This is the lens that the M11 Monochrom needs.
TLDR: everything they say about the 35mm APO is true. It’s incredibly sharp, flare resistant and well corrected in every way. But for the $8000+ price tag it better be. What surprised me was how it renders on the Monochrom sensor. The added micro contrast over the 35mm Summilux is very noticeable not just in side by side test images and it adds the punch that the otherwise very flat raw files need. It’s a look that cannot just be replicated in post.
I have owned the Leica M11 Monochrom for nearly two years now and used a variety of lenses with it. Committing to black and white was mostly easy for me but establishing a workflow to process the very flat raw files was not. A lot can be achieved with Lightroom, but lenses can achieve looks that Lightroom cannot. Over my nearly two years with the M11M I have bought and sold a variety of lenses including the 35mm Summilux FLE II, the 50mm Noctilux f0.95 and the 50mm Summilux. The more I used the M11M, the more I longed for the extremes: extreme character or extreme optical performance. I am now using a 50mm Noctilux f1.2 for portraits and close up shots with a lot of glow, softness and character. But in a 35mm lens I was looking for an allrounder that I could use for landscapes, the occasional street shot and documentary. I have owned the 35mm Lux for nearly two years, and while it is a brilliant lens, I never fully fell in love with its results on the M11M. It has a lot of character, but not as much as some of the older lenses. It’s very sharp, especially when stopped down but I was missing the little bit of extra punch.
This is why after much deliberation, I have finally pulled the trigger on a used 35mm APO and put my Summilux up for sale. Once the lens arrived, I proceeded to test the two side by side to form my opinion and make my final decision. I have done a lot of research, found a few comparisons but was still left with some questions: would I be able to tell a difference on the M11M especially when stopped down? Is it noticeable enough to justify the premium?
After my first month with the APO, I am starting to understand the hype around it. The detail and micro contrast is in a different league to all M lenses I have tested and sometimes reminded me of my Rodenstock 70mm HR shot on the Hasselblad CFV 100c. When pixel peeping, the images have a crispness that I had not seen from my M11M before. I have found myself spending less time editing as a result and I have started picking up the Leica in situations where I would previously rely on the resolution and detail from a 100mp medium format setup. Yet, I would not describe the 35 APO as overly clinical. It vignettes wide open and I even got it to flare on one occasion. But it has quickly proven itself as a reliable workhorse.
