How close can you focus on your 50mm summilux asph?

[Dikaiosune01]

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I know that officially the 50mm summilux asph focuses at 0.7m.

 

After much saving, I am a new owner of a 50mm summilux asph. I'm estastic about it and have been shooting it regularily for the past couple of days since I got it. However, being the most expensive lens i've ever purchased by a large margin and the horror stories I read (while I'm at work, not shooting); I'm terribily horrified of getting a less than optimal sample.

 

I have recevied a very positive with lots of helpful comments about backfocusing on such a fast lens. My next question is about close focus. When I focus at infinity, the focusing scale stops perceisely at infinity. When I go for close focus, it stops before 0.7 meteres. At my best estimate 0.6 or 0.65 meters. I am wondering if this is normal? I have seen this with my 50mm elmar (first generation); but not with my 28mm elmarit, or my zeiss glass. Thus paranoia has begun to eat away at me; to get this lens checked out.

 

Again, your thoughts and expertise is always much appreciated.

[jaapv]

Does this finding affect your photography? If not it is indeed an irrelevancy. I would have to go downstairs to find out whether mine turns slightly beyond the engraving, as I always have the camera to my eye when focusing.

[Niko]

Mine goes a bit past 0.7 marker, but the rangefinder in camera engages exactly at 0.7m. On the other hand, my lens does not perfectly reach infinity on the scale. It focuses correctly anyway, so i have learned not to care. I don´t ever use hf -focusing with the 50.

 

Niko

[250swb]

An interesting thread if only for the reason that in all these years I'd never even thought about the question. And out of curiosity I checked and can report that my three year old 50mm Summilux does indeed go past 0.7m, (and the M240 body I tried it on focuses all the way to the end). Unfortunately the thread isn't so interesting that I'm going to bother looking at all my other lenses, 35 years of not caring isn't easy to reverse.

 

Steve

[wizard]

...it stops before 0.7 meteres. At my best estimate 0.6 or 0.65 meters. I am wondering if this is normal? I have seen this with my 50mm elmar (first generation); but not with my 28mm elmarit, or my zeiss glass....

 

Yes, this is entirely normal. My copy does that as well, as do most if not all of my other Leica lenses. So stop worrying and just enjoy your lens.

 

Best

 

Andy

[Dikaiosune01]

Does this finding affect your photography? If not it is indeed an irrelevancy. I would have to go downstairs to find out whether mine turns slightly beyond the engraving, as I always have the camera to my eye when focusing.

 

I do appreciate everyone's efforts of talking me off that edge of paranoia that any forum seems to typically encourage. Fortunately enough, it hasn't effected my photography so far. Thank you.