Mystik wrote:
How is LLL at meeting their launch timings for pre-orders in the past? I've got some travel in the fall and hoping to have the lens in hand in time.
Every one of my last LLL lens purchases took longer than was originally forecast. To lay out $2.1k and not get it for a planned trip is a no go for me.
stgrove wrote:
Every one of my last LLL lens purchases took longer than was originally forecast. To lay out $2.1k and not get it for a planned trip is a no go for me.
It's mostly work travel which I do pretty regularly and bring a cam along most times, but I do have a personal trip in late Nov. I did not buy this specifically for travel though. This is intended to be an everyday type 35mm, which I'm trying to settle on currently. Of course the sooner I get it the better, but not a big deal if it arrives a little later.
This price tag is really starting to push into Leica Glass territory though- Is this a better all around Lens then a
35 Summilux Asph V1?
A 35 Cron ASPH?
TIme will tell but at over 2k dollars, this lens better be pretty much perfect out of the gates for that type of investment. Would love to test one out
RomanMF wrote:
The Leica 35 APO costs $9,500 dollars...
Agreed-
At 2100 bucks- You are starting to creep in to some pretty legendary lens territory though- Obviously if the only bench mark is the APO- Its a non starter- but 2100 bucks starts putting other Leica glass into the conversation.
Mystik
Another option is the Mandler 35/2.0 which I have and I can tell little if any difference between it and the Leica 35/2.0 either from Canada or Germany since I have both.
Mandler shipped my lens ($348) within one week. LLL lives off our money it seems to me.
Yeah I was looking at the Mandler. I'm pretty new to Leica (shot Sony for 10+ years and Canon before that), and wanted to one and done build out my kit when I transitioned to Leica. Researched a bunch of 35's, tried a few. Settled on the Lux 35 FLE, and then the LLL APO was announced shortly and was intrigued. I did look at the Leica APO and liked what I saw but I'm not willing to spend that on a lens regardless of the marker. Curiosity got the best of me with the LLL APO hah. I do feel like I'm rolling the dice on the LLL for sure, but have been shooting long enogh to watch a lot of the little guys turn into respectable lens makers too.
RoamingScott wrote:
I'm on the LLL list for testing, though they told me they straight up prefer M shooters F'n OUCH, man.
Well now you have excuse to get an M camera
The M240 is a bargain in the Leica world, and if you find one that is sound, it will likely outlast you. It doesn't matter if they are scratched and have nicks, if the rangefinder patch it accurate and the shutter is good, you'll have a great Leica camera that will last into the future.
For the record, I have the Leica M240. I had the Zf, because I'm a 95% Nikon guy. While the Zf has the bells and whistles, there is something very satisfying about using a camera that feels like it's old tech, and while it can be noisy at ISO 3200, shooting below that will give you a very satisfying image quality that requires little in the way of color adjustments.
OwlsEyes wrote:
Well now you have excuse to get an M camera
The M240 is a bargain in the Leica world, and if you find one that is sound, it will likely outlast you. It doesn't matter if they are scratched and have nicks, if the rangefinder patch it accurate and the shutter is good, you'll have a great Leica camera that will last into the future.
For the record, I have the Leica M240. I had the Zf, because I'm a 95% Nikon guy. While the Zf has the bells and whistles, there is something very satisfying about using a camera that feels like it's old tech, and while it can be noisy at ISO 3200, shooting below that will give you a very satisfying image quality that requires little in the way of color adjustments.
It's either the X2Dii or a Leica, and I'm not ready to trade one for the other at this point. I'm getting traction with my reviews, though, my goal is pick up a nice used Leica with those gains by the end of '27. The M11-P should be about $6000 by then, right? RIGHT?!
RoamingScott wrote:
It's either the X2Dii or a Leica, and I'm not ready to trade one for the other at this point. I'm getting traction with my reviews, though, my goal is pick up a nice used Leica with those gains by the end of '27. The M11-P should be about $6000 by then, right? RIGHT?!
Yes, to the price of the M11... not sure about the P version. I've seen M11 bodies for sale below 6K at CameraWest, so it wouldn't be a surprise to find an M11P for that price when rumblings of an M12 begin.
You're a better man than I, as I just can't bring myself to spend that much on a body that is an "also" to my photo world. While I managed to get the guts to buy an 400mm f2.8TC for $13.5K, the newer Leica bodies are just not enough "camera" for my uses. With that said, they are beautifully made, unique, and a lot of fun to use.
OwlsEyes wrote:
Yes, to the price of the M11... not sure about the P version. I've seen M11 bodies for sale below 6K at CameraWest, so it wouldn't be a surprise to find an M11P for that price when rumblings of an M12 begin.
You're a better man than I, as I just can't bring myself to spend that much on a body that is an "also" to my photo world. While I managed to get the guts to buy an 400mm f2.8TC for $13.5K, the newer Leica bodies are just not enough "camera" for my uses. With that said, they are beautifully made, unique, and a lot of fun to use.
It's rare to see someone who isn't a serious working photographer running around with a huge white tele lens. Outside of the retirees shooting birds on FredMiranda, if you're lugging around a 400 F/2.8, you're probably sports pro-photog.
Whereas I meet rich dudes who can't make a good photo to save their first born with Leicas all the time. Granted, I live in LA, but I understand how that stereotype was born.
Rich guys like nice things, and it doesn't get much nicer than Leica, lol.
RustyRus wrote:
I never understood why I get called a Dentist and people with Big Whites get a free pass
Well I never get called this, but maybe that's because my lens is black and not white
Every once in a while somebody takes a second look at me when I shoot the M, but I dress so poorly and am normally unshaven with messy hair, that people rarely mistake me for someone who can afford the gear I use
RomanMF wrote:
It's rare to see someone who isn't a serious working photographer running around with a huge white tele lens. Outside of the retirees shooting birds on FredMiranda, if you're lugging around a 400 F/2.8, you're probably sports pro-photog.
Whereas I meet rich dudes who can't make a good photo to save their first born with Leicas all the time. Granted, I live in LA, but I understand how that stereotype was born.
Rich guys like nice things, and it doesn't get much nicer than Leica, lol.
I'm actually a professional nature photographer, so the lens gets heavy use. While I'm retired, I retired from teaching high school, a career that's not typically associated with wealth. I shot for stock (Windigo Images) through much of the 90's through 2005, and then treated photography as a hobby while I worked full time. If you've been shooting for the many decades I've had, you learn how to use what you have and upgrade when the opportunity presented itself. In 2023 when I retired, I sold all of my gear accept for my Z9 and 24-120. I used the cash from the sale and the $5000 I saved in the bank and bought my 400mm f2.8TC new, because I knew I would only be able to do this once. In the years since, I've used print sales, article sales, and the sale of my house, to build the system of gear I have.
Enter today... well I sold a house in MN, moved to the Central CA coast, and bought a Tiny Home on wheels and an old VW camper van. I have a studio in an industrial loft and barely make enough from picture sales to pay for the studio. However, I recently secured a gig to assist in workshops with a very well know nature photographer (I'd prefer not to name names until I sign a contract), and consider this a huge win for me.
So, while I'm a retired guy with a modest pension, I consider myself a photographer who needs the tools to produce work that differentiates himself... feel free to check out my website and most recent blog posts, and you'll get a sense of why I have my long glass... as well as why I have an M Typ240
I used to envy people who are now in my position, but I now realize how hard many of them worked and the sacrifices they've made to have the best equipment... not all of us are retired tech exec's, MD's, or CEO's...
I have been quite happy with the many LLL lenses I have purchased. so I ordered one Ti with knurling so it will take some months probably beginning of new year. I can wait, I have waited longer for many things. I expect I will like it a great deal and it can partner with my Leica 50 apo as I wasn't going to spring for the Leica 35/2 this will do nicely. Plus Fred gave me 5% off...... I'll read all the tests, I'll digest them, I'll watch all the YouTube but in the end none have that much impact on me, because I will go out and use it and figure out what I like it to do with it, I expect it is going to be a 35 landscape lens and hopefully color and resolution will support that. for me if it does what I think it will do, and the 1.4 35s (LLL and steel rim) will be more for people stuff, buildings, people, indoors etc. were I want to play with DOF......
Oh my comment wasn't specific to you btw, Bruce. It was more a general statement that dudes who buy those huge honking telephotos are usually sports or wildlife guys. It's rare that a hobbyist can justify such spend or even withstand lugging lenses that large around. It's just less attractive of a purchase to a well off person who likes nice things.
It's cool that you were able to acquire such a sweet lens that was out of reach for most of your working career. TEACHERS DON'T GET PAID ENOUGH!
OwlsEyes wrote:
I'm actually a professional nature photographer, so the lens gets heavy use. While I'm retired, I retired from teaching high school, a career that's not typically associated with wealth. I shot for stock (Windigo Images) through much of the 90's through 2005, and then treated photography as a hobby while I worked full time. If you've been shooting for the many decades I've had, you learn how to use what you have and upgrade when the opportunity presented itself. In 2023 when I retired, I sold all of my gear accept for my Z9 and 24-120. I used the cash from the sale and the $5000 I saved in the bank and bought my 400mm f2.8TC new, because I knew I would only be able to do this once. In the years since, I've used print sales, article sales, and the sale of my house, to build the system of gear I have.
Enter today... well I sold a house in MN, moved to the Central CA coast, and bought a Tiny Home on wheels and an old VW camper van. I have a studio in an industrial loft and barely make enough from picture sales to pay for the studio. However, I recently secured a gig to assist in workshops with a very well know nature photographer (I'd prefer not to name names until I sign a contract), and consider this a huge win for me.
So, while I'm a retired guy with a modest pension, I consider myself a photographer who needs the tools to produce work that differentiates himself... feel free to check out my website and most recent blog posts, and you'll get a sense of why I have my long glass... as well as why I have an M Typ240
I used to envy people who are now in my position, but I now realize how hard many of them worked and the sacrifices they've made to have the best equipment... not all of us are retired tech exec's, MD's, or CEO's...
The photography circle jerk sub-reddit is basically linked to my reddit algorithm these days. I don't actively follow this subreddit as it's mostly mean spirited stuff where people are dishing out hate on photos but never sharing their own, but every once in a while you'll see the rich beginner called out for flexing their new kit that probably cost a clean $20k online. Nothing wrong with going all out straight out the gate if you can afford it lol but if you're flexing your gear like that and can't back it up with the photos, be prepared to get called out in the same platform hah.
F'n OUCH, man.
