I have the FLE and shot that on film for a couple years, the APO has an interestingly different rendering. I've moved over to the steel rim now! You are absolutely right, the rendering is too perfect which is great technically, but the character of a lens isn't all about sharpness, and that's where the steel rim strikes the balance.
Similarly, I have the 35mm Summilux ASPH pre-FLE, APO-Lanthar and Nokton 1.4. On film I seek out the bokeh outline of the Nokton or use the Summilux ASPH in preference to the APO. Smooth gaussian blur transitions seem to better suit digital images.
I love the Zeiss 35 f/2 Biogon. It's been the only M mount lens I've owned for more than 5 years. Amazing that it's even comparable to the APO Summicron.
Throughly enjoyed this review! Perfectly encompassed different photographer's needs and rationally provided insight of suitable gears for each with clarity and brevity. Well done : )
I had the 35/2.0 biogon in the past and it's a good lens no doubt BUT every once in a while the out of focus rendering at f2 would go so crazy it'd ruin a shot. I am biased, I recently picked up a 35 cron asph v1 and I like it a lot (to be fair, I got it to have 6 bit coding and because I found the handling of the c-biogon, despite its optics, less than ideal) and that would be my pick on film too. It's pretty pricey for being so old I guess but it's proven. Failing that, probably a voigtlander of some kind. Re the APO, I just don't see the point if you only shoot film. But if you shoot both and can afford it, why not? I like the rendering a lot. There's something to be said for a pleasant neutrality coupled with that kind of resolution, and I thought your example photos looked great. It's on my list tbh.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 100% agree 👍 I have done an ASPH review recently in which I said it’s good value 2nd hand and I still stand by it. Those vintage Leica lens prices are much crazier!
I tried the 35 mm apo lens at the Leica store on a M11 and I was blown away by how much resolution this lens had. I wonder if I can't afford $8k, what is the next best lens with this kind of performance. I hope you can do some comparison with 35 mm fle and voigtlander 35 mm apo. Love your video and thanks for making them!
