LLL 35mm APO review by Keith Wee
p.1 #2LLL 35mm APO review by Keith Wee
Thanks for the link.
I don’t know about you all, but those images appear extraordinarily boring. And not just because it’s a modern draw. The CV 35/2 APO and Leica 35/2 APO have some umph.
Maybe it was the light, or the processing, or the lens itself. Or some combo. I’ll be curious to see more reviews and samples.
I don’t know about you all, but those images appear extraordinarily boring. And not just because it’s a modern draw. The CV 35/2 APO and Leica 35/2 APO have some umph.
Maybe it was the light, or the processing, or the lens itself. Or some combo. I’ll be curious to see more reviews and samples.
Sep 15, 2026 at 07:47 PM
p.1 #3LLL 35mm APO review by Keith Wee
I've read quite a few of Keith's reviews and enjoy most of them, but I think this review's pics probably suffered from a short deadline/hand's-on combined with that aligning with overcast/gray weather. If you go through some of his reviews you can see samples of brightly lit and contrasty scenes along with overcast ones in the same review showing multiple days/timeframes of weather. In these the same lens can produce image that look both soulful and somewhat flat which I think can be good to show different lens behaviors. He mentions in this review that it is the same prototype sample that both Macfilos and Bobby Tonelli have looked at so that tells me that this exact copy is the "press sample" that is getting shuffled around while LLL are making the production copies. Being that seemingly this is the only copy being passed around for reviews I'd imagine they are probably given guidance on tight turnaround times so that other reviewer's can get their chance at hand's-on and it doesn't impact their review rollout timeline.
Purely speculation based off experience in other markets, but I'd wager that is partly why this Keith Wee review has a more limited range of sample images. I'd guess these were all shot on the same 1 or 2 days and he had to make due with what light was available during his window.
Purely speculation based off experience in other markets, but I'd wager that is partly why this Keith Wee review has a more limited range of sample images. I'd guess these were all shot on the same 1 or 2 days and he had to make due with what light was available during his window.
Sep 16, 2026 at 02:02 AM
p.1 #4LLL 35mm APO review by Keith Wee
Hopefully LLL start passing around a production unit for review, now that those have been popping up in the wild.
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Y3YC68EYA/
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Y3YC68EYA/
Sep 16, 2026 at 12:29 PM
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p.1 #5LLL 35mm APO review by Keith Wee
I’ll pass on the LLL Apochromatic 35. I decided to take a look at his review of the CV Ultron 35mm, and detected considerably more joy. I like that Keith Wee does not seem to be trying to convince me to buy anything. So, thanks, Paul, for bringing his site to my attention.
Sep 16, 2026 at 07:53 PM
p.1 #6LLL 35mm APO review by Keith Wee
None of these APO lenses are designed to offer unique character or optical quirks. Because they are highly corrected for CA, spherical aberration, coma, and field curvature, they sacrifice the vintage or unique look that some photographers prefer. But, I would argue that well corrected lenses creates a distinct character of its own, one defined by pure clarity and a lack of optical flaws. It might not be the look everyone is after, but the lens is doing exactly what it was engineered to do. 
The lighting in this review definitely was not doing the lens any favors, either...
For comparison, the Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar follows a similar high correction philosophy, but I personally prefer its bokeh. It feels a bit more vibrant and textured rather than completely smooth and sterile.
The lighting in this review definitely was not doing the lens any favors, either...
For comparison, the Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar follows a similar high correction philosophy, but I personally prefer its bokeh. It feels a bit more vibrant and textured rather than completely smooth and sterile.
Sep 17, 2026 at 08:56 AM
RoamingScott
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p.1 #7LLL 35mm APO review by Keith Wee
Fred Miranda wrote:
None of these APO lenses are designed to offer unique character or optical quirks.
I know it's not in the M realm, but the Viltrox APO lenses have many unique optical characteristics and still have no CA. It's certainly possible, it's just a choice the lens makers make.
None of these APO lenses are designed to offer unique character or optical quirks.
I know it's not in the M realm, but the Viltrox APO lenses have many unique optical characteristics and still have no CA. It's certainly possible, it's just a choice the lens makers make.
Sep 17, 2026 at 08:59 AM
p.1 #8LLL 35mm APO review by Keith Wee
RoamingScott wrote:
I know it's not in the M realm, but the Viltrox APO lenses have many unique optical characteristics and still have no CA. It's certainly possible, it's just a choice the lens makers make.
To clarify, when I said 'these APO lenses', I was specifically referring to the M-mount lenses discussed in this thread...the Leica, Voigtlander, and Light Lens Lab 35mm f/2 APOs. I'm not familiar with Viltrox.
My point was that these particular M-mount APO designs are heavily corrected not just for CA, but also for SA, coma, and field curvature, which is why they render the way they do. Ultra-correction is certainly a character of its own, but it isn't the "unique" character associated with optical imperfections, so it won't work for every situation.
For instance, my wife hates when I take portraits of her with highly corrected lenses...she much prefers a more dreamy look!
Fred Miranda wrote
None of these APO lenses are designed to offer unique character or optical quirks.To clarify, when I said 'these APO lenses', I was specifically referring to the M-mount lenses discussed in this thread...the Leica, Voigtlander, and Light Lens Lab 35mm f/2 APOs. I'm not familiar with Viltrox.
My point was that these particular M-mount APO designs are heavily corrected not just for CA, but also for SA, coma, and field curvature, which is why they render the way they do. Ultra-correction is certainly a character of its own, but it isn't the "unique" character associated with optical imperfections, so it won't work for every situation.
For instance, my wife hates when I take portraits of her with highly corrected lenses...she much prefers a more dreamy look!
Sep 17, 2026 at 01:05 PM