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Summilux-M 50 Asph


IkarusJohn

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I have had an order in for this lens in chrome with Meister Camera in Berlin for a couple of weeks, and no news. I will wait for this lens as it will compliment what I have (I have an M9 with Crons 75 (black) & 35 (chrome)), and it seems it's worth waiting for.

 

Does anyone have any information about delivery times?

 

Cheers

John

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I have had an order in for this lens in chrome with Meister Camera in Berlin for a couple of weeks, and no news. I will wait for this lens as it will compliment what I have (I have an M9 with Crons 75 (black) & 35 (chrome)), and it seems it's worth waiting for.

 

Does anyone have any information about delivery times?

 

Cheers

John

 

Well, there are several threads on the forum regarding the delivery time of the Summilux 50. There are reports on customers who have paid the full amount several months ago but still are waiting. I was on the waiting list for over a year until i gave up and found a used mint one. They seem to pop up once in a while on Amazon or B&H but at all other resellers they are very rare.

 

But at least you are on the waiting list, that is a good first step! and it is a lens worth waiting for.

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Not really prepared to pay in advance without knowing delivery times.

 

I notice a new lens is advertised in Hong Kong for USD 5,300, and a used one for over USD 4,000 on eBay. That's a huge premium! Digital Review also list it at USD 5,800!

 

Seems it's worth shopping around. I'll wait.

 

Cheers

John

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Waited about four months with Robert White, paid in advance. Worth the wait. Now the new 35 lux- 5 months and counting, appears to not be close to the horizon....

 

I am ashamed to say that i only had to wait 2 months for the new 35 lux asph. :o I had set my mind for waiting about a year but it came quicker. Two truly outstanding lenses!

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Not really prepared to pay in advance without knowing delivery times.

 

I notice a new lens is advertised in Hong Kong for USD 5,300, and a used one for over USD 4,000 on eBay. That's a huge premium! Digital Review also list it at USD 5,800!

 

Seems it's worth shopping around. I'll wait.

 

Cheers

John

 

Yes, do not go for those up marked lenses.

 

You could always get in line at a second reseller besides Meister, sometimes the smaller ones don´t even have a queue and still they get a lens occasionally. No need to put money down. All resellers now that the lens will sell within minutes if you regret your order.

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Not really prepared to pay in advance without knowing delivery times.

 

I notice a new lens is advertised in Hong Kong for USD 5,300, and a used one for over USD 4,000 on eBay. That's a huge premium! Digital Review also list it at USD 5,800!

 

Seems it's worth shopping around. I'll wait.

 

Cheers

John

 

Actually, on both the 50 and 35 I took advantage of currency exchange rates, saving 25 to 35 percent by paying up front- which I would only do at a top notch retailer. Otherwise, if it weren't for the savings, I agree with you. Ended up getting the 50, after customs costs, for about $2,850 this summer. Unfortunately, rates have changed for our side of the Atlantic.

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I can tell you that here in NZ, a new Summilux 1.4/50 ASPH is no-where to be found. I've had my order for a black one in since April and I'm still waiting. M9's are beginning to appear as a stock item in contrast to the (previously) long wait lists, but NZ Leica dealers are still having to say that the supply of lenses remains a "wee problem". :mad:

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I was lucky enough to snap a used 50mm asph summilux and have a couple of questions for people whp actually own it.

 

1.) The focus ring is a lot stiffer than my 35mm asph. It takes quite a bit of push to move it, is this normal? Do you have any tips on how to focus?

 

2.) I haven't tested this thoroughly because i only shot a couple of pics with it so far but some of my pics seem to have a very slight front focus shift. I've heard about lenses back focusing on the M9 but never front focusing. Any one heard of front focusing? To tell you the truth, Im 90% sure that it is user error because I've never shot at 1.4/f before and the dof is not forgiving at 1.5cm deep. However, one's imagination/worries always runs wild...

 

Im itching for tomorrow's day light to hit the street and test it properly! Very exciting :-)

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It will be slightly more "heavy" as it controls the floating element as well, but stiff won't describe it, it should be smooth. Maybe it has been unused for a while. In that case working it for a while should free the lubricant. It is one of the lenses that can be fiddly and need adjusting,.

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It will be slightly more "heavy" as it controls the floating element as well, but stiff won't describe it, it should be smooth. Maybe it has been unused for a while. In that case working it for a while should free the lubricant. It is one of the lenses that can be fiddly and need adjusting,.

 

Thanks for your reply Jaap. Yes you are right, heavy is definitely the word to describe it. Quite a bit heavier than the 35mm asph. though. It has some resistance when you move towards inf but not the other way round. Im hoping it relaxes a bit because it needs a bit of an effort to move around. When you say fiddly and need adjusting, what exactly are you referring to?

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Thanks for your reply Jaap. Yes you are right, heavy is definitely the word to describe it. Quite a bit heavier than the 35mm asph. though. It has some resistance when you move towards inf but not the other way round. Im hoping it relaxes a bit because it needs a bit of an effort to move around. When you say fiddly and need adjusting, what exactly are you referring to?

Mine, and I believe it is not uncommon, needed a trip to Solms to get spot-on in focus, and after heavy use developed play in the barrel. Despite that the lens is worth the trouble, as the results are pretty amazing.

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The 50mm Lux asph that I described in another thread that also developed some barrel wobble, had a bit of front focusing too. So although its more common to hear of lenses backfocusing, front focusing can and does occur. Otherwise as Jaap and others have said...definitely a stellar lens.

 

Dave (D&A)

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It will be slightly more "heavy" as it controls the floating element as well, but stiff won't describe it, it should be smooth. Maybe it has been unused for a while. In that case working it for a while should free the lubricant. It is one of the lenses that can be fiddly and need adjusting,.

 

When I bought my specimen in 2004, the focusing was not only stiff -- it was jerky. Or rather, it was SO stiff it couldn't be focused smoothly. Had to send it back to Solms for service. Now it's still a bit stiff, but useable.

 

I understand that I am not the only one who had this problem. Remember that this was the first M lens with a floating element. There was obviously a bit of a learning curve in Solms.

 

The old man with the well-exercised forefinger

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