Best lens ever for ergonomics

[Adrian Lord]

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Summaron 35 f2.8, aesthetically & ergonomically especially on the Barnacks (have an LTM version)

 

 

Snap.

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[farnz]

The 50/1.4 Retro Summilux-M asph (the 'Black Chrome' edition).  It's tiny, the focus action is like silk, the aperture ring has just the right amount of stiffness/smoothness, the focus throw travels through 120 degrees, and the focus ring is a large scalloped one, which the fingers find quickly and unerringly.

 

I very much like the 25 Summicron v4 too but all in all I prefer the ergonomics and haptic of the Retro Summilux.

 

Pete.

[lct]

Depends on bodies used, sample variation and Leica QC among other factors like the presence or absence of floating elements. My Summarits 35 and 50 or Elmarit 28/2.8 asph have a bit loose a focus ring for instance and several lenses feel well balanced on my Ms but less so on the CL. My own champion lenses shine everywhere and are among the smallest ever made: 35/1.4 v2, 50/2.8 v2, 90/4 macro and my three favorite non Leica lenses, ZM 50/2.8, ZM 50/1.5 and CV 21/4. Purely subjective choice as expected...

[mdemeyer]

lct... you mean the ZM 35/2.8? Also gets my vote!

[lct]

lct... you mean the ZM 35/2.8? Also gets my vote!

 

Yes ZM 35/2.8 of course, great lens indeed, sorry for the typo.

[derleicaman]

The 50/1.4 Retro Summilux-M asph (the 'Black Chrome' edition).  It's tiny, the focus action is like silk, the aperture ring has just the right amount of stiffness/smoothness, the focus throw travels through 120 degrees, and the focus ring is a large scalloped one, which the fingers find quickly and unerringly.

 

I very much like the 25 Summicron v4 too but all in all I prefer the ergonomics and haptic of the Retro R

Pete.

Hey Pete, I was waiting for someone to mention the 50/1.4 Summilux ASPH retro lens. The original 50/1.4 Summilux was always one of my favorite lenses. Ergonomically it was better than the original Rigid Summicron. When I was working with Leica on the LHSA MP3, I used this lens as the guide for the retro 50 Lux ASPH. Leica did an excellent job with the retro version of this lens. The black chrome version is my favorite on my MM and M10. The only catch is the filter mount when using the hood. When I use it with a hood, I use the original 12521 hood for the first version Summilux which fits perfectly and is much more compact than the ventilated hood.

[pgk]

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..... the focus ring is a large scalloped one, which the fingers find quickly and unerringly.

My new to me 'fat' Tele-Elmarit has this type of focus ring and you are right about the scalloping - I do find it very 'intuitive' in use. And the lens itself is balanced well on the M9 because of its compact size and weight.

[farnz]

Hey Pete, I was waiting for someone to mention the 50/1.4 Summilux ASPH retro lens. The original 50/1.4 Summilux was always one of my favorite lenses. Ergonomically it was better than the original Rigid Summicron. When I was working with Leica on the LHSA MP3, I used this lens as the guide for the retro 50 Lux ASPH. Leica did an excellent job with the retro version of this lens. The black chrome version is my favorite on my MM and M10. The only catch is the filter mount when using the hood. When I use it with a hood, I use the original 12521 hood for the first version Summilux which fits perfectly and is much more compact than the ventilated hood.

 

Yes the solid, metal, vented hood is a wonderful, majestic creation but not something I would ever use with this lens owing to its size so it sits patiently in the box while the 12521 goes out to play on the front of the lens.

 

So we have you partly(?) to thank for the LHSA MP3 and the superb 50/1.4 Retro Summilux-M (asph) in silver chrome?  I would swap my black chrome version for the silver chrome MP3 version in a heartbeat.  Several years ago my finger hovered over the eBay Buy-It-Now button on one of these but sadly reason took hold at the wrong moment and I didn't press.  I've regretted it ever since and I haven't spotted one since.

 

Pete.

[Rob L]

I love my 35 & 50 2.4 Summarits and my vII 28 Elmarit ASPH. They are perfectly matched in size and weight and everything is in the same place.  The aperture rings are wide and deeply knurled and operate flawlessly with just the middle finger of the left hand, as does the focus. That being said I'm fine with no tab lenses like the v5 Summicron 50 or the Summarit & Summicron 75.

[PaulJohn]

What are you going to do once every Leica M lens has been mentioned?

 

 

See if there is any concensus and maybe learn from other people's experience. Ergonomics used to be a less important consideration until I got the CV 35 1.2 - Great images but I don't enjoy using it due to the weight and size.

[derleicaman]

Yes the solid, metal, vented hood is a wonderful, majestic creation but not something I would ever use with this lens owing to its size so it sits patiently in the box while the 12521 goes out to play on the front of the lens.

 

So we have you partly(?) to thank for the LHSA MP3 and the superb 50/1.4 Retro Summilux-M (asph) in silver chrome?  I would swap my black chrome version for the silver chrome MP3 version in a heartbeat.  Several years ago my finger hovered over the eBay Buy-It-Now button on one of these but sadly reason took hold at the wrong moment and I didn't press.  I've regretted it ever since and I haven't spotted one since.

 

Pete.

Yes, you can blame me! When speccing out the MP3, the question of what lens to include in the package was brought up. The entire project was pushing the envelope quite a bit more than the previous Black Paint M6 and the Hammertone MP.

 

I advocated the 50/1.4 ASPH be used as the basis for the retro designed lens. Leica was reluctant to go this way as the lens was fairly new at the time and they didn't want to interrupt production of a lens in high demand. I convinced Leica that they really needed to make the retro Summilux and the rest as they say is history.

 

Similar thinking went into LHSA 50 APO Special Edition. The basis for that was the second version Rigid Summicron. Whereas I only had computer renderings to assess with the Summilux, I had drawings and a 3D printed prototype to actually hold in my hands! Very cool, and the 3D model had the actual internals of the real lens, so it functioned and you could actually take pictures with it. It did look a little odd with exterior being in a milky translucent white plastic. When my wife saw it, she asked "Are they really going to make it white?. Ummm, no I said, Chrome and Black Paint.

[Runkel]

I haven’t found better than the last pre-ASPH 50mm Summilux (e46), which I no longer own. It’s closely followed by the 35mm Summilux pre-FLE, 28mm Summicron and the last pre-ASPH 28mm Elmarit (IV), the three of which are pretty much identical in my use (I use Contax GG-2 hoods on these rather than the cumbersome originals).

[Stein K S]

I haven’t found better than the last pre-ASPH 50mm Summilux (e46), which I no longer own. It’s closely followed by the 35mm Summilux pre-FLE, 28mm Summicron and the last pre-ASPH 28mm Elmarit (IV), the three of which are pretty much identical in my use (I use Contax GG-2 hoods on these rather than the cumbersome originals).

Agree! I do not know the 50... but all the three otherones I also find to be very handy in use... ¨coincidentally¨ they are also quite alike ,-)

[Ccoppola82]

Summaron 35 2.8 is my favorite to use. Perfect travel size and everything is dampened the way it should be. Build quality is second to none.

[colint544]

Summaron 35 2.8 is my favorite to use. Perfect travel size and everything is dampened the way it should be. Build quality is second to none.

 

+1

 

It's a gem of a lens - lightweight, tiny, and a joy to operate.

[B-A-C]

Is 35 cron ASPH the best?  Yes, in my opinion.  There may be better but I haven't handled them.

[colonel]

35mm f1.4 FLE

[jaques]

ha ha- this is too easy- there is only one lens made by Leica- and only one copy of it in the world as far as I know: It's the v3 50mm summicron 'safari' edition with unique focus lever!

 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[leonasj]

for my set lux50asph on m9, and apo50 on sl