M monochrome and 50 summicron or M9 and APO 50 summicron

[IWC Doppel]

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I would be really interested to see which is the biggest leap forward in terms of resolution but also rendering and image quality for B&W.

 

I am very interested in the M9 monochrome as I develop at least 70% of my pictures in B&W

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[skinnfell]

On my M9 with current summicron, I get a distinct feeling that the lens surpasses the camera in resolution, especially at middle apertures. I would doubt the APO50 would bring significantly improved quality on the M9, but that remains to be seen of course, when it comes out and the pixel peepers get their say.

 

Being as the MM costs just a bit more than the 50APO, and I interpret the question that you want/afford one but not both, I would definitely get the camera, even before the test results comes out.

 

I fact I would love to see how the current 50 cron performs on the MM, how much detail there really is in that old clunker.

[BJDrew]

On my M9 with current summicron, I get a distinct feeling that the lens surpasses the camera in resolution, especially at middle apertures. I would doubt the APO50 would bring significantly improved quality on the M9, but that remains to be seen of course, when it comes out and the pixel peepers get their say.

 

Being as the MM costs just a bit more than the 50APO, and I interpret the question that you want/afford one but not both, I would definitely get the camera, even before the test results comes out.

 

I fact I would love to see how the current 50 cron performs on the MM, how much detail there really is in that old clunker.

 

There are all kinds of lenses that can outresolve the M9, particularly as you raise the ISO. But be honest with yourself. The M9 isn't holding any lens back in practical terms (again, except for high ISO)

The reality also is that unless you have some kind of insane technique, use a tripod most of the time, shoot still subjects, focus perfectly, and loads of your shots require fine detail in the extreme corners while shooting with wide apertures... the benefits of a maginally better resolving lens or an enhanced sensor will provide only marginally better results in real shooting.

[bocaburger]

I own a pre-ASPH 50 Summilux and in fact prefer its rendering to that of the ASPH, but nonetheless I do not deny the ASPH's improvements in aberration control, sharpness across the field, contrast and close-range sharpness are vast and noticeable all the way to f/8. So I get why I might be willing to pay a huge premium for it. OTOH, the 11826/11819 50 Summicron is a different case entirely. It comes almost to the level of the 50/1.4-ASPH, which by all standards is an example of near-perfection in a 50. So I have a really hard time trying to figure out just what practical, real-world improvement there can be to pay almost triple the cost of the Summicron, let alone double the cost of the Lux-ASPH which after all is also twice as fast.

 

So perhaps the answer lies in the limitations of the capture medium. I think what I would do (assuming I were a b&w shooter which I'm mostly not) would be to go to a Leica Day and shoot the MM and M9 each with both lenses and see for myself before buying either one.

[lars_bergquist]

Sean Reid (http://www.reidreviews.com) has done a controlled side-by-side comparison of the M9 and the MM in front of his standard lab test wall. The resultant black-and-white files were compared. The lens was the same 35mm Summicron ASPH. What I read from the test (Sean did not say this in so many words) was that the MM has indeed more resolution than the M9, if –

 

• you use a heavy tripod,

• focus-bracket, and

• view the file at 200%.

 

I leave it to you to decide how that relates to your subjects, your shooting conditions ... and your skill. I can only say that my skill would not be enough to produce a material difference as I normally use a M9.

 

LFI could have tested the MM with an Apo-Summicron against a M9 with a current Summicron, but have not done so. What the outcome would be is anyone's guess. What I have seen outside the Net with its technical limitations, i.e. in print, are some strange, technically very mannered chalk-and-soot pictures by Jacob Aue Sobol that tell me absolutely nothing.

 

I fear that the nearest months willl bring us a plethora of pictures of various people's nose hair, accompanied by a flood of hype. Time will show what the new lens and the new camera are good for in practice. What I do know is that both the MM and the Apo-Summicron are completely out of reach of the young, talented and innovative photographers who are the only people who can support the Leica Brand Image in the long run. Without them, it will just fade away. And Leica Camera AG with it.

 

The old man from the 35mm Age