New Summarit 50mm on the M8

[steinzeug]

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Considering the new Summarit 50mm for my M8

 

I have been trying to track down some positive reviews of the new Summarit 50mm.

The following two stand out:

 

summarits first look

 

Leica M8 and Summarit-M Lenses Review - photo.net

 

Reading the few threads here, most opinions seem to say that its better to get a second hand Summicron 50 than bother with the summarits, due mainly to build qualtiy, the extra stop and sharpness. At the same time (bar the extra stop) the reviewers all state that the visual quality of the summarit is superb.

 

So whats the truth?

 

I would love to hear (as I am sure many of us would) from real life photographers who use the Summarit on their M8 and what they think of it.

 

Is this just a poor mans Leica lens (a way for Leica to get at the massive second hand market), or, is this genuinely a top quality Leica product?!?

 

thanks.

Edited March 7, 2010 by steinzeug

[wda]

There was a thorough review of the Summarit range for M cameras in LFI about a year ago. (I can't track the issue at the moment). Generally the findings were very favorable.

 

Several members, including me, have the 75mm version which is excellent, good value and very well made. Ignore ill-informed claims of inferior build quality. It just is not accurate. The Summarits are certainly not 'budget' lenses. Although it adds to the cost, I think it is worthwhile buying the dedicated lens hood.

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[leicafan!]

I love my 75. Build is as good as my 35 cron asph in my opinion.

[andybarton]

I have the 90 and I've been very pleased with it, despite it being the "poorest" relation of the quadruplets.

[usayit]

I agree with the previous posts. For me the most interesting of the summarits are the 35mm and 75mm both of which are very satisfying. (I own all 4) Quick to focus and build is good. I absolutely hate the hoods. They screw on and don't lock into place. The 75 and 90 also have a rubber grip for focus which I can see slowly come loose over time. They don't add to the overall "feel" of the Leica build. I'd be interested in replacing them with glued on leather at some point in time.

[LotharZhou]

I have own the lens for more than a year, swapped with a 75mm which I found it's too tele for me. my favorite portrait lens, love the bokeh, the sharpness. Also compare to my colleague's 50mm Lux the non-asph version, the new summarit is much sharper, slightly higher contrast.

[steinzeug]

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I have own the lens for more than a year, swapped with a 75mm which I found it's too tele for me. my favorite portrait lens, love the bokeh, the sharpness. Also compare to my colleague's 50mm Lux the non-asph version, the new summarit is much sharper, slightly higher contrast.

 

Does anyone have an opinion about the lack of speed issues? If one stays on 160 in low light, would the summarit surfice? or would the crons extra 0,5 step make a big difference?

 

And would the difference pratically effect the hand-hold-ness? (for want of a better word)

[mzcloud]

I'd like to hear more about the 50summarit as well, might one up as well. I have the 75summarit and I am fairly happy with it besides rubber focusing ring. Based on the various reviews I have read. The 35mm and 75mm summarit seem to be best out of the 4.

[Big T]

I have the 35mm & 90mm Summarits and love them both.

 

The 35mm is one very under rated lens in my humble opinion. It resides on my M8.2 80% of the time....... It is nice and sharp and the Bokeh is just how I like and expect it.

 

And sorry I haven't used the 50mm......

[steinzeug]

I have the 35mm & 90mm Summarits and love them both.

 

The 35mm is one very under rated lens in my humble opinion. It resides on my M8.2 80% of the time....... It is nice and sharp and the Bokeh is just how I like and expect it.

 

And sorry I haven't used the 50mm......

 

 

Thanks for all the great answers!

 

Found this too:

 

Summarit05082007

 

but once again the quality differences between the summarits and the crons are only hinted at, but never really explained in practice

Still would be great to hear opnions from more Summarit-50 users, especially those who know their crons and M8´s!

Edited March 7, 2010 by steinzeug

[Guest joewehry]

I use the 28mm almost exclusively, and sold my 75 because it was a tad too tele for me, but wanted an intermediate portrait lens, so tried the Summarit 50 and bought it.

 

I love the look wide open, reminds me of the older Summicron with added detail. I've had no trouble with f/2.5 and 1/45 with moving objects. But even 2500 iso looks interesting in BW with this lens wide open. I've done that at 1/250 in low light and got very interesting film-look images.

 

I have found optimum to be f/4 - f/5, but it really depends on the look that I want and the subject. I'd rather have some motion blur and softer focus rather than pin sharp.

 

Having said all that, I have tried the Summilux, and love the composition abilities of the faster speed. If you want that, save up for the Summilux, but honestly, if the subject is interesting the people who look at your photos won't care what it was shot with.

 

Added a shot below, at f/2.8, 1/60, 320 ISO. Adjusted for black point and brightness and BW. The back eye is already out of focus, so I'd have preferred maybe f/4, but whatever. It gives you a good idea

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Edited March 7, 2010 by joewehry
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[LotharZhou]

apart from the extra 0.5F stop, i am perfectly happy with the new summarit, however the extra 0.5 or 1F stop is very useful in low light, the best thing I found it's the lens is extremely sharp from F2.5, I attached two photos taken by the early 50mm Lux non-asph and my new summarit, you can judge by yourself.

 

The lux is taken at f1.4, the summarit is F2.5, of course the lux non-asph version is already very impressive when wide open.

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[LotharZhou]

forgot to mention, both pictures are 100% crop from M8

[Guest joewehry]

Also with regards to the OPs other question, I would have to say if you insist on using 160 ISO, then, YES, the additional aperture could make a difference if, say for example, it lets you shoot at 1/60 vs 1/30 or 1/15 , etc., but that really depends on how you hold your camera, what you're shooting, if you're using tripod, and how you want the image to look.

 

If you only want to use 160 ISO, then you have to determine how the shutter speed will affect your image. Do you want to stop action, slow it down, get all fuzzy, what? Once you have that answer, the decision on any gains received by the 2.5 vs 2 vs 1.4 should be pretty obvious.

 

To call a Summarit a poor man's Summicron is as silly as calling a Summicron a poor man's Summilux and that one, a poor man's Noctilux (which could be called a rich man's Summarit.)

 

LFI 8/2007 had a brief comparison on the Summarit line, comparing the 50mm Summarit to a Summliux. The Summilux according to their test, resolved finer details at 2.5 and 4. Given the MTFs for the lens, I would expect the Summicron to fall between the Summarit and Summilux in resolving.

 

If you can take your M8 to a dealer and do a few test shots with the Summarit and Summicron at low light levels at 2.8 and 4 both at close up and distant settings, you should have some information with which to make your decision.

[ezc203]

I bought the 50/2.5 with my M8, and loved it.

 

50mm is not my preferred focal length on the M8 due to the crop factor, but on my M4-P the 50/2.5 is an excellent performer. It is my go to lens on the M4-P as I use it for mostly day-time color photography.

 

The only thing stopping you from buying the 50mm Summarit-M would be if f2.5 is not fast enough for you. (Personally, I feel the need, the need for speed; so I try to go for the 1.4s and 1.0s and 0.95s ).

[menos I M6]

I too consider buying a 50 Summarit.

As Joe mentioned - lower priced Leica products are none of a poor mans line, rather than less costly products in manufacturing will other areas of usage than super fast lenses.

 

I love my 50 Lux ASPH - I loved it on film, even loved it heavily cropped on the R-D1 for it's unique look and now love it as my possibly most used lens on the M8.2.

 

One thing, I consider the Summarit way superior over the Lux is it's very, very compact and light built, while retaining the focus tab, a proper metal built and a still very usable speed over the (by comparison) big, heavy Lux (not to mention a Noctilux).

 

I did not see any (to me) interesting comparison/ review of the 50 Summarit vs. modern lenses like the Lux ASPH.

[steinzeug]

I agree with the previous posts. For me the most interesting of the summarits are the 35mm and 75mm both of which are very satisfying. (I own all 4) Quick to focus and build is good. I absolutely hate the hoods. They screw on and don't lock into place. The 75 and 90 also have a rubber grip for focus which I can see slowly come loose over time. They don't add to the overall "feel" of the Leica build. I'd be interested in replacing them with glued on leather at some point in time.

 

Just curious, as you have all 4, why is the 50mm "less" of a lens in your opinion?

 

thanks.

[giordano]

The 75 and 90 also have a rubber grip for focus which I can see slowly come loose over time.

 

I've got lots of 25- to 35-year old Nikon lenses whose rubber grips haven't begun to think about coming loose, so I'm not worried about my Summarit 75 on that score.

[usayit]

Just curious, as you have all 4, why is the 50mm "less" of a lens in your opinion?

 

GAS.? lol pretty much sums it.

 

I had 3 50's. The one thing in common was that they all had long focus throws and I just couldn't keep up with my kid (using an M6). I tried a new 50mm Summarit for size and liked its handling; quick short focus. I then purchased a refurbished R-D1 (one of the lucky $1300 deals direct from epson in Japan). I found the 50mm focal length boring on a crop sensor. Not the FOV of a normal lens or the "compression" of space you get from a mild telephoto. That's how I ended up with a used 35mm Summarit. It was to be come my "normal" lens on the R-D1.

 

I was happy for a while until I sold a few things and funded an M8. The M8 reminded me how to shoot with longer focal lengths as the R-D1 only had 28-50-35 framelines (I sold a tri-elmar to fund the M8... kinda regret it.. oh well). Tried both the 75mm and 90mm out for size and just couldn't frame or focus the 90mm comfortably. That's how the 75mm ended up in my possession. It was purchased with the M8. The 75mm is probably the most interesting of the entire line on a crop sensor of the M8. Nice mild telephoto properties, fast focus throw (like all the Summarits), sharp, and good bokeh.

 

The 90mm was really a splurge for me... No real reason. There was a used one in the case and the x1.4 magnifier was just announced which I assumed would solve my framing and focusing issues prior. My only 90mm was a big Summicron that flared fairly well in bright daylight. I had the 90mm Voigtlander lanthar but that too just wasn't interesting and slightly slower optics. So I bought it for a really good price. I later bought the magnifier several months later to be used with both my Noctilux and 90mm Summarit. The 90mm served as an excellent portrait lens as already mentioned in this thread. I was right.

 

Of the 4 lenses on either the M8 or R-D1, the 50mm is the least used lens. I've considered selling it a few times but I do still shoot with film occasionally. I travel 80% of the time with the M8 with both the 35 and 75 attached to my lens carrier. If I carry anything else, its just optional.. just in case.

 

Funny note... After purchasing the 90mm Summarit, the sales guy happen to show me the name on the consignment tag. It was the one and only "Lenny Kravitz". I laughed a bit (I'm a fan).

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[usayit]

I've got lots of 25- to 35-year old Nikon lenses whose rubber grips haven't begun to think about coming loose, so I'm not worried about my Summarit 75 on that score.

 

Good to know.. and I hope so. I guess a little bit of me just doesn't want to see plastic nor rubber on what I am used to seeing as a complete metal build (and feel)