srated Posted January 8, 2013 Share #1  Posted January 8, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Long time lurker, first time poster.  Not long ago I found myself on Leica's gateway drug - the X1. Eighteen months and over five-thousand exposures later, I went for broke and picked up a chrome M9P and a 50mm Summilux ASPH. I don't know if it's the 'Lux, new focal length, manual focus, or fairy dust - but I'm blown away. Here's the thing though, from everything I have seen and read about the Lux ASPH being "razor sharp", I had my unsharp mask at the ready. What I got instead, was "smooth and creamy". Shooting wide open, skin is borderline airbrushed. While I'm beyond satisfied the way it is, I'm bothered at the thought that there may be something wrong with the lens. If anyone has the same combination in their arsenal, could you share your thoughts on the attached photo. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/195685-of-summilux-50mm-asph-and-sharpness/?do=findComment&comment=2208933'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 Hi srated, Take a look here Of Summilux 50mm ASPH and sharpness. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
JCharlton Posted January 8, 2013 Share #2  Posted January 8, 2013 Long time lurker, first time poster. Not long ago I found myself on Leica's gateway drug - the X1. Eighteen months and over five-thousand exposures later, I went for broke and picked up a chrome M9P and a 50mm Summilux ASPH. I don't know if it's the 'Lux, new focal length, manual focus, or fairy dust - but I'm blown away. Here's the thing though, from everything I have seen and read about the Lux ASPH being "razor sharp", I had my unsharp mask at the ready. What I got instead, was "smooth and creamy". Shooting wide open, skin is borderline airbrushed. While I'm beyond satisfied the way it is, I'm bothered at the thought that there may be something wrong with the lens. If anyone has the same combination in their arsenal, could you share your thoughts on the attached photo.  I can see the individual hairs on top of your subject's head. I fail to see why you would want anything sharper. Are you going for a 'scientific' look? Great shot, great camera, great lens; now stop worrying about your equipment and enjoy life. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted January 8, 2013 Share #3 Â Posted January 8, 2013 Welcome to the forum! Great portrait. I have an M9 and bought that lens new. I had to send it in. It is tack sharp now. You might consider having both your camera and lens checked out. The lens has a pretty complicated mechanism built in. So I would get in touch with Leica. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmldds Posted January 8, 2013 Share #4 Â Posted January 8, 2013 Welcome to the forum! Great portrait.I have an M9 and bought that lens new. I had to send it in. It is tack sharp now. You might consider having both your camera and lens checked out. The lens has a pretty complicated mechanism built in. So I would get in touch with Leica. Good luck. Â +1. It should be sharper than that. Here is the link to a photo I took with my M9 and same lens. Â Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonki-M Posted January 8, 2013 Share #5 Â Posted January 8, 2013 same initial expression i had with the 50 lux ASPH when i looked at the image. Using is believing i guess Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted January 8, 2013 Share #6 Â Posted January 8, 2013 Should be somewhat sharper. Looks like it may be a tad front-focussed. Could be user error, RF calibration or lens adjustment indeed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWC Doppel Posted January 8, 2013 Share #7 Â Posted January 8, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Time to get your tripod and test chart out I think. You won't be happy until you know if there is an adjustment issue. Â I don't have a test chart but using a steel rule or rigid tape measure at 45 degrees can work or a wall of small boxes (eg Pil bottles) built in a cobbled fashion will help you evaluate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanD Posted January 8, 2013 Share #8 Â Posted January 8, 2013 It looks to be front focussing slightly to me. It should be sharper. You should check it out and maybe get it adjusted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted January 8, 2013 Share #9  Posted January 8, 2013 One way to test whether your rangefinder adjustment is off is to get a test chart from:  Nikon D70 Focus Chart http://focustestchart.com/focus21.pdf, page 18  Align it at a 45º angle and take a wide open shot with the lens. I simply show the chart on my Apple Cinema display. One also can print the chart out on paper and use that. Anyway, it makes no difference for the test results (just ignore the moiré pattern on the screen). For my 50 Summilux-M ASPH lens I find:  Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!  I wonder what the OP's camera/lens test would look like? Good luck with your finding out! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!  I wonder what the OP's camera/lens test would look like? Good luck with your finding out! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/195685-of-summilux-50mm-asph-and-sharpness/?do=findComment&comment=2209020'>More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted January 8, 2013 Share #10 Â Posted January 8, 2013 I would guess the DOF at this distance is in the order of 5-7cm. The image is front focussed (hair on shoulder), so the critical eye focus is off. This lens is hard to adjust for perfect focus at all distances due to the floating element ... you will find plenty of threads here about these lenses having to go back for adjustment. If you RF adjustment is even a tiny bit adrift it will show up with this type of lens wide open. Do some critical tests as suggested above......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted January 8, 2013 Share #11 Â Posted January 8, 2013 srated, it would be helpful if you could post a 100% crop of the area which you focused on - I cannot tell a great deal from the image at its posted sized. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipus Posted January 8, 2013 Share #12  Posted January 8, 2013 Welcome to the forum srated!  srated, it would be helpful if you could post a 100% crop of the area which you focused on  Exactly. It is impossible to give any useful comment based on a 900x600 jpg (sorry).  That being said, I have never found mine to have a focus problem. Though I use film which is perhaps more forgiving than digital.  Don't forget, though, that sharpness isn't the be-all and end-all (sharp image of a fuzzy concept etc etc). You may have bought the M9 and this lens to get the "tack sharp" imagery that is so widely discussed online - which is fine, everyone has their reasons - but I would suggest that you try to enjoy the lens for its many other, quite insanely cool, qualities instead.  Personally, I would be rather pleased with the photo you posted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted January 8, 2013 Share #13 Â Posted January 8, 2013 Well, I prefer to have my tools in proper working conditions so that it's up to me which effects to go for! :D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leafster Posted January 8, 2013 Share #14 Â Posted January 8, 2013 Here is my test result a week back. I fixed my M9-P at 45 degree, distance 0.8m. It appears a bit front focusing. I will retest again soon. Â Â @k-hawinkler, yours look spot on. You fix your display at 45 degree? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 8, 2013 Share #15  Posted January 8, 2013 One way to test whether your rangefinder adjustment is off is to get a test chart from: Nikon D70 Focus Chart http://focustestchart.com/focus21.pdf, page 18  Align it at a 45º angle and take a wide open shot with the lens. I simply show the chart on my Apple Cinema display. One also can print the chart out on paper and use that. Anyway, it makes no difference for the test results (just ignore the moiré pattern on the screen). For my 50 Summilux-M ASPH lens I find:  [ATTACH]354862[/ATTACH]  I wonder what the OP's camera/lens test would look like? Good luck with your finding out!   The moire is very useful, the lens appears to be backfocussing by about 5 mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted January 8, 2013 Share #16 Â Posted January 8, 2013 Jaap, Â If that's true then Leica failed to repair the Lens I am afraid. And I have just run out of the 3 year warranty IIRC. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 8, 2013 Share #17 Â Posted January 8, 2013 The original portrait is front focussed since nose is sharpest. It's either the rangefinder or lens is out (as already suggested) or you moved back slightly after focussing. Either is easily possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted January 8, 2013 Share #18  Posted January 8, 2013 Here is my test result a week back. I fixed my M9-P at 45 degree, distance 0.8m. It appears a bit front focusing. I will retest again soon.  @k-hawinkler, yours look spot on. You fix your display at 45 degree?   Yes, at 45° and scaled the image on screen so that the mm shown in the image give the correct horizontal distance according to Pythagoras' law, you know a^2 + b^2 = c^2.  If you print the page at 100% you get that automatically. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 8, 2013 Share #19  Posted January 8, 2013 Jaap, If that's true then Leica failed to repair the Lens I am afraid. And I have just run out of the 3 year warranty IIRC. Thanks. Well, the focus should be about in the middle of the moire pattern. However, that is a small discrepancy at this focussing distance and may well be due to "tolerances"in the human part of the focussing mechanism. Only the average of a series of shots from a tripod, each focussed independently, can give a reasonably accurate result. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted January 8, 2013 Share #20 Â Posted January 8, 2013 The moire is very useful, the lens appears to be backfocussing by about 5 mm. Â Hi Jaap, Â I always appreciate your help. Thanks. So, please let me ask to avoid confusion, where exactly if the sharpest point? 5 mm below the line: Focus here, or 5 mm above that line. Thanks again. Â Once I have the M240 then I should be able to hopefully avoid human errors and pinpoint exactly how far the combined rangefinder mechanism is out of alignment - if at all! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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