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Summilux 28 now out!


matlep

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I appreciate you have posted that before MarkP. The fact that we are both quoting Leica is perhaps the problem. A side by side photo would be useful - and matlep kindly posted an approximation. 

 

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Such a quirk of Leica's to publish false data - and this works against them! 

 

Thanks for the reality check. It looks manageable... just. I think this is one I would rather try out for a day or two rather than take 'on faith' like I have some other lenses. The level of viewfinder blockage will be down to personal limits I guess. 81mm seemed a no-brainer 'no', but 67mm I would have to try for myself.

 

Anyway, thanks again.

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Looking at both the official Leica spec sheet and instruction manual it is clear that there is a typo that applies to the length without the hood (which probably should read 51 rather than 81mm?).

 

The alternative hypothesis is that the typo is just "with" and "without" [hood] being swapped.

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Such a quirk of Leica's to publish false data - and this works against them! 

 

Thanks for the reality check. It looks manageable... just. I think this is one I would rather try out for a day or two rather than take 'on faith' like I have some other lenses. The level of viewfinder blockage will be down to personal limits I guess. 81mm seemed a no-brainer 'no', but 67mm I would have to try for myself.

 

Anyway, thanks again.

You're welome.

 

I agree that it's really try-before-you-buy lens as much for the form-factor as for the IQ.  Th.e size is getting a bit beyond that for the everyday

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I cancelled my pre-order today.   ;)

 

Although i do love the 1.4 Summiluxes, I must say that this lens is almost the antithesis of one of the reasons i went with Leica.

I think the Summilux 50 is a tad too big, the Summilux 35 without the hood is manageable. And also, the current 28 Summicron is a damn fine lens.

I guess ill save my money and get a used Summicron instead. 

 

Well see if I change my mind later....  :D

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I cancelled my pre-order today.   ;)

 

Although i do love the 1.4 Summiluxes, I must say that this lens is almost the antithesis of one of the reasons i went with Leica.

I think the Summilux 50 is a tad too big, the Summilux 35 without the hood is manageable. And also, the current 28 Summicron is a damn fine lens.

I guess ill save my money and get a used Summicron instead. 

 

Well see if I change my mind later....  :D

 

 

There is a particular joy in the lenses that fit the Barnack Principle. The combination of exceptional image quality and form factor of the 50-APO have made it a favourite lens alongside the 28 Cron.

 

I think that the large specialised lenses have their place but not in my day-to-day use of M cameras. My larger lenses (1.0/50 Noctilux, 1.4/75 Summilux, 1.2/21 Summilux, and my two R-zooms are used where appropriate, but not routinely.   The 1.4/28 would fall into this category, so I understand you cancelling your pre-order.

 

I've found that the trade-off in size vs IQ and light gathering ability is quite acceptable for the 3.4/21 SEM ASPH, 2.0/28 Summicron ASPH (#1 FAVOURITE LENS), 1.4/35 SUmmilux ASPH (FLE), 1.4/50 Summilux ASPH (OTHER #1 FAVOURITE LENS), 2.0/75 APO-Summicron, and 3.4/135 APO-Telyt. 

 

However, I'm often trying to go even lighter where I can hence I not infrequently just head out with:

some combination of the 2.8/28 Elmarit-M, 2.8/50 Elmar-M, and 4.0/90 Macro-Elmar. The combined weight of all three lenses is 580gm!

or

28-50 MATE, only f4.0 but only 340gm for 3 focal lengths of excellent IQ (well some distortion at 28mm)

 

Winedemonium,

I'm just in the process of getting a 50 APO-Summicron but have been wondering whether it's perfection may not be sympathetic to the 'character' of the 28 Summicron. What are your thoughts and are you still using a 50 Summilux since getting the APO-Summicron? Not sure I'd be keeping both...

Edited by MarkP
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I've waited for it for several months (years?) but I'll pass. It's too large. Noctilux 0.95 and Summilux-24 are jewels but their size make them sleep in the bag. I'm using them just in particular situations which ask for them. I don't wont to put to sleep another lens because of its size. Probably I'll have to go with the summicron which is perfect in size but I'm afraid about what I've read about the loose front part.

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I've waited for it for several months (years?) but I'll pass. It's too large. Noctilux 0.95 and Summilux-24 are jewels but their size make them sleep in the bag. I'm using them just in particular situations which ask for them. I don't wont to put to sleep another lens because of its size. 

 

Yes. My point exactly.

 

 

 

Probably I'll have to go with the summicron which is perfect in size but I'm afraid about what I've read about the loose front part.

 

 

My 2.0/28 Summicron ASPH is perfect.

It's one of the great Leica lenses assuming of course you like the 28mm focal length.

It's hood though is not one of Leica's finest.

Please don't consider it a second-rate lens to fall back upon.

 

I think you have unjustified anxiety about the robustness of this lens. I'm suspect most are mechanically and optically perfect.

People don't post when their lens is mechanically sound, only when there's a fault.

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Winedemonium,

I'm just in the process of getting a 50 APO-Summicron but have been wondering whether it's perfection may not be sympathetic to the 'character' of the 28 Summicron. What are your thoughts and are you still using a 50 Summilux since getting the APO-Summicron? Not sure I'd be keeping both...

 

I'm in close sympathy with your set up and rationale. I had a 2/35 7-element for a long time, and got grumpy with the soft edges (I had been spoiled by other lenses), and sold it. But I miss the incredible ease of use and compact size and weight of that lens. I get why you might step out with that 'ultra compact' set up - superb lenses all of them, and there is something to be said for the 90 Macro-Elmar in the same vein.

 

Until I bought the 50-APO, my 50 Lux ASPH was my favourite lens. It earned that for its complete reliability and flexibility, and for the way it draws, which I like. It's hard to characterise, but there is a certain 'lightness' to the 50 Lux images, compared to a certain 'density' to the 50 APO images. When I look at some images taken with the latter I wish I'd had the former's more delicate touch. But that is only sometimes. Most of the time, I'm in awe of the prowess of the 50 APO. It is my favourite lens and the 28 Cron is second. Third would come the 50 Lux (but that doesn't get used at the moment). The 35 FLE would come next for quality and bite, though I think the new Zeiss 1.4 has the edge over this for the OOF rendering (but that lens seems too big). Like you, I also have the 1.4/21, but haven't thought of a good creative use for it yet for it to go in the bag routinely, and the 1.4/75, which I enjoy (though it is tougher to get right with) mostly stays at home for the odd candied portrait and so on. It deserves more use but doesn't get it.

 

The 50 APO is so bright, detailed and sharp at f/2 that there is no reason to stop down except DOF. There's no weirdness or wonkiness in the OOF areas - as gpwhite described it to me, the OOF rendering is like Pointillism, rather than any sort of fluid abstraction like the 50-LUX (and especially the Noct lenses) wide open. That, for me, is its most special quality.

 

As someone who likes compact lenses, I think too that you might appreciate the 50-APO's fairly compact form. It's only 10% lighter than the Lux, but a bit shorter, and takes 39mm filters. To me, the form factor feels perfect. I'm now completely addicted to this lens.

 

All that, and I'm not sure I've answered you first question really. It's close, but I would say the 50 APO stands out all on its own.

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A soon-to-be Cron 28 and 50 APO user here as well. You guys have your Lux/1.4 fix in other focal. I skipped the 21 and went straight for the ZM 15. I could get a 35/1.4, but it's not my favorite focal. If the Lux 28 proves to be as good as the Cron at f/8 or f/11 for landscape (waiting for you lucky early adopters' reports), I might bite. Two bodies with the Lux 28 and the 50 APO would sure force my hands to use both :D.

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Thanks for that - very helpful.

I've also sent Jennifer a pm about this as she has both lenses and I suspect I'll receive a similar answer.

 

You clearly see things similarly to me with your choice of focal lengths.  Do you feel you're losing anything or going from the 50 APO-Summicron to the 28 Summicron. The latter certainly isn't one of the newer generation lenses with  more 'transparent' rendering compared with the 'charachter' of the 28 Summicron.

 

I also agree about the 35 Summilux FLE. I bought the 35 Summarit as a 'lite'35 but sold it. I liked it's overall rendering but the corners were just way too mushy. As I don't use 35mm that much I really couldn't justify two 35s and it was impossible to part with the 35 Summilux.  The Zeiss 35 is just too big for my liking as a general purpose lens and if I'm taking just one lens out, or for for more general/casual photography, it's the 35 Summilux  I take.

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Comparing Jono's lenses above (sorry for the dirty tweaks) and given that the length of the 35/1.4 FLE is 58mm with hood, that of the 28/1.4 with hood must be around 68mm.

To compare close lenses with hoods on (or extended), the 21/1.4 is 77mm long, the 24/1.4: 75mm, the 50/1.4 asph: 64mm and the 50/2 apo: 57mm.
Given that the Nikkor 28/1.4 must be around 77mm, i suspect that the Summilux is the shortest 28/1.4 ever made but i may be wrong.
 

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The 50 APO is so bright, detailed and sharp at f/2 that there is no reason to stop down except DOF. There's no weirdness or wonkiness in the OOF areas - as gpwhite described it to me, the OOF rendering is like Pointillism, rather than any sort of fluid abstraction like the 50-LUX (and especially the Noct lenses) wide open. That, for me, is its most special quality.

 

As someone who likes compact lenses, I think too that you might appreciate the 50-APO's fairly compact form. It's only 10% lighter than the Lux, but a bit shorter, and takes 39mm filters. To me, the form factor feels perfect. I'm now completely addicted to this lens.

 

All that, and I'm not sure I've answered you first question really. It's close, but I would say the 50 APO stands out all on its own.

 

I agree with Winedemonium that the APO 50 draws uniquely clean, controlled images. Lots of lenses are claimed to have "near zero (spatial) distortion," but the APO 50 actually seems to fit that bill. My third 28 Summicron (silver finish, no less) is finally a great one, but its images are not as bright or saturated. I would offer my opinion, however, that the lines drawn by the 28 Summicron, APO 50 and APO 90 are indeed in the same family (along with the 18 SEM).

 

I purchased the 50 SX black chrom a few weeks ago, and it has proved beautiful at f/1.7. This piece seems to deliver images that are quite a bit nicer than my original 2004 model, but I don't know why (sample variation, unannounced modifications?). As Winedemonium noted, the 50 SX wide open shoots a completely different mood, which is reason to keep it along with the APO 50. For me, the 50 SX on a MM gives the most suggestive images  :o.

 

Finally, to pitch in on all of the points from this riff in the thread, a few months ago I started carrying my APO 50 on one body and my 28 Summicron on another (with 24 Elmarit ASPH too). All stuffed into a b-Laika bag. I like this approach, as one really thinks of both perspectives when framing through the M OVF, and you can get both shots without stopping to change lenses.

 

My hunch is that the signatures of the 28 f/1.4 and 28 Summicron will be compliments, just as the 50 SX and APO are. The problem will be in deciding what to carry in the moment!

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I think gpwhite describes the differences very well. 

 

Taking aside the difference of one stop, the 50 SX wide open and the 50 APO wide open, render very differently indeed. The 50 SX gives very good centre sharpness at 1.4, and a somewhat dreamy OOF rendering, especially when you compare it to the 50 APO at f/2, which holds the form of the OOF areas very well. It is still apparent when both lenses are at f/2. So, if you like your 50 SX at 1.4, there is still a rationale to keep it. It also, of course, has one more stop of versatility. 

 

Do I think there is a step down from the 50 APO to the 28 Cron? Yes, but one I can live with. I like the 28 Cron enough that I think I will have to be very impressed with the 28 SX to justify its length, girth and weight - especially as I shoot 28mm through the viewfinder most of the time. Given the 28 SX is the latest 28mm, and there are now 3 on the market, I doubt Leica will produce what I really want leap at - an updated 28mm Cron, along the design principles of the 50 APO. That said, I feel no special urge for that - I am very happy with the 28 Cron. 

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Such a quirk of Leica's to publish false data - and this works against them! 

 

Yep - for years some of Leica's literature listed a "28mm 1.2" lens - when what they meant was "28mm 1:2" (the Summicron; f/2 in English notation). The difference one little "." makes.

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[...] I'm just in the process of getting a 50 APO-Summicron but have been wondering whether it's perfection may not be sympathetic to the 'character' of the 28 Summicron. What are your thoughts and are you still using a 50 Summilux since getting the APO-Summicron? Not sure I'd be keeping both...

 

Not sure if i can perceive as many differences and similarities as our colleagues above but i would say that both Summicron 50/2 apo and Summilux 50/1.4 asph match well the Summicron 28/2. With its slightly harsher bokeh around f/2 - f/2.8, i find the 50/1.4 asph closer to the 35/1.4 FLE though. 50/2 apo and 28/2 are lenses i'm using in all circumstances while 50/1.4 asph and 35/1.4 FLE are lenses i tend to use in low light at f/1.4 mainly. FWIW.

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