$1000 vs $9000. Leica 50 APO M vs Voigtlander 50 APO M on the Leica SL2-S. Image comparisons!

#LEICA50APO #VOIGTLANDER50APO #50APO

Instagram: @stevehuffofficial

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK! Today I do a quick comparison against the $9000 Leica 50 APO and the $1000 Voigtlander 50 APO. Two lenses cut from the same kind of cloth (manual focus, M mount, 50mm APO designs) except one is a little smaller and costs $9000 while the other comes in at $1000. The Voigtlander 50 APO is an amazing M mount lens and gets eerily close to the Leica for thousands less.

In the video I share side by side images to show the difference in color, bokeh and rendering/character. WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Enjoy!

My Photo Gear 2021:

Great Audio Buys 2021:

[HiFiHuff]

Thanks all, and sorry for those close ups with my beaten up fingers. We had just did a whole day of yard work (cutting down dead trees)! Hope you enjoy this comparison of two lovely M mount lenses with very different price points. : )

[bradhusick]

I have to agree with some of the other commenters that the Voigt has a more circular bokeh that extends around the whole background, as if there is a hint of swirl.

[markluinenburg]

Thanks for another thoughtful, real-world review. It looks to me that the Voightlander has a bit more contrast, which can be good or bad depending on individual tastes and processing preferences. I own several of both brands and love them all for their individuality.

[rockymhs]

Great job by Voigtlander. There is a swirl in bokeh with the Voigtlander, and Leica's bokeh is more pleasing, but considering the price, it might not be that important of a difference.

[howiegoldfarb]

You do a fantastic job very informing thank you

[GrainyByNature]

The voigtlander has a hint more swirl bokeh and vignette but it’s so subtle. The APO Cron was only $6k not that long ago new. For traveling I’m taking the Voigtlander. Any mark on the Cron and the resale drops big time.

[GBB]

Though my SL2S won’t arrive until tomorrow I can say the 50 and 35 APO using a M to Z adapter on my Z6 render better than my Zeiss lens. Sharp but not clinically sharp (one reason I sold my Otus lenses.). Simply love these Voigtlanders.

[longdoo]

It is a good news that both of the lenses are similar performance.
Thank for the review.

[johnnybombas]

I own the Voigtlander and can't get over how incredible it is for the cost. But I believe, Voigtlander with this design went for full circular aperture blades at f2.8 & f5.6. So you have to stop down. I've noticed at F2 you get more of that cat eye bokeh swirl in comparison to the Leica which is why the Leica does render more smoother background and it shows.

[BDColen]

There is only one real-world difference between these two lenses - other than price, and that is that the Summicron is more compact. If that's worth $8, 000 to you, buy the Summicron. But if you have the $9 grand to spend, and are not bloated with Red Dot Kool Aid, buy the Voightlander and give the difference in price to your favorite charity.

[enricotesei]

Thank you for the comparison, I am using older voigtlander apo lenses from the 80s and 90s and I love them for the color rendering on my fuji digital of with first generation sensor.

[miketan]

Don't have either and only have one Leica M (50 lux AS) but repeatedly see more outlining in oof areas. Other than that V colors are just as beautiful & obviously it's a little bigger.

[joesnj]

Great comparison, to my eye the Leica has ever so slightly smoother bokeh but its barely noticeable even side by side. Everything else seems to be even which makes the Voigtländer the clear winner for me.

[JonathanGardner]

I have the Voigtlander in E-mount. I don't care for the lens hood on it, but the lens is outstanding. Might be my favorite lens and stays glued to my camera.

[genobambino]

It’d be interesting to see how they perform on an M body. Neither is optimized for an SL2-S and differences might be more obvious in their native system.

[RandomLifeProductions]

I’m having issues adapting my sl2s with my m42 lenses and a dumb adapter no matter what I try it doesn’t seem to work any idea

[charruaporelmundo]

With the upcoming techart lm9 I'm thinking on buying this Lm version, did you try on your sony cameras? I have a7iv. Thanks

[zenonbillings]

really, really interesting. currently shooting a panasonic S 50mm f1.8 L mount lens, but looking at purchasing a 35
lens, so based on your assessment of the voightlander 50 i think it would be wise to wait and see your evaluation of the 35 voitlander. keeping my fingers crossed that it would be a great companion for my new panasonic S 5 L mount full frame camera. thanks for the (always great) zen billings in canada

[panmaew]

These lenses are very close, and on several aspects almost unintelligible from each other except the voigtlander lens renders a more swirly looking bokeh (the old Noct-Nikkor 58mm f1.2 gives this in spades if you are wondering what that means and want to see it distinctly). Some may like that and some may prefer a more uniformly stretched-out bokeh and this is just a matter of preference. For me, as I am from a cinematography background I'd rather have a more uniform look of bokeh if I could choose. Both lenses however are excellent at resisting longitudinal chromatic aberrations in both foreground and background. Very rare lenses can claim that especially still photography lenses.

[SD_Alias]

Well done Voightländer! Now please bring a revival of the 2.5/125 mm Apo Lanthar macro…