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Go on, flame me, I deserve it: 50SL curious

geetee1972

By geetee1972
in Leica SL System

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geetee1972
geetee1972

So I'm feeling really conflicted about this lens. I'm taking it back tomorrow and not going to rush any decisions because I'm not sure I could take at the expense of the M Summilux; I'd want to have b

Donzo98
Donzo98

Greg... love your portraits. I'm not giving this lens away any time soon!!   This was today at 1.4...  

geetee1972
geetee1972

Chaemono has posted this response before in response to me being less than kind about the 50SL Summilux. I've never understood the point either. That said, I am quite liking the initial results. I col

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ramarren

ramarren

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GeeTee,

 

It seems to me from your earlier protestations and now fascination with/about the SL50 that, underneath it all, you just really wanted one. All the analysis and and rationalization in the world could not do anything more for you: In my experience, I either want something or I don't, and until either the itch subsides or a get a chance to scratch it will bother me.

 

So I'm glad you bought the lens and I hope you find it meets your desires and needs.

 

If it doesn't, well, after all it's just a lens—another thing that you can buy and sell at your whim. If you change your and feel you dislike it enough to not hold onto it, the worst that can happen is that you lose a little money in the process. But then you have learned something, or perhaps a couple of things, and that's worth a little money anyway. Life's too short to get all knotted up over any thing like a lens... :)

 

Good luck with it!

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Jon Warwick

Jon Warwick

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OK I now own this lens :D

 

Let the flaming commence....

Good luck with the lens and your projects.

For what it’s worth, I personally found the 50 SL lens to be superior in all respects (except size) to my M 50 APO.

I’m now on the waiting list for the SL 75mm, which I think takes image quality off Leica full frame to another level, yet again.

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robgo2

robgo2

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A while back, I said that I was going against the grain in this thread by buying a Summilux-R 50 f1.4 (E60). I thought that some folks might find it useful if I provided an update on my experience with that lens. In a nutshell, it is even better than I expected and is easily the finest 50mm lens that I have ever used. Of course, it is not sharp from edge to edge at f1.4, but it is plenty sharp in the center where it is most important. By f2.8, it is very sharp, and by f4-5.6, it is extremely sharp. But sharpness is not the real glory of this lens. Rather it is the extraordinary 3D rendering, the lovely transitions to OOF areas, the rich and natural colors and the bokeh that is out of this world. The only gripe that I have with the Summilux-R is the long focus throw--about 270 degrees from minimum focus to infinity. This does slow down the focusing process, but I think that it will be fine for the sort of photography that I do most of the time.

 

It would be fun and interesting to compare the Summilux-R (E60) and the Summilux-SL 50 lenses. I do not doubt that the SL will be sharper and better corrected at wide apertures, but it is hard for me to imagine that the images will look better. Different for sure, but not necessarily better.

 

Rob

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ramarren

ramarren

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... 

 

It would be fun and interesting to compare the Summilux-R (E60) and the Summilux-SL 50 lenses. I do not doubt that the SL will be sharper and better corrected at wide apertures, but it is hard for me to imagine that the images will look better. Different for sure, but not necessarily better.

 

I have the slightly older version of this lens (mine is about 1981 spec, with the removable lens hood) and I feel the same way about it ... A superb Leica 50 for sure! It competes well with the current spec Summicron-M 50mm f/2 and any other 50 I've ever owned.

 

The SL50/1.4 may be a better performer, for sure, but when it comes to this level of imaging performance, it's the nuances of particular lenses' rendering qualities that are important, not just their technical performance. Comparisons mostly show how they differ because 'better' and 'worse' is a matter of what you value most in their imaging qualities. 

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lx1713

lx1713

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A while back, I said that I was going against the grain in this thread by buying a Summilux-R 50 f1.4 (E60). I thought that some folks might find it useful if I provided an update on my experience with that lens. In a nutshell, it is even better than I expected and is easily the finest 50mm lens that I have ever used. Of course, it is not sharp from edge to edge at f1.4, but it is plenty sharp in the center where it is most important. By f2.8, it is very sharp, and by f4-5.6, it is extremely sharp. But sharpness is not the real glory of this lens. Rather it is the extraordinary 3D rendering, the lovely transitions to OOF areas, the rich and natural colors and the bokeh that is out of this world. The only gripe that I have with the Summilux-R is the long focus throw--about 270 degrees from minimum focus to infinity. This does slow down the focusing process, but I think that it will be fine for the sort of photography that I do most of the time.

 

It would be fun and interesting to compare the Summilux-R (E60) and the Summilux-SL 50 lenses. I do not doubt that the SL will be sharper and better corrected at wide apertures, but it is hard for me to imagine that the images will look better. Different for sure, but not necessarily better.

 

Rob

I'm looking for some old lenses for video work. So it's thanks for the tip. I have a R adapter bumming around, maybe I will go for this.

 

Currently, I'm using an old Nikon AI-S 50mm f1.4 which is quite nice for a vintage look.

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robgo2

robgo2

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I'm looking for some old lenses for video work. So it's thanks for the tip. I have a R adapter bumming around, maybe I will go for this.

 

Currently, I'm using an old Nikon AI-S 50mm f1.4 which is quite nice for a vintage look.

 

The E60 version of the Summilux-R was only manufactured in limited quantities and is rather pricey (though not in the same range as the SL-50.) I gather that it is sought by collectors. The older E55 version is fairly plentiful and more reasonably priced. In addition to the Summilux-R 50, I highly recommend the Macro-Elmarit-R 60 f2.8. It is a ridiculously good lens that can be had for a ridiculously good price.

 

Rob

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