50mm Summilux-SL ASPH Review

[IkarusJohn]

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Vote?

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Donzo98]

Vote?

 

You asking if I voted?? Yes...

[tom0511]

One more thought: If I do a good job than I appreciate to receive a good salary. If I get a good salary, than I think its only fair that I also pay fair price for things I buy and to allow the supplier/brand to pay fair salaries and allow fair working conditions as well.

Its harder for me to spend 800 Euro for a made in China Iphone (where maybe 50 Euro is for the people who produce it (or is it 10?), and where apple doesnt really pay much tax in the country I live) compared to pay the price for a nice Leica lens.

Edited March 23, 2017 by tom0511

[IkarusJohn]

You asking if I voted?? Yes...

 

 

No, just saying that is is something you can do.

 

In the BBC Reith lectures some years ago, Michael Sandel (from Harvard) made some observations about living in a civil society which I found very interesting.  He was contrasting the difference between a country like the UK, where people look to the Government to provide for what could loosely be called services which make society a better place and private organisations in the US which do this work.  It was an interesting discussion, which I'm not sure I agreed with.

 

What this stimulated for me, though, was the thought of engagement in society and whether or not the general public feels any connection with its Government.  It seems to me that last year's US Presidential elections and the British referendum on EU membership both displayed a sense of disconnection between the voting public and their Governments.  I find that very interesting, as the disparity between rich and poor, and the increasing concentration of wealth in fewer hands is a global problem.  My own view is that this is the inevitable result of blindly following the Chicago School of Economic thought since the early 1980s (stick with me here).

 

Back on point, Professor Sandel's observation was that voluntary organisations make the world a better place, and in the US such organisations are alive and well - not so much the UK.

 

Here, at the bottom of the World, rather than over 300 million people voting for local, State and Federal Government (Presidential, Senate and House) or over 60 million people voting for a more powerful local, Parliamentary and EU representation, we have 4.5 million people voting every three years for local and Parliamentary representation.  That does tend to mean that we hold our government to account, and we accept that we put them there.  We also kick them out when we feel things aren't working, and then things do change quite quickly.

 

That's not so say we have paradise, or that everyone is happy, or we don't have crime or a huge imbalance between the very small group of very rich and a large group of very poor.  Similarly, the middle class is getting hollowed out, as it is everywhere else in the World.  But living in a civil society requires a greater level of engagement than work and family; voting helps, but when voting has strange results, sometimes you need more.  In the time of Gen Washington and the Founding Fathers, having a gun at the ready was probably the next step to voting; now, perhaps not.

 

You have interesting times at the moment.  The next challenge will be how to move on to a new economic model which provides for more equitable sharing of resources and wealth, and sustainable growth.  That will require a level of engagement we're not currently seeing ...

Edited March 23, 2017 by IkarusJohn

[Chaemono]

Besides all the problems in the world, one of the things that ticks me off is that I know that there is always a little bit of toothpaste left in the tube even if it looks empty. So before I toss it, I cut it open to scrape off the remaining part. Just hate to waste any resources.

[geetee1972]

 

I worry about things that I have some control over... the income disparity issue is not one of those things.

OK but I wasn't suggesting that you, as one individual, could solve the problem. And caring about an issue is not the same as worrying about it and caring about it doesn't mean you have to fix the whole problem. You only have to play a small part to make a big difference everyday. Besides there is plenty you could do. You could for instance make regular donations to an appropriate charity, you can run for office and campaign for a more equitable society (hey like free medical care for instance and given your position, you're voice on that issue would be heard far more readily than others), you teach your children that material gain is secondary to caring for your fellow man and striving to be virtuous (which I believe you're already doing), you can vote (and we all know which way), you can make it a point to commit one random act of kindness every day etc. Now, none of these individual acts will in themselves solve the income disparity. But it's a start and if many more people started to believe and act this way things would change.

 

There's a speech I hold very dear to me heart by one of your presidents (Roosevelt) on Citizenship in a Republic. The part that starts 'It's not the critic who counts', gets as close to our humanity as anything I've ever read.

[John Z. Goriup]

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geetee 1972,

 

Given how far off-topic this post has drifted and my frustration at the appearant refusal, unwillingness or inability of some posters to discuss the subject at hand, i.e. the SL 50mm f1.4 lens, I am well past caring what the consequences may be as aresult of what I am about to post, but I personally take offence at your presuming to admonish and lexture a fellow member over something that has absolutely no connection with a camera optic.

[Donzo98]

OK but I wasn't suggesting that you, as one individual, could solve the problem. And caring about an issue is not the same as worrying about it and caring about it doesn't mean you have to fix the whole problem. You only have to play a small part to make a big difference everyday. Besides there is plenty you could do. You could for instance make regular donations to an appropriate charity, you can run for office and campaign for a more equitable society (hey like free medical care for instance and given your position, you're voice on that issue would be heard far more readily than others), you teach your children that material gain is secondary to caring for your fellow man and striving to be virtuous (which I believe you're already doing), you can vote (and we all know which way), you can make it a point to commit one random act of kindness every day etc. Now, none of these individual acts will in themselves solve the income disparity. But it's a start and if many more people started to believe and act this way things would change.

 

There's a speech I hold very dear to me heart by one of your presidents (Roosevelt) on Citizenship in a Republic. The part that starts 'It's not the critic who counts', gets as close to our humanity as anything I've ever read.

 

That sounds a bit condescending... don't you think?

 

FYI... other than running for office... I do all of those.

[dancook]

you teach your children that material gain is secondary to caring for your fellow man 

 

I'm too busy with my material gain to have children.

[LD_50]

What a ridiculous thread.

 

I hope it's closed and we can discuss the review and lens elsewhere.

[jrp]

To get back on track, the question is "Is this lens a sign of decadence? (Because it is so expensive, cumbersome, focuses slower than we might like, and not offer distinctive performance, better than close competitor lenses that are cheaper.)"

 

Don't know the answer, myself, as we have seen so few images, some attractive, some less so.  In my experience, Leica usually knows what it is doing, particularly when it comes to lenses.  It just takes me a bit of time to discover what the lens is capable of, what it is designed to do best.  Trying to take landscapes with a Noctilux is possible, but that is not what it is best at.

[IkarusJohn]

Sorry for my part in that.

 

I liked David's review, and if I had the need for another 50, I'd probably be interested.  What would drive me would be AF, weather sealing and that marginal (but expensive) increase in resolving power.  But, having two good M mount 50s, I don't see the point.  For Gordon and others, that little bit more resolution is something he has the skill to exploit - I'm honest enough to admit that I don't.

 

Cheers

John

[John Z. Goriup]

What a ridiculous thread.

 

I hope it's closed and we can discuss the review and lens elsewhere.

 

 

Forgive me for being pedantic about this and  standing on principle, but this is precisely where the review and this lens should be discussed. I strongly believe we must not 'retreat ' to the safety of some other post or another thread to hide from the pompous, arrogant and pretentious malcontents who insist on indoctrinating everyone with their own philosophy.

 

I suggest we get back to talking about the 50mm lens.................. and please leave your politics and personal convictions / beliefs out of it.

 

JZG 

[dancook]

To get back on track, the question is "Is this lens a sign of decadence? (Because it is so expensive, cumbersome, focuses slower than we might like, and not offer distinctive performance, better than close competitor lenses that are cheaper.)"

 

It's hard to not 'indulge' where there just isn't another option if you want AF, weather sealing and a fast 50mm lens.. unless you sell the SL and move to another system.

 

You say it's cumbersome and there are cheaper competitor lenses.. if you're referring to the Sigma 50mm 1.4 ART, it's about as big... and optically the 50SL is arguably right up there! ^^

 

I've shot a wedding and two nights of live music in the last week and I'm happy with the AF performance for these things. 

[Donzo98]

It's hard to not 'indulge' where there just isn't another option if you want AF, weather sealing and a fast 50mm lens.. unless you sell the SL and move to another system.

 

You say it's cumbersome and there are cheaper competitor lenses.. if you're referring to the Sigma 50mm 1.4 ART, it's about as big... and optically the 50SL is arguably right up there! ^^

 

I've shot a wedding and two nights of live music in the last week and I'm happy with the AF performance for these things. 

 

Glad to hear it was up to the task... got one coming

[jaapv]

Let's stick to Summiluxes, ladies and gentlemen. This, after all, what this thread is about.

[phovsho]

Yes, very encouraging.

 

Personally if I like this 50 SL on the SL I will be selling my noctilux. It never made sense to me on my M bodies - I fell in love with the idea of the 0.95 more than the reality. The nocti works really well on the SL though.

 

The SL 50 is close to half the price of nocti too, so if I sell it I might come out even. I'll lose a stop and gain AF, weather sealing, closer focusing and some extra weight.

 

M

[Donzo98]

Yes, very encouraging.

 

Personally if I like this 50 SL on the SL I will be selling my noctilux. It never made sense to me on my M bodies - I fell in love with the idea of the 0.95 more than the reality. The nocti works really well on the SL though.

 

The SL 50 is close to half the price of nocti too, so if I sell it I might come out even. I'll lose a stop and gain AF, weather sealing, closer focusing and some extra weight.

 

M

That is exactly my thinking... I'll keep one of the two. AF and 1.4 are the reasons I bought it.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[caissa]

I would never sell the noctilux - not that I use it for everything as some enthusiasts here - but it is a special piece, for special occasions in b&w and in low light.

The SL 50 rather gives me the opportunity to get rid of the SL 24-90. If you need OIS, then it is without par, but apart from that ...   

So I switch to a "faster" combination of lenses with wide aperture:

Art 2.0/24-35, Summilux 50, Art 1.4/85  (or maybe later Summicron 90)

The only question still open is if I need a separate macro lens or if using an astigmat is good enough. Probably I need the macro, but it will take years to arrive.

 

If I wanted all Leica then SL 16-35, SL 50 or SL 75 and SL 90-280 looks really practical.

Edited March 24, 2017 by caissa

[tom0511]

To get back on track, the question is "Is this lens a sign of decadence? (Because it is so expensive, cumbersome, focuses slower than we might like, and not offer distinctive performance, better than close competitor lenses that are cheaper.)"

 

Don't know the answer, myself, as we have seen so few images, some attractive, some less so.  In my experience, Leica usually knows what it is doing, particularly when it comes to lenses.  It just takes me a bit of time to discover what the lens is capable of, what it is designed to do best.  Trying to take landscapes with a Noctilux is possible, but that is not what it is best at.

 

 

IMO its just a very good Leica lens with a Leica price, not more and not less. If you find it "does not offer distinctive performance" than I certanly would not buy it in your case. My opinion about the performance of the 50LS is different from yours.