I just received a Matte Black copy of the Z21 but due to complications from an ongoing spinal cord & brain injury I have posted this new lens for sale in the Buy & Sell section this morning for less than I paid for it. This is unfortunate as I own an original copy of the P. Angenieux S21 50 1.5 and on an M10M on center at f1.5 the LLL Z21 is sharper with increased contrast yet the out of focus rendering still contains the artistic magical rendering of the original Angenieux S21.
John Pegouske the owner of Western Camera in Dearborn MI, my Leica dealer, sold me the Angenieux S21 years ago when I was not that aware of the wonderful qualities contained in this beautiful French lens, so I am a bit stunned just how close the rendering is with the LLL Z21, plus the aperture and focus feel are virtually the same and the build quality is extremely good as is the quality of the finish on the body.
Fred points out the field curvature in this lens but to be honest I never noticed this on the Angenieux S21 over thousands of photographs, but sure enough the original S21 has this as well yet in all the photographs I've taken with this lens I never once was aware or bothered by this. I do use this Angenieux S21 primarily for portrait work or specific subject matter typically in the center of the image. Given what I paid for the Angenieux S21 the price of the new Z21 is an absolute bargain and I am sorry I won't be able to enjoy using it.
