Is a 1.4 ASPH really necessary on an M-240??

[Herr Barnack]

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It depends whether shallow depth of field is important to you.

 

Pete.

 

Exactly.

 

In my mind, the point of a Summilux or a Noctilux is not so much the speed, but the shallow DoF and the bokeh.

[paulsydaus]

Yes 1.4 can be incredibly helpful if you are wanting to shoot indoors, such as bars and the like. I know it is twice the price, but if you can afford it I really think having 1.4 speed at your disposal can make or break a shot in dim lighting situations.

[sblutter]

Too heavy, 'cron is gorgeous

 

Also, the collapsible Elmar 50 w/o shade is a great walk-around combo - old school

[A miller]

curious why the OP excluded non-ASPH 1.4 lenses... ?

[leica lux]

Not necessary - but nice to have .

 

Coming back to the basics of photography:

2 f-stops are still 2 f-stops in terms of DoF, Speed, Light and of course Price ..regardless the camera you are using.

 

It's more than low light capability of a sensor - That's my opinion.

[algrove]

Hope not, as I decided to bring my APO 50 instead of any faster 50. I like the diminutive look of the APO 50 over the 50 lux.

[tobey bilek]

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It is about the quality of out of focus areas. The 50 Lux ASPH is luscious when I did same time, same place with the Summicron. The ASPH is the first 1.4 I really liked.

 

For smaller and lighter, get the recently discontinued 2.8 50.

[250swb]

People should be reminded the Summilux works extremely well at f/8 and isn't only capable of blur and interior bar shots.

Steve

[jlindstrom]

And for me the slux ergonomics fit better. This is my main lens, being a 50 guy, so it has to fit nicely. Comes down to small things there, like the sliding hood. I dislike the old style sliding hood used in 50 cron, I had that in the pre-asph slux as well and it was just about the only gripe for that lens.

 

Also the 1 stop difference in speed helps for a main lens. Gives it more versatility. I'd rather have the last 50 slux pre-asph than the current 50 summicron.

 

Only gripe with current summilux is that I don't like focusing tabs. If I could remove that, it'd be perfect

 

//Juha

[swamiji]

Historically, It used to be that the Summicron was the leader in image quality. However recently in most focal lengths, it's the Summilux that is the leader in image quality, that is, until the 50 APO-Summicron arrived...

[SiOnara]

At some point in your life you suddenly discover the advantages of good performance in a compact package. Re-enter the Summicron!

 

So true ;-)

[rramesh]

A 50 Summilux ASPH is harder to take from your hands. I believe its something to do with its design.

[Jennifer]

IMO the whole issue of "need" is a subject best avoided in a Leica forum.

[Peter H]

Many years ago I was using an Olympus OM1 and found a mint used Zuiko 50mm 1.2. Up until then I was used to thinking that 1.8/2.8 was fast, and f4 was normal, and certainly not slow.

 

That Zuiko 1.2 was a revelation to me. I used to go out in the late evening just to take photos that I couldn't have taken before. Bokeh (which I'd never heard of) had nothing to do with it. I loved it.

 

It was fun, and that is why I like Summiluxes. I enjoy them more than I need them. But isn't that how life often operates if we're lucky enough?

[hendriphile]

My 50mm DR Summicron weighs 340 gm. My Summilux V2 weighs 360 gm.

And not a big size difference between them.