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Advantages of 50mm f1.4 ASPH


moikle

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I have happily used my M7 with a 50mm f2 since I bought it four years ago. I have lusted for a 50mm 1.4 ASPH for a while now. My question is will I see a difference bearing in mind I probably use the lens at f5.6-f8 for most of my photographs? Any advice welcomed.

 

Mike

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mike, i would not buy it if i were using f5.6 or f8.

otherwise it is a great lens, but so is the summicron 50. it is supposed that the summicron still has better performance in very close range (0.7 - 1 m), but the summilux is great too.

they have slightly different look but not too much different. the summilux is great with flare, and over-all in dimly light conditions.

and also, i do like that extra stop very much, artistically and practically.

 

the choice is of course yours - if u buy it - it is great - the best :-)))

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I have owned and used both. The 50 14 I used on an EPson RD-1 and thought it was by far, the best 50 I have ever used. I loved it but when I sold my RD1 last year, I sold the lens as well.

 

This year I ended up buying an M7 and 50 summicron. To me, the summilux was better as I enjoyed using 1.4. The look at 1.4 with the summilux is amazing for portraits and I can not get that look with the cron. If I were judging them at 4 or 5.6, Id say go with the summicron. if you want the low light capability and creamy look, go with the lux. Its still the best 50 I have ever owned.

 

I was going to buy the summilux and sell the summicron but didnt want to take a hit so I ended up buying a 35mm summicron last week. Now Im thinking I should of got the 28.

 

It seems the ideal lens set for an M7 is a 28, 50 and 90, for me. Ill probably return the 35 for a 28, but not until I see my results with it.

 

Here are a couple shots. One with the 50 summicron, one with the summilux..

 

summicron 1st, summilux below it

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I'm interested in this idea of being able to return the lens for refund or exchange. If you buy a lens, is it accepted that the lens might have been out on trial with one or more previous photographers? What happens to the lens you return, re-sold as new or as ex-demo?

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Technocrats will tell you that there is a difference. I own both and I use the Lux for genuine low light shots and this at 1.4. As for shooting at 2.0 and upwards there is absolutely no difference to be seen with the bare eye on "normal" pictures. My MP set came with the 1.4 otherwise I would never thought of buying it. The one stop difference is nice to have, but then again how often are you in need of this feature... in low light situations obviously, try focussing correctly in a low light situation with the DOF a 1.4 gives you, this is hard to achieve in one shot.

Anyway stay with 50mm summicron, they are the best lenses to be found, buy another focal lenght, or another 50mm depending on what film and subject you prefer to shoot.

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I have happily used my M7 with a 50mm f2 since I bought it four years ago. I have lusted for a 50mm 1.4 ASPH for a while now. My question is will I see a difference bearing in mind I probably use the lens at f5.6-f8 for most of my photographs?...

I don't know if the character of those lenses is easy to perceive on film but on the R-D1 at least the 50/1.4 asph gives a general feeling of superior sharpness not only at f/1.4, where it is probably the sharpest 50mm lens available, but at slower apertures as well.

Now the OOF ('bokeh') is also sharper with that lens which can give a feeling of relative harshness that i don't get with my other 50mm Leica.

So my advice would be to buy the Summilux asph if you intend to use it a lot at full aperture and/or if sharpness is of paramount importance to you. Otherwise, stick to your good Summicron or try the great Summilux pre-asph which is less sharp than the Summilux asph but is never harsh at any aperture.

:)

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Shooters that use the new 50mm 'Lux ASPH rave about its close focus peformance. Unless you take a lot of photos at three feet OR really need the speed of the 1.4 opening, you can't lose with the 50mm Summicron.

 

I've enjoyed two different 50mm Summicrons in my past but don't own one now. My current kit of 50s include an ancient Summar, a Nokton and the new Heliar.

 

If I had the bucks, I'd get a 28mm Summicron. It's value will only increase WHEN the new M8 is stable and proves to be as good as hoped. Avoid the rush: it you can find a clean 28mm 'Cron, buy it now.

 

(I have the 75mm Summicron and love it! I sold an older 75mm 'Lux before buying the newer 'Cron last year only because I always hated the beastly weight of that monster 75mm Summilux.)

 

-g

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Guest leica_mage
At that sort of aperture any decent lens will look good. You may notice a slight difference, but I wouldn't expect anything dramatic.

 

At f1.4 however the differences are striking :-)

Steven (and others) sorry, but this is one of the most persistent types of myths - that stopped down there are no or negligible differences between types (or even brands - an even wose myth) of lenses, e.g. the 50mm Summicron (I presume (IV) is meant here) and the ASPH 'lux.

 

In fact the differences are there for any to spot, at any aperture. I can't describe it in visual terms, but the difference that you'll see is the typical difference between an 80s double-Gauss design and the ASPH designs of the 90s. And (yes, I know we've had this discussion before, here and elsewehere) you can also spot the differences even by viewing scanned prints online.

 

Both lenses render beautiful images, but the 50mm ASPH 'lux is possible Leica's greatest single lens to date (along with the new 75mm 'cron).

 

Look at it this way: different optical designs and materials render different pictures, all other factors being constant. Even identical twins aren't identical.

 

Having said that, the 50mm 'cron is a superb lens, right there at the top with some others.

 

Best,

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Guest malland

My preference is for the Summilux-50 (pre-ASPH) because the out-of-focus characterictics are, in my view, better. Obviously, this is an aesthetic, and therefore personal, judgment. Indeed, I find the bokeh in the pictures above unattractive, bordering on disturbing. Have a look at the first picture in the following thread which I would say has headach- inducing bokeh:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00EFtA

 

In photos in which the o-o-f areas are a large proportion of the picture area, bokeh becomes important. And the bird picture in the referenced thread and the two pictures above, to me, are examples of the unattractive bokeh that the Summilux-50 ASPH often produces.

 

--Mitch/Sydney

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Guest leica_mage
[...] the two pictures above, to me, are examples of the unattractive bokeh that the Summilux-50 ASPH often produces.

 

--Mitch/Sydney

But the first photograph was taken with a 50mm Summicron! Of legendary following among bo-ke afficionados, along with the 35mm 'cron (IV)!!!

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I don't know how one can predict in advance of buying a lens what kind of shooting they will do with it. I would get the lux because it increases your range of possibilities. You may well find yourself at some point in a situation where the additional stop means the difference between getting the shot or missing it.

 

As others have said, the bokeh is absolutely gorgeous and as William pointed out there is a textural quality unmatched by any other lens. After getting my lux, I didn't put another lens on my Ms for about six months.

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Ditto to what Brent and William have said.

 

I find myself using the 50LuxASPH in the evening when visiting friends and inside, for which it is made-to-order for personal shots in low light. The bokeh is quite nice as far as I'm concerned, and the results I've gotten so far, even with daylight shots at up to f-8 like the one below, are amazing to me.

 

Thanks.

 

Allan

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Guest leica_mage

Allan, thanks for posting that. Even though I'm not a colour man myself, the shot demonstrates many points. Not least, that a better-corrected lens actually provides superior, not inferior, OOF rendition. The "dog" shots in the previous forum (DR vs. ASPH) should have laid that one to rest for ever. (I tried to search in order to remember who posted that comparison - was it William by any chance? - but I suppose the search engine doesn't "do" the old forum anymore, right?)

 

Best,

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