Any 50mm APO-Summicron-ASPH Deliveries Yet?

[johnbuckley]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

The 50mm APO-Summincron-ASPH was announced on May 10th, with an expected delivery, I believe, in late July. In late July, we were led to believe it would be delivered "in November." Or at least that's what I recall. Does anyone know if any have actually been delivered? (I remember in late September, they seemed to have been in stock via Amazon, but I don't know if that was something like Big Foot* or the Loch Ness Monster** -- people swearing to have seen it, but still no proof.) Does anyone know if any have been delivered? Any news on it at all?

 

* No offense to Big Foot fans.

 

** No offense to Lochie fans.

[Jay B]

Last Friday I chatted with Justin Stailey, the Leica USA M-system guru.

His sources in Solms are currently suggesting a late 1st quarter '13 delivery.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[wattsy]

Look on the bright side - more time to save up for it.

[Guest MarcRF]

better receiving a finished product that satisfies late than something that doesnt work up to the expectations

[johnbuckley]

Last Friday I chatted with Justin Stailey, the Leica USA M-system guru.

His sources in Solms are currently suggesting a late 1st quarter '13 delivery.

 

Wow. Three quarters post announcement, and then the queue begins. Not to mention that we still will be saving all of our change, searching behind the cushions on the sofa, and returning bottles for the deposit in order to buy the M. I thought 2012 was going to be the year Leica bankrupted me. No wonder 13 is an unlucky number...

 

But thanks :-(

 

And if anyone has any happier news, please let us know!

[Guest MarcRF]

I've held it for a few seconds when I was in Solms last week, feels great

[hillavoider]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

better receiving a finished product that satisfies late than something that doesnt work up to the expectations

 

couldn't be more true for this lens. for so much money it will have to be better then perfect.

[enboe]

The latest rumors from a local stockist is sometime in the November/December timeframe. Oh, and the in-stock on Amazon a couple of months ago was an honest-to-goodness, human-generated clerical error. No harm came of it. In the mean time, there's a great range of world-class Leica lenses, many in our own possession.

 

Yes, 2013 will be an expensive year.

[Ivar B]

I saw a large Leica dealer in Germany last week, and reportedly the lens is very very difficult to produce and up to 95/100 lenses do not pass the final quality control. Apparently the problem is also that the lens cannot be fully appraised until production is complete, so quality control cannot be done fully in the various production steps.

 

One possibly reaches the overall conclution that the price of 6000 Euros or so is justifiable.

[01af]

For so much money it will have to be better than perfect.

Unfortunately, it will never be perfect

 

The hood ist way too short. So is the focusing throw.

[TomB_tx]

I saw a large Leica dealer in Germany last week, and reportedly the lens is very very difficult to produce and up to 95/100 lenses do not pass the final quality control

Back in 1968-69 the Leica dealer I worked for had toured the Leitz Midland plant, and reported seeing the final QC inspectors marking across the front element of a tray of lenses with a yellow wax "X" for those that didn't pass final image quality tests. I believe then they took a series of test photos with each lens.

Leitz quality control has always been a final hurdle in production.

[palec]

better receiving a finished product that satisfies late than something that doesnt work up to the expectations

 

why not? if a problem will be discovered in early samples and lens production stopped just to come up with new adjusted type months later, the value of original one will be doubled

[bybrett]

I saw a large Leica dealer in Germany last week, and reportedly the lens is very very difficult to produce and up to 95/100 lenses do not pass the final quality control. Apparently the problem is also that the lens cannot be fully appraised until production is complete, so quality control cannot be done fully in the various production steps.

 

One possibly reaches the overall conclution that the price of 6000 Euros or so is justifiable.

 

True, and remember that originally this was to be a limited edition lens. Now delayed until March btw...

[enboe]

I call dibs on one of the five that passed inspection!

[Paul J]

I saw a large Leica dealer in Germany last week, and reportedly the lens is very very difficult to produce and up to 95/100 lenses do not pass the final quality control. Apparently the problem is also that the lens cannot be fully appraised until production is complete, so quality control cannot be done fully in the various production steps.

 

One possibly reaches the overall conclution that the price of 6000 Euros or so is justifiable.

 

VERY Interesting. I wonder how that ratio is with other lenses. I wonder if thats how they keep the summarit price down but slackening the quality control tolerances. I wonder what it is for the Noctilux and Summilux's.

[k-hawinkler]

I wonder how these lenses, that didn't pass the final quality control, compare optically to the regular Summicrons?

[Paul J]

I wonder how these lenses, that didn't pass the final quality control, compare optically to the regular Summicrons?

 

And I wonder where the rubbish bin is

[k-hawinkler]

And I wonder where the rubbish bin is

 

 

:D

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Everybody,

 

50% or sometimes more time & efffort spent on quality control, often w/ the best & most experienced personnel, is not unusual in some types of work. If these lenses are being built individually, essentially as someone would build a prototype, then spending more time w/ more experienced personnel doing quality control than was done with the basic manufacturing is not @ all unrealistric.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Edited November 15, 2012 by Michael Geschlecht

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Guest MarcRF]

VERY Interesting. I wonder how that ratio is with other lenses. I wonder if thats how they keep the summarit price down but slackening the quality control tolerances. I wonder what it is for the Noctilux and Summilux's.

 

I've seen the production in Solms last week. they dont cheap out at quality control at the summarits. it's just non-aspherical surfaces and smaller aperture. positive side is great quality in a small package

 

I've been told it takes 21 days to build a summilux for example... but thats nothing compared to the noctilux. quality control is huge there. you'd expect that given the price tag and the sensitivity of the glass which has to cool down slowly for 3 months...

 

when we see the result of cold glass and brass/aluminium we're quite likely to forget what effort is behind that little jewel

 

I don't think the quality control of the noctilux is any stricter than that of the apo asph 50