The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Leica APO-SL 50mm F2 ASPH and the Leica SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Leica SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH is the longer of the two lenses at 124mm. The Leica APO-SL 50mm F2 ASPH with a length of 102mm, is 22mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Leica SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH also has a larger diameter of 88mm compared to the Leica APO-SL 50mm F2 ASPH's 73mm diameter.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Leica APO-SL 50mm F2 ASPH and Leica SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
Comparison image of the Leica APO-SL 50mm F2 ASPH and the Leica SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH Size and Weight The weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Leica APO-SL 50mm F2 ASPH weighs 740g, which means it is 325g (30%) lighter than the Leica SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH which has a weight of 1065g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Standard Prime Lenses in Leica L Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Prime Lenses in Leica L Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Leica APO-SL 50mm F2 ASPH and the Leica SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH has the same Leica L lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Leica L lenses are Panasonic S5 II, Panasonic S5 II X and Sigma fp L.
Focal Range
Both lenses have the same focal range of 50mm but while Leica APO-SL 50mm F2 ASPH has the fastest aperture of F2, the Leica SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH's widest aperture value is F1.4.