trick of having a rotation ring to rotate the filter inside.
A beauty ring would be a nice addition, especially for the Ti versions as any third party ones would most likely not match.
Fred Miranda wrote:
The titanium version is just a steal considering it's manufactured from titanium. Imagine what Leica would charge for that. This special edition only costs $300 more. Leica would charge many thousands more on top of the 35/2 APO's aluminum black price for the same treatment. Nobody really knows how much.
Leica price gouging doesn't mean that another company NOT price gouging makes something a steal IMO.
I have a feeling that LLL has a VERY healthy price margin on this lens based on a few things I know.
Is there an option to have a full knurled ring? Would LLL consider this? It's just that the partial knurled ring looks incomplete. And the smooth version looks like something is missing that should have been there.
