Any 50mm APO-Summicron deliveries yet?

[enboe]

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Pardon my query, but I was wondering if someone would reply to this thread if they have taken possession of their 50mm APO-Summicron. It also would help those waiting for the lens to know which country you took possession of your lens in.

 

Thank you.

[rramesh]

It's here. It's here. It's here. Hey wait, it's a 50 summilux!

[michali]

I'm in France, my dealer told me that it should be available in early to mid-August, his information has always been correct.

[algrove]

Just told yesterday by Washington, DC Leica store that delivery has slipped to September/October time period for this US store.

@Michali-Was in Paris at the Maison de Leica a week ago and Jean Marc said the APO 50 would come with an initial lot and then get very difficult to get. Who knows. It seems to me that since the product comes out of Germany, anywhere in Europe should get supply easier and maybe quicker than elsewhere in the world due to logistics, no stopping for customs clearance etc.

[andyedward]

B+H still state that this lens is available from the 28th August, but this info hasn't changed for at least 3 weeks. I ordered one from a UK dealer 6 weeks ago, but he shrugged his shoulders regarding delivery, which is understandable!

 

I'm hoping the 50 Apo deliveries will benefit from leicas recent increase in lens production capacity, but perhaps thats wishful thinking on my behalf......

[rramesh]

End August in Singapore but initial quantities unknown.

[erlingmm]

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Heard from a local representative that is is postponed until October

[algrove]

Is a 6 month delay from initial announcement to delivery common practice for Leica?

[masjah]

Is a 6 month delay from initial announcement to delivery common practice for Leica?

 

Yes, and not just for Leica!

[Lung7707]

Heard from a local representative that is is postponed until October

Yup! Just got the news from Leica Asia today. Very disappointing news.

[Paul J]

a painful delay

[jaapv]

My guess for that lens? Febr. 2013.

[algrove]

My guess for that lens? Febr. 2013.

 

Now that the shock from your comment has warn off a bit, I certainly hope this Feb 2013 date is very pessimistic.

[HeinzX]

First deliveries in February 2013 seem very realistic. There are unconfirmed rumors, that after the first deliveries only very limited quantities will be available. In my personal opinion this could end in a availabiltiy of only 2 -3 per year. Perhaps a special edition in platinum and with diamonds will come ?

[andyedward]

How unfortunate to read of the schadenfreude exhibited by some of those who haven't ordered this lens

[tobey bilek]

When will the 35,75, & 90 APO be available at $10,000 per?

[algrove]

When will the 35,75, & 90 APO be available at $10,000 per?

 

75, 90 and 135 APO's already exist. Now the 35 APO could go for close to what you mention, like 8k.

[bocaburger]

God bless Leica for pulling off what they have during the worst US and European economy in nearly a century...but they blew me off when their lenses went over $2K, so now I just sit back with my carton of popcorn and watch with amazement and amusement.

[andyedward]

Does anyone have an update on when the 50 Apo will be available?

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[rulnacco]

I'm sorry if this is considered an inappropriate post on this thread...but why are so many people so anxious to get their hands on this lens? And especially at the outrageous price? I mean, it's a 50/F2 for god's sake--and Leica wants WHAT for it?!?

 

My regular dealer in London was telling me the other day that one of his wealthy customers placed an order with him for that lens. Then, as of course it would take quite a while to arrive, he went down to the Leica flagship store in Mayfair, and actually tried the new lens on his M9-P.

 

He came back and canceled the order, even though he's easily wealthy enough to afford it. He said that while the lens was indeed quite good, he honestly couldn't see enough appreciable difference in quality between it and his current lens--the latest, non-ASPH Summicron--even wide-open to justify dropping the cash on the new one.

 

I dunno--personally, I buy Leica gear based on its ability to give me certain shots that my Nikon stuff just won't handle properly (plus, of course, the more pleasurable experience of the process of shooting with it). And I'm not wealthy, so price/performance ratio is definitely a factor in my decisions. Personally, there's no way in hell that I'd pay the crazy price for that lens being as it won't deliver any real observable image quality in normal shooting situations beyond what my Version IV Summicron already produces, at a high but reasonably understandable price. (I bought mine second hand, and got a fairly good deal on it from the above-mentioned dealer.) If I pay good money for a lens, I'm gonna shoot with it, sometimes in risky situations--and make actual prints from it--not stroke it, store it in a sealed display cabinet, or obsess over individual pixels on-screen.

 

So, again, I'm sorry if I've intruded on the thread. You may not be interested in my own point of view, but the experience of the fellow above may save you a bit of disappointment. He can afford the lens, he's actually gotten his hands on it and tried it on a great body, he says it really is good--but that he's already shooting a lens that is 95%++ as good. And in his estimation, the small amount of added image quality isn't justified by the extraordinarily high price for what is, really, a mundane focal length/maximum aperture.

 

I'd just recommend a bit of reasonable caveat emptor, especially if you actually take photos with your gear. It's not a magic wand--it's just a slightly better (possibly--depends on how you use it) piece of glass than is already available at somewhat conscionable prices.

 

Of course, if you're a Russian oil oligarch or something, by all means, go ahead and drop the cash on one! Help keep Leica rolling on, and maybe one day they'll again produce something actually useful to real photographers in real-world situations that can conceivably be had for a price that a working photographer can afford. And then again, based on Leica's recent decision to dump all the smaller dealers (like mine, who's been a Leica-authorised seller for roughly four decades and has introduced a lot of people--including me--to the joys of using Leica gear) and focus their efforts on big, blingy stores in posh areas, probably not. Good as this lens is, it seems really to be a symptom of Leica's transition from making cameras to document the truth of the world at large to manufacturing expensive jewelry for rich folks. Sad, really.