50 APO Summicron Available

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Basically, the 50 apo is a thing of lust.

You've said that before; doesn't make it more true, though.

 

[NB23]

Please list the lenses that are "things of lust." Please define your criteria.

 

Pamela Anderson, nude, holding a Kiron lens, for example. Well, I'll lust for that kiron lens.

 

Koudelka coming up with a killer exhibition done entireky with a Holga. Well, I'll lust for a Holga.

 

Pretty irrational stuff, really.

[NB23]

You've said that before; doesn't make it more true, though.

 

 

Your arguments against it were weak so...

[LeicaPassion]

...Koudelka coming up with a killer exhibition done entireky with a Holga. Well, I'll lust for a Holga...

 

So, you agree with my earlier post:

 

An artist does not need a lens, brush or chisel to envision a work. But the right lenses, the right brushes and paints and the right chisels and marble are needed to execute the vision.

 

Sometimes a vintage lens may be right. Sometimes the 50 APO or another piece of newer glass may be right. Since they render differently, they offer options to achieve one's vision.

[NB23]

So, you agree with my earlier post:

 

An artist does not need a lens, brush or chisel to envision a work. But the right lenses, the right brushes and paints and the right chisels and marble are needed to execute the vision.

 

Sometimes a vintage lens may be right. Sometimes the 50 APO or another piece of newer glass may be right. Since they render differently, they offer options to achieve one's vision.

 

 

I agree that tools are needed.

 

But I strongly disagree with the hair splittig. There is nothing a apo will add over a regular cron, except a psychological bien-etre of the owner.

 

This reminds me of the zeiss 50 1.5 that a lot if people praise for its unique rendering. Ehat's funny os that only the owners of that lens see the uniqueness they're talking about because whenever I see examples I do not see anything special about the image's characteristics.

 

The 50 apo is a trophy, not a super specialized tool. I know of no artist's work that would be better if he'd used that lens over a normal 50.

 

Let's stop it with the silly magical thinking, guys. Magical thinking is not a valid tool.

[NB23]

I also find that we give artists way too much importance. My grandmother with a camera becomes an artist. That's how easy it is today.

Most of them are absolutely worthless artists, a very few of them are ok, and fewer are just good. Their vision is theirs, I agree. But sn artist needing a Apo 50 over a regular 50 cron is an "artist" playing mind games with himself more then anything else. In other words: Lusting for a magical edge that not even himself sees, objectively.

 

As I said, I'm lucky for not having been hit by lust for this lens. I just don't see how it can bring my work on another level, and so far I've not received a single argument that would make me slightly reconsider. More sharpness? What for? More better colors? Really? More talent? How?

 

More prestige? Yes!

 

More prestige. That's cool.

[LeicaPassion]

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I agree that tools are needed.

 

But I strongly disagree with the hair splittig. There is nothing a apo will add over a regular cron, except a psychological bien-etre of the owner....

 

Wow! I'm impressed that you have psychological insight into the minds of all who use APO lenses.

 

Again, it comes down to the right tool to achieve the vision, whether APO or non-APO. I use both as well as vintage glass.

[biglou]

Interesting.

 

One look at the MTF charts shows this lens to be one of the sharpest, if not the sharpest lens ever made to cover full frame. I find it difficult to imagine it would be anything other than clinical, in a positive sense.

 

Could you or other folk who use this lens comment further?

 

 

Well this lens is sharp but not offensive, it is sweet, does not " contract " your eyes as some other lenses do.

There seem to be an apparent larger depth of focus than usual since transition are very progressive and aberration low to nonexistent.

It is difficult to describe (english is not my language) but the best i could say is the images have a calm quality, the lens aberations do not get in the way, you have no doubt about what you see.

Cheers

Joël

[NB23]

Wow! I'm impressed that you have psychological insight into the minds of all who use APO lenses.

 

Again, it comes down to the right tool to achieve the vision, whether APO or non-APO. I use both as well as vintage glass.

 

So it seems that you could teach us a few things in regards to apo-vision-art. Please proceed

[NB23]

Well this lens is sharp but not offensive, it is sweet, does not " contract " your eyes as some other lenses do.

There seem to be an apparent larger depth of focus than usual since transition are very progressive and aberration low to nonexistent.

It is difficult to describe (english is not my language) but the best i could say is the images have a calm quality, the lens aberations do not get in the way, you have no doubt about what you see.

Cheers

Joël

 

Your description is about exactly what we used to read about the lux asph. And before that, about the pre-asph.

 

It could well be a cut & paste from 1994.

 

I remember how the lux asph was "razor sharp", "too clinical", "clinical yet gentle". And with time, it hasn't changed except the people's perception.

Now it's not "clinical" anymore.

 

Guys, this leica thing is a big mind trick game. Artist' vision? Lol.

[Lenshacker]

The 50 APO has better color correction and higher resolution. If you want those features, it's the better choice. If you are using it with a full-spectrum Visible+NIR camera, definitely the better choice. Spectrometers, get an Ultra-Achromatic Pentax. That's where most of the Pentax 85/4.5 M42 mount lenses were used. Corrected for inflation, about the same price as the 50/2 APO-Summicron.

 

Artistic vision- purely subjective, no one can speak for anyone else about the signature of a lens that suits them. It's personal taste.

[Bill W]

This thread kind of went haywire. I was only letting folks know of a 50 APO for sale. It appears there are plenty out there so.....!

[A miller]

Dan Tamarkin called me last week informing me that he had some (not sure how many) in stock. At one point a while ago I put myself on the waiting list but have since decided not to pull the trigger

 

As for whether the 50 APO is a fraud, as is being suggested above, I would throw in my two cents and say that the professional silver gelatin prints that I have seen from this lens on the MM were nothing short of astounding (one such series of prints was featured over the summer at the Leica SOHO store). The corner-to-corner crispness and transparency of the images was so great that it was like you could reach out and touch the subjects. I am highly doubtful that this level can be achieved on the regular cron, or even the lux asph. The scientific data regarding corner-to-corner performance simply bears this out. The quality distinction may be subtle, but such life with the world of "high end."

[platypus]

I find a lot of the adverse comments on this thread rather depressing and there does seem to be some sour grapes involved - why knock the lens?

I have one and it's a beautiful thing that makes me very happy to own and use. As for the stupid statement that one must be "Lusting" to have purchased this lens, that's verging on being offensive.

 

Bill, thanks for the availability advice....I would love a second copy, maybe next Xmas!

[lct]

There is nothing a apo will add over a regular cron, except a psychological bien-etre of the owner

Not sure what experience you have with these lenses but besides focus shift and flare which do not bother me to be honest, CA and soft corners at wide apertures are well known flaws of the regular 50/2. The 50/2 apo should do better i guess and i hope it provides what none of my 50s can do so far i.e. excellent sharpness edge to edge at f/2 with smooth bokeh there.

[keithlaban.co.uk]

Interesting.

 

One look at the MTF charts shows this lens to be one of the sharpest, if not the sharpest lens ever made to cover full frame. I find it difficult to imagine it would be anything other than clinical, in a positive sense.

 

Could you or other folk who use this lens comment further?

 

Just to be clear, my post above was certainly not intended in any way as a criticism of the 50 APO .

 

I'm very interested in the lens. If I do eventually buy it will be exactly because it delivers a level of resolution, which if the MTF charts are anything to go by is above the other 50mm offerings from Leica. I wouldn't be looking for any kind of magic or special sauce but rather extremely high resolution. If it was character I wanted there are plenty of other lenses that deliver in spades and at a fraction of the cost.

 

I will of course try before I buy.

[Paul J]

Your description is about exactly what we used to read about the lux asph. And before that, about the pre-asph.

 

It could well be a cut & paste from 1994.

 

I remember how the lux asph was "razor sharp", "too clinical", "clinical yet gentle". And with time, it hasn't changed except the people's perception.

Now it's not "clinical" anymore.

 

Guys, this leica thing is a big mind trick game. Artist' vision? Lol.

 

No, it's changed. It's a combination of technological and manufacturing advancement, exceptional optical design, and top to it off, relativity. The APO has, by and large, the best IQ I have ever seen in a lens, but seeing and recognising are two separate things.

 

Your constant negativity is becoming rather laborious to read. I don't get it, do you need a cuddle or something?

[Jon Pop]

Yeah, not sure why things went so haywire here; I never understood the polarization it causes whenever Leica makes something. Those who actually know the history behind the development of the 50 APO will understand it wasn't designed to be a 'Royal Wedding Edition' or anything else that faces the usual internet rantings. I'd suggest an education for those who don't understand that it was a dream of Peter Karbe, and a challenge to overcome...in other words, get your facts straight.

 

It is true that the tools alone don't make the photographer, the guitar doesn't make the player, etc., and there are people out there who buy Leica (or other items) just for the perception that they have bought something of status, the 'current best', the 'most expensive' and so forth. However, it is patently UNTRUE to suggest that everyone who purchases or desires a 50 APO is some dilettante and that the qualities of the 50 APO are 'invisible' or somehow the power of marketing suggestions to the eager zealots. There are a few factors to consider. On the optical performance side, its power and resolution and limiting of colour fringing (in MTF, bench tests, etc.) are a matter of scientific fact. This has been well documented not by zealots and collectors who 'think' they can see a difference, but by objective analysis. So let's put that one to rest, shall we? On THOSE criteria, it's the strongest 50 in Leica's stable, and along with the Otus and maybe one or two others, the strongest on the planet. Period, no debate. Notice I said THOSE criteria, so don't pitch 'Lux bokeh stories to try to suggest my ignorance. And on the handling side, there is size and performance married together - if you like the classic E39 in Leica, shoot critical digital work (where pixel peeping is the norm and commercial/magazine publishers often have expectations), it's a great choice...it makes the absolute most of the Monochrom and M240 sensor (and a7 if that's your thing...). This is also a matter of fact, not subject to any debate whatsoever.

 

None of these things will, of course, make one's pictures 'better', for that is a matter of composition, timing, lighting, subject and all those other things that are independent of gear and always will be. And you have to have it in perfect focus of course to realize its power. I don't own one - I have a regular 50 Cron, and a 50 Lux - but have considered it (I would sell the others) due to its size, handling, sharpness; I've seen some staggering work done with it on the Mono and 240, and in the right circumstances, properly used, it has a 'pop' not seen in other lenses. Is it worth the price? Everyone has to make their own choice, but the price of the 50 APO is not set based on its 'exclusivity' but rather that it is also very slow to make, exacting, with costly glass. Getting this kind of power from that small a package was a landmark achievement for Karbe, and in the world of lens design history. That again is not up for debate.

 

I'm glad they are becoming a bit more available, and will continue to consider it.