tom0511 Posted March 9, 2015 Share #41 Â Posted March 9, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) 50 APO is my fav lens on the M type 240. Not that its night and days better than the 50/1.4asph, but it renders with a little deeper and IMO more balanced color, has a very nice bokeh, and doesn't stamp a "signature" on the images. I also like the size/weight. I doesn't look much smaller than the 50asph but it certainly is lighter. Is all that worth the high price? I could live with the 50 Summarit as well, or with the 50/2.8 or the normal 50 Summicron but I do enjoy the 50 APO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 9, 2015 Posted March 9, 2015 Hi tom0511, Take a look here Summicron 50 APO Disapointing?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
alan.y Posted March 10, 2015 Share #42 Â Posted March 10, 2015 i dont know i like his images, but ming thein is a more reflective and graceful writer than most photobloggers. he's also technical and precise, a good balance between deadened lab tests and steve huff's endless platitudes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted March 10, 2015 Share #43 Â Posted March 10, 2015 A little motto to ponder: Ask not if the lens is worthy of you, ask rather if you are worthy of the lens. Well put Dee. Bottom line is that it is worth it.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
platypus Posted March 10, 2015 Share #44 Â Posted March 10, 2015 Well put Dee. Bottom line is that it is worth it.... Â Bill, thanks! And it sure is worth it. I've used Leica lenses for about thirty five years now, both Rs and Ms, and over that not inconsequential time I have owned some incredible lenses of which this little lens is my pick....a super piece of gear....there can be no question about that. I continue to be amazed by amount of second guessing and shilly-shallying that I see on this forum. Life's too short. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted March 10, 2015 Share #45 Â Posted March 10, 2015 Shilly-shallying... A LOT. Have not heard that expression in ages. You see questions that get so many answers and opinions there is not way to make a decision. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted March 11, 2015 Share #46 Â Posted March 11, 2015 And here is Erwin Puts' technical comparison with a Zeiss Distagon. Apo-Summicron-M 2/50 mm ASPH, part 2 | The TAO of Leica (Part 1, on the same site, is a more qualitative description of the lens.) Â Interesting to note how the Zeiss Distagon has better APO correction than the AS50. Â Also, for both lenses, it seems that the 3rd zero crossing is on IR (not shown in the graph). Â In any case, I am waiting for a ZM 50/2 APO. I believe it won't be much bigger or heavier than the AS50, and I am prepared to be surprised. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted March 11, 2015 Share #47 Â Posted March 11, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) i dont know i like his images, but ming thein is a more reflective and graceful writer than most photobloggers. he's also technical and precise, a good balance between deadened lab tests and steve huff's endless platitudes. Â well Ming is not neutral has his likes and dislikes If its a brand he likes (Olympus, Leica, etc.) its gets an easy ride. If its a brand he doesn't (e.g. Sony, Fuji, etc.) it gets a rough ride. Â What I like is the consistency of image processing he achieves. For web sized pictures he at the resolution he posts he can make almost any camera look equally as good. Â Steve Huff is so gee whizz its difficult to follow to be frank. I do like the other reviewers and more assignment based testers he posts on his site. Some of their articles are interesting. Â In terms of neutrality I still prefer Sean Reid. Although he is picky what he reviews I like the consistency of the measurement techniques and pictures he uses. Â Erwin Putts was terrific but has somewhat stepped back from reviewing these days. Â I do now have a subscription to Digilloyd. Although he has some detailed technical techniques he is inconsistent. For example he lauds the Summilux 35mm as the best 35mm ever in his original review and then disparages it when he reviews the distagon 35mm f1.4. And what he disparages (e.g. the wave like MTA curves) he didn't apparently think was a big issue when he first reviewed it. Â The very best lens review sites are slrgear.com and photozone.de but unfortunately they have to be lent gear to review and do very little Leica reviews. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrp Posted March 11, 2015 Share #48 Â Posted March 11, 2015 I generally agree with your review of the reviewer. Some reviews are written to stimulate gas (eg, those that are highly technical and aimed at inducing dissatisfaction with what you have got). Others are written for entertainment value. Few give you a vivid impression of what the gear in real life. Who is going to use a manual focus monster like an Otus outside the studio? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted March 11, 2015 Share #49 Â Posted March 11, 2015 I do now have a subscription to Digilloyd. Although he has some detailed technical techniques he is inconsistent. For example he lauds the Summilux 35mm as the best 35mm ever in his original review and then disparages it when he reviews the distagon 35mm f1.4. And what he disparages (e.g. the wave like MTA curves) he didn't apparently think was a big issue when he first reviewed it. Â The problem here is that Lloyd should keep all his reviews more up to date. The original Summilux review was posted a long time ago, well before the Distagon came up and raised the bar. Technology advances fast. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted March 11, 2015 Share #50  Posted March 11, 2015 The problem here is that Lloyd should keep all his reviews more up to date. The original Summilux review was posted a long time ago, well before the Distagon came up and raised the bar.  Technology advances fast.   I agree but there is some emotional bias that is too prominent. The Summilux is either great or it isn't. If it's great it's fine for the distagon to be "greater" but it's more like the summilux became terrible. Anyway that's the impression I took away, perhaps yours was different.  The Summilux is significantly shorter, is sharper in the centre (according to a French review that used DXOMARK measurement software), is lighter and apparently it's colours and draw are less harsh (according to another review I read). Lloyd pointed none of this out.  I currently don't have a distagon or Summilux at the moment so have no stake in it, however to date I like the photos I see on the web more with the Summilux, but I suppose the distagon is new and who knows how people process their web photos.  I noticed the above in other reviews as well, ie. Dramatic view shifting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted March 11, 2015 Share #51 Â Posted March 11, 2015 I agree but there is some emotional bias that is too prominent.The Summilux is either great or it isn't. If it's great it's fine for the distagon to be "greater" but it's more like the summilux became terrible. Anyway that's the impression I took away, perhaps yours was different. Â Lloyd is an emotional guy, but I find him one of the least biased reviewers. I am not a subscriber to his site anymore, but I read his blog now and then and I don't remember him saying the Summilux is terrible. Â The Summilux is significantly shorter, is sharper in the centre (according to a French review that used DXOMARK measurement software), is lighter and apparently it's colours and draw are less harsh (according to another review I read). Lloyd pointed none of this out. Â Lloyd prefers Zeiss ergonomics, colors and 3D pop rather than the flatter 35 Lux rendering. And so do I. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted March 11, 2015 Share #52 Â Posted March 11, 2015 Technology advances fast. Lens technology does not advance fast at all - at least not fixed focals. We've had perfectly acceptable primes for a long, long time. Differences are now nuances. Many of the so-called 'reviewers' (of whatever credentials) operate on the basis of persuading others that the barely perceptible and minimal difference they find are of vast import, nothing more. Just my two-pennyworth based on 35 years of selling photos and having NEVER lost a sale due to poor lens performance - but hey, what do I know;)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
platypus Posted March 12, 2015 Share #53 Â Posted March 12, 2015 Lens technology does not advance fast at all - at least not fixed focals. We've had perfectly acceptable primes for a long, long time. Differences are now nuances. Many of the so-called 'reviewers' (of whatever credentials) operate on the basis of persuading others that the barely perceptible and minimal difference they find are of vast import, nothing more. Just my two-pennyworth based on 35 years of selling photos and having NEVER lost a sale due to poor lens performance - but hey, what do I know;)? Â I agree completely, in twenty plus years of making a very comfortable living from photography I never lost a commission or a sale due to lens concerns, rather the "glow" and depth that Leica lenses impart to a photograph always impressed my clients, even though predominately they didn't realise what it was that they were admiring. However (as I keep saying, probably to the point of boring everyone) there is an indefinable "something" about the results from the APO 50 when paired with the M Monochrom that seems unique. No-one else need agree with me.....I am merely revelling the fact that the prints I am making now, with that combination, are the best of my life. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted March 13, 2015 Share #54 Â Posted March 13, 2015 I agree completely, in twenty plus years of making a very comfortable living from photography I never lost a commission or a sale due to lens concerns, Â I do not see any correlation between your never lost commissions and lens technology. Most clients have low expectations, and many people are perfectly happy with wedding photos a kid could have shot with an iPhone. Â What was amazingly superlative 4 years ago (the Leica 35 FLE) is now the entry point for high-end 35mm lenses. At less than half the price, the ZM 35/1.4 is showing how fast lens technology is running. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KM-25 Posted March 13, 2015 Share #55 Â Posted March 13, 2015 I do not see any correlation between your never lost commissions and lens technology.Most clients have low expectations, and many people are perfectly happy with wedding photos a kid could have shot with an iPhone. Â I love how you just flush the toilet down to the Walmart of the photo industry. Not everyone has to resort to low end wedding photography to make a living behind the camera you know. Â The number one thing my clients care about is vision, second is the fact I hand craft real darkroom prints and third in the case of advertising and editorial is the above vision within a reasonable industry standard budget, which does not mean cheap. Â That said I did have to reshoot an aerial session once as a wide zoom had become de-centered, the lens certainly made a bad difference there and great fast glass also made a difference on some lifestyle ad shoots. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted March 13, 2015 Share #56 Â Posted March 13, 2015 What was amazingly superlative 4 years ago (the Leica 35 FLE) is now the entry point for high-end 35mm lenses. At less than half the price, the ZM 35/1.4 is showing how fast lens technology is running. As much as i like my Zeiss lenses, the ZM 35/1.4 is as big as a 90mm Leica lens and blocks the viewfinder a lot. "Running technology" will interest me when it allows for lenses as affordable as the ZM at the size of the FLE. When i see how big are Zeiss lenses in general, i don't hold my breath. But again i like much my (small) ZM 35/2.8 and 50/1.5. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted March 13, 2015 Share #57 Â Posted March 13, 2015 What was amazingly superlative 4 years ago (the Leica 35 FLE) is now the entry point for high-end 35mm lenses. Â That's a gross exaggeration. Zeiss lenses have always been cheaper than Leica lenses because most of them are made in Japan in higher numbers and at lower production cost than in Germany. They can be really good, but I have had problems with lubrication drying out in ZM lenses etc. Lenses from other manufacturers may be cheaper, but they are either not as good, or not as small as Leica lenses. You can do a lot when size doesn't become as much of a restriction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted March 13, 2015 Share #58 Â Posted March 13, 2015 Lenses from other manufacturers may be cheaper, but they are either not as good, or not as small as Leica lenses. You can do a lot when size doesn't become as much of a restriction. Â I agree about the size, but not about the quality. I have several Zeiss lenses (some of which are quite old) and never had a problem with them [nor with any of my Leica lenses]. What is it that justifies more than twice the price ? Is it the size ? Is it the brand name ? Â I for one, don't like the ergonomy of Leica tabbed lenses and don't mind the bigger size of ZM lenses. Personal preference, of course. But I am waiting for a ZM 50/2 APO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted March 13, 2015 Share #59 Â Posted March 13, 2015 What is it that justifies more than twice the price ? Â I'm quite tempted to think of the Pareto rule. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted March 13, 2015 Share #60 Â Posted March 13, 2015 What is it that justifies more than twice the price ? Is it the size ? Is it the brand name ? Ask Schneider, Rodenstock or Zeiss about its lenses made in Germany. Add the smaller size and a pinch of red dot and here you are. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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