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Leica 50mm cron v5 vs. 50mm M elmar 2.8


stump4545

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Resolution wise, very little in it, if one wins its probably the Summicron at the edges. The Summicron is a little more 'polished' in it's rendering and the elmar has a tiny bit more personality to the bokeh and for want of another word a little 'texture' to the rendering.

 

Very difficult to put into words, and I've done a terrible job of trying.

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I have owned two Elmars and there was a big difference between them. I've had the Summicron v4 and v5 and found the v5 more prone to flare. My second Elmar that I now own cannot be beaten by the Summicron v5 IMO with respect to clarity and sharpness. IWCDoppel may be right about the edges but I don't care about edges, on the contrary, I like a bit blur at the edges because I mainly shoot people with a 50; for landscape I seldom use a 50. IMO there is no Leica M lens with a better price-quality relation than the Elmar. Let alone that it is an ideal travel companion. I could certainly fall in love with the Summicron again, but only with the v4.

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It's also stunningly quick to focus ;)

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The Summicron has that classic Double Gauss look -- very natural, very smooth (but not textureless). It has neutral colors and is very contrasty and sharp, but doesn't call attention to its contrast and sharpness the same way that more modern Leica lenses do. Attached is a picture shot on the latest Summicron (Kodak E100G) along with a 100% crop.

 

The Elmar-M (latest) I've had only for a week. But my initial impression is that it reproduces details that are more apparently crisp and sparkling than the Summicron, and in this regard it has a more "modern" look in the plane of focus. Its bokeh is less creamy than the Summicron but not in a bad way. Finally its slightly less contrasty which can be good in reproducing subtle tonal gradations.

 

If you don't need the faster speed of the Summicron, then I think the Elmar-M is a very good option.

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  • 1 month later...
Resolution wise, very little in it, if one wins its probably the Summicron at the edges. The Summicron is a little more 'polished' in it's rendering and the elmar has a tiny bit more personality to the bokeh and for want of another word a little 'texture' to the rendering.

 

Very difficult to put into words, and I've done a terrible job of trying.

 

... that would have my more or less my exact description as well actually....hard to describe the difference... the Cron being "flawless" (polished as you put it...), but I actually find myself using the Elmar-M more...

 

Stein

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i have both but its the Elmar that gets most use..mainly down to excellent focussing smoothness, compactness and super sharpness and clarity...

here a shot with my M2

 

best andy

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