Best Leica Lens...

[wilfredo]

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Epson R-D1, Elmar-M 50/2.8:

http://tinyurl.com/y38fk9n

 

That deserves a WOW for sharpness and perfect contrast (to my eyes).

[wildlightphoto]

The 280 R is rubbish for wide angle shots.

That IS my wide angle lens, with my standard lens being the APO 800/5.6.

 

 

Same for me, except that the 560mm f/6.8 is my standard lens.

 

Another photo made with my wide-angle lens:

 

 

R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO

[Jamie Roberts]

Doug--as always, that's a killer shot!

 

Totally on the other end of things, a couple of my favourite (not the best--who can tell the best? I like the "classic" distinction, though) Leica lens of all time...so here's some pulled almost at random from a wedding last year I shot with the DMR...

 

First, the Mandler 80 R Lux:

 

f1.6:

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f2.0

 

and next, the 19 R Elmarit (both at 2.8)

 

 

and I love the little kid cutting up in the corner, here, among other things, though this maybe doesn't show all of the aspects of the 19 that makes it stunning :

 

(I so want an R10 )

[garyp]

Jamie and Doug

Y'all are just trying to complicate things now

[wilfredo]

Jamie and Doug

Y'all are just trying to complicate things now

 

Yeah, adding photos to this thread starts to mess with your head doesn't it? One thing is to look at charts and engage in esoteric chat, another is to see actual samples of these lenses at work.

[gberger]

Having started with the 50mm f 3.5 Elmar (Leica iiic) in 1945, and followed up with the various 50mm Summicron lenses since, my vote is for the 50mm 1.4 Summilux ASPH that I now own. Chromes taken with that lens and projected are in a class by themselves.

 

Close second is the f 2.8 24mm ASPH that now is the wide angle on my M7. Awesome.

[wilfredo]

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Having started with the 50mm f 3.5 Elmar (Leica iiic) in 1945, and followed up with the various 50mm Summicron lenses since, my vote is for the 50mm 1.4 Summilux ASPH that I now own. Chromes taken with that lens and projected are in a class by themselves.

 

Close second is the f 2.8 24mm ASPH that now is the wide angle on my M7. Awesome.

 

Do you own both a Summicron and Summilux? I understand the Summlilux is not as sharp @f/5.6.

[Jamie Roberts]

Yeah, adding photos to this thread starts to mess with your head doesn't it? One thing is to look at charts and engage in esoteric chat, another is to see actual samples of these lenses at work.

 

Yeah, and the real problem is that there are very few (very few) Leica lenses I've seen that don't fall into the great category and of course a half dozen or so that fall into the jaw-droppingly-great category (and not always for the same reasons!)...

 

@ Gary, too--doesn't seeing those posts by Doug make you want to run out and buy Telyts and and SL-2?

[gberger]

Nope, I just have the 50mm 1.4 Summilux ASPH. I shoot Velvia 50 and Astia 100, and use B+W ND filters in bright sun to cut down DOF. I haven't noticed any significant differences @ 5.6 over my previous 50 Summicron. (Most of my shots are in the f 2.8 and 4.0 range). I'm down to 3 lenses, viz., the 4, 35 Summilux ASPH and the 50 ASPH. For projection, I use a 2002 with a 80 Super Colorplan on a matte screen. Glass--mounted chromes.

[Jamie Roberts]

Do you own both a Summicron and Summilux? I understand the Summlilux is not as sharp @f/5.6.

 

I had a Summicron, Wilfredo, but before digital. Having said that, I cannot imagine another lens as sharp as the 50 1.4 Lux ASPH from f4 to 5.6. Maybe the 85 Canon 1.2Lv2, but that's about it. Certainly I don't have any film shots that are sharper than what the Lux gives me.

[vintola]

I had a Summicron, Wilfredo, but before digital. Having said that, I cannot imagine another lens as sharp as the 50 1.4 Lux ASPH from f4 to 5.6. Maybe the 85 Canon 1.2Lv2, but that's about it. Certainly I don't have any film shots that are sharper than what the Lux gives me.

 

What about Noctilux 0,95. I have read somewhere that it has the same sharpness as the Summilux 1,4 in equivalent apertures. - vintola -

[wilfredo]

I had a Summicron, Wilfredo, but before digital. Having said that, I cannot imagine another lens as sharp as the 50 1.4 Lux ASPH from f4 to 5.6. Maybe the 85 Canon 1.2Lv2, but that's about it. Certainly I don't have any film shots that are sharper than what the Lux gives me.

 

 

Jamie,

 

So are you saying that the Summilux is plenty sharp from f4 to 5.6? In the test below the Zeiss Sonnar f1.5 lens out performs the Summilux at f5.6 in sharpness.

 

THE ZEISS ZM 50 SONNAR 1.5 LENS REVIEW

 

These shots are from Steve Huff's review above. The first one is the Sonnar and the Second one is the Summilux ASPH, both at f/5.6.

 

I've become very interested in the 50mm Summilux ASPH to the point where I've been thinking of what to sell in order to get this lens even at what I consider a ludicrous price (remember I don't have deep pockets) but after seeing this comparison, I'm not so sure? Wide open the Summilux ASPH is a definite jewel and seems to be at the top of the heap, but not so much @f/5.6.

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[garyp]

Jamie

Indeed it does.

I had a 400 6.8 and traded it because I didn't use it much.

May sound trite, but I hope I never [have to] sell or trade another piece of Leica gear.

I've ended up regretting it ever time I did so.

[Jamie Roberts]

Jamie,

 

So are you saying that the Summilux is plenty sharp from f4 to 5.6? In this test the Zeiss Sonnar f1.5 lens out performs the Summilux at f5.6 in sharpness.

 

THE ZEISS ZM 50 SONNAR 1.5 LENS REVIEW

 

These shots are from S. Huff's review above. The first one is the Sonnar and the Second one is the Summilux ASPH, both at f/5.6.

 

I've become very interested in the 50mm Summilux ASPH to the point where I've been thinking of what to sell in order to get this lens even at what I consider a ludicrous price (remember I don't have deep pockets) but after seeing the comparison above, I'm not so sure? Wide open the Summilux ASPH is a definite jewel and seems to be at the top of the heap.

 

Wilfredo, with all due respect to Steve, scientific lens testing is not his particular forte. I can imagine a million reasons why that particular wall shot looks, um, blurry. It doesn't look like any 50 ASPH M 5.6 shot I've ever seen...

 

Everything I've shot, and everything I've read, too, says the 50 1.4 ASPH is one of the sharpest 50 lenses ever made. The raw MTF at 5.6 puts it as the same or higher than the 85 1.2L Canon stopped down; and that's a pretty sharp lens

 

Puts says:

 

"Summilux-M 1:1.4/50mm ASPH is the best high-speed general-purpose

lens in the Leica range. Its wide-open performance is outstandingly good (in some

respects like flare even better than the Sumicron at f/2). Stopped down it is better

than the Summicron 2/50mm. It can be used as the universal standard lens and can

be deployed without any restrictions in image quality at all apertures and over the

whole image field. If you want only one lens for your M camera, this one should be

the prime choice."

 

I agree with him, actually, though you know me--I like the lower contrast / sharpness lenses too The amazing thing for me about the 50 ASPH is how absolutely wonderful it is from 1.4 to 2,0, but from f4 to 5,6 this is one of the best around.

 

But for you I can't imagine a better nornal lens, honestly. If it's set up correctly, you will totally love it.

[doug_m]

Jamie,

 

So are you saying that the Summilux is plenty sharp from f4 to 5.6? In the test below the Zeiss Sonnar f1.5 lens out performs the Summilux at f5.6 in sharpness.

 

THE ZEISS ZM 50 SONNAR 1.5 LENS REVIEW

 

These shots are from Steve Huff's review above. The first one is the Sonnar and the Second one is the Summilux ASPH, both at f/5.6.

 

I've become very interested in the 50mm Summilux ASPH to the point where I've been thinking of what to sell in order to get this lens even at what I consider a ludicrous price (remember I don't have deep pockets) but after seeing this comparison, I'm not so sure? Wide open the Summilux ASPH is a definite jewel and seems to be at the top of the heap, but not so much @f/5.6.

 

Wilfredo,

 

You, of all people, would do quite well to own a 50 lux ASPH. This is because you have lots of talent (which is probably better than lots of cash). Yes, it is expensive but for what one gets it has great value. In my experience, the lux ASPH is so superb because its consistently good from wide open to stopped down.

[pgk]

Wide open the Summilux ASPH is a definite jewel and seems to be at the top of the heap, but not so much @f/5.6.

Wilfredo I have the 50 Summilux ASPH and have NO complaints with it at ANY aperture. Its decidedly better wide open than the pre ASPH and extremely good stopped down, including at f/5.6. I often use mine at f/5.6~11 and its on a par if not better than any other M fit 50 I've used (50 Summicrons (various), 50 Summarit (current), 50 Elmar (various), 50 Summilux pre ASPH). Its the last Leica lens that I'd part with!

[wilfredo]

Jamie, Paul, and Doug,

 

Thank you for addressing this question. My first 50mm M lens was a Summicron (not the latest version) which I sold a few years ago. For the last 4 years or so I've been using my trusted Hexanon f/2. I purchased that lens before the advent of the M8. The Hexanon has served me well but I'm itching for something newer and faster. I tried the Nokton f/1.1 for a couple of days but found it too soft wide open and it just didn't have the "pop" I was looking for. I returned it to the seller. With PP I could get something very decent out of it, but I like to be wowed from the moment the image pops up on the screen. What I've seen of the Summilux 50 ASPH has totally wowed me except for Steve Huff's comparison review. I've read a few of his reviews and he seems to have a favorite 50mm lens every time he reviews a new lens. I think he now favors the 50mm Summicron on the M9 above all else. So I am actually relieved that you all have clarified the virtues of this lens. I sense it is on the horizon for me. I will have to sell some gear to finance the purchase without going into debt but I agree it would be a stellar lens for me, and one that would probably stay with me for the next couple of decades.

 

Thank you all for shedding (lux) light on this. :-) My heart is already starting to beat a little faster.

 

BTW Some don't like the Summilux ASPH because it it too "clinical." I prefer clinical and would rather have that as a starting point because you can always soften an image a lot easier than you can sharpen it. I also love the bokeh I've seen on the Lux ASPH lens above all the rest, except perhaps the Nocti wide open but I can certainly live with that.

 

Thanks!

[wilfredo]

Wilfredo,

 

You, of all people, would do quite well to own a 50 lux ASPH. This is because you have lots of talent (which is probably better than lots of cash). Yes, it is expensive but for what one gets it has great value. In my experience, the lux ASPH is so superb because its consistently good from wide open to stopped down.

 

Doug,

 

It was really kind of you to say that!

[Jamie Roberts]

{snipped}

 

BTW Some don't like the Summilux ASPH because it it too "clinical." I prefer clinical and would rather have that as a starting point because you can always soften an image a lot easier than you can sharpen it.{snipped}

 

Ah Wilfredo, I love your work, and as Doug has said (and I tried to imply) that lens is a perfect marriage for you. When you see it at f4, let alone f4, you're going to jump out of your computer chair!

 

But where we part company is with what you've written above...

 

I think it's actually a LOT easier to add contrast (and compression) and sharpness than take it away, especially for people's faces, where you end up having to blur a lot and it looks totally unnatural (and unflattering).

 

Consequently, there are many people I would use a softer contrast lens with (a 75 Lux, a Nocti) as opposed to the 50 Lux ASPH. That's a style thing; often people want the lens to be nicer to their facial features than more accurate.

 

None of Leica's reasonably modern lenses are so soft that you can't sharpen them (or add contrast), and since you need to think about it for different sizes of print, sometimes a lower contrast lens has an advantage with workflow.

 

Here's an example. A 75 Lux shot at 1.4 on the M9; processed straight through C1...

 

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This has no sharpening whatsoever, and the DOF is thin... but the eyes, nose tip and mouth are totally sharp. Clinically sharp? Nope--she's over 40 and doesn't want the 50 Lux at 1.4, believe me Could I make those points of sharpness sharper, and more contrasty? Yes... but I wouldn't for a shot like this (and it saves me blurring out detail in Photoshop)...

 

These lenses also have wonderful transitions too.. I love the movement from in-focus to out-of-focus on Mandler era lenses...

 

Sean Reid even goes as far as saying, if I understand his argument, that you can eke out extra dynamic range in shadows due to the way lower contrast lenses render. I'm not that's totally true, but it's near enough in practice that you don't need to tweak as much in post, maybe, for more shadow latitude.

 

But I still love the 50 1.4 ASPH...it's outstanding on all counts.

 

They're different brushes, is all.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[gberger]

Wilfredo -

 

If you can find someone with a good projector, look at some good chromes that were taken with the 50 ASPH.