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Leica Summilux 50mm f/1.4 vs. Voigtlander 50mm f/1.2


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I’m actually going through the decision making process between these two lenses myself.  I’m a very new Leica user so I’m not as familiar with the lenses and their character.  However I just bought the Voigtlander 50mm F1.2 and rented the 50mm F1.4 Lux and going to spend the weekend testing them out.  
 

Besides one user on this thread I’m surprised there haven’t been more side by side examples of the two lenses as far as image examples. Tech specs aside at the end of the day it’s all about how the lens image looks, right?  

I’ll try and post image examples when I’ve done testing this weekend, but I’d be curious if the original poster made a final determination and went with one vs the other? 

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12 hours ago, petereprice said:

I’m actually going through the decision making process between these two lenses myself.  I’m a very new Leica user so I’m not as familiar with the lenses and their character.  However I just bought the Voigtlander 50mm F1.2 and rented the 50mm F1.4 Lux and going to spend the weekend testing them out.  
 

Besides one user on this thread I’m surprised there haven’t been more side by side examples of the two lenses as far as image examples. Tech specs aside at the end of the day it’s all about how the lens image looks, right?  

I’ll try and post image examples when I’ve done testing this weekend, but I’d be curious if the original poster made a final determination and went with one vs the other? 

You'll be less surprised when you shoot the lenses in real world conditions (i.e. not mounted on a tripod with remote release shooting test targets).

I'm willing to bet that unless you look at the exif data, you won't be able to tell which is which at the same aperture. This is true for most modern lenses btw of the same caliber.

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I have never used the M mount version of the Voigtlander, but I did own the Sony E mount version for my A7r4 for about a month before I returned it and got the VM 50mm APO f2.  The E mount 1.2 was a great lens, esp for portraits.  I returned it for the APO because the APO is a smaller lens and because I noticed a lot of color fringing with the 1.2 that bugged me.  The APO seemed more versatile.   I also have the Summilux Asph.  I don't think you can go wrong with the Lux if you have the budget for it. 

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On 5/31/2020 at 12:16 AM, mediumformula said:

I have never used the M mount version of the Voigtlander, but I did own the Sony E mount version for my A7r4 for about a month before I returned it and got the VM 50mm APO f2.  The E mount 1.2 was a great lens, esp for portraits.  I returned it for the APO because the APO is a smaller lens and because I noticed a lot of color fringing with the 1.2 that bugged me.  The APO seemed more versatile.   I also have the Summilux Asph.  I don't think you can go wrong with the Lux if you have the budget for it. 

The Voigtländer 50 APO, if its released for M mount will be a blowout. It's 1/5 the cost of the LEICA and an extraordinary deal. Years ago, had a chance to buy a 50 APO at 30% off list at the time and jumped for it. Owned the 50 Summilux, sold to finance the APO and don't miss it.

Edited by james.liam
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  • 6 months later...
On 4/4/2019 at 1:17 AM, anickpick said:

I found the CV 50/1.2 to be wider than any other 50mm lens I own. My guess is that Voigtländer tweaked their existing 40mm lens and somehow made it to 46mm but not quite to 50mm.

The Summilux has better micro contrast and slightly smoother bokeh wide open.

On the other hand the CV 50/1.2 does not have the slight mid-zone dip of the Summilux wide open.

 

The actual focal length of the CV 50/1.2 is 49.2mm. It is noticeably wider than the Summicron-m 50mm (Version 4 with tab), which has a focal length of 52.2mm.

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Am 30.5.2020 um 16:44 schrieb petereprice:

I’m actually going through the decision making process between these two lenses myself.  I’m a very new Leica user so I’m not as familiar with the lenses and their character.  However I just bought the Voigtlander 50mm F1.2 and rented the 50mm F1.4 Lux and going to spend the weekend testing them out.  
 

Besides one user on this thread I’m surprised there haven’t been more side by side examples of the two lenses as far as image examples. Tech specs aside at the end of the day it’s all about how the lens image looks, right?  

I’ll try and post image examples when I’ve done testing this weekend, but I’d be curious if the original poster made a final determination and went with one vs the other? 

I made a quick comparison between Summilux 50 asph and Nokton 50 1.2 (made also a comparison between Summilux 35 fle and Nokton 35 1.2 III).

Comparison is focused on color, center sharpness and bokeh at 1.2, 1.4, 2.4 and 4.0 at a distance of 1m or 2m. So its kind of limited comparison but its better than nothing :D

DNG files on google drive

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Choosing lenses works in one of two ways.

a) You decide what characteristics you want and then research and choose the lens you need to reflect that.

Or b) You try different lenses and experiment until you find the thing you like.

In my opinion and experience option a is far better. What do you want to say? It's pointless buying a transparent lens if you want atmosphere or some kind of discernible character. It's pointless, to me, buying what is marketed as "the best lens" sharpest by numbers, highest resolving, least flare, characterless rendering if you then spend hours in photoshop trying to make your work look soft and dreamy.

There are no best lenses. There are lenses that are best for you and only you can know.

The idea that a sharp lens is better is a false statement—It's just marketing. It has already been rightly said, they are just different brushes for you to choose for your work. Knowing what you want to shoot is probably the most important.

In this instance the Leica and Voigtlander are different lenses. Some will say the Summilux is better because it is sharper, better corrected, has better contrast wide open. But these may very well be the things that someone doesn't want in their work so buying the lens that is "better" by numbers may actually make it harder for them to say what they want.

In my opinion, the only question to ask about lenses when researching is - "what are the particular characteristics of this lens?" Ignore any comments about best or better.

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On 10/23/2019 at 12:09 PM, 01af said:

And this is exactly what it's not.

Instead, 'Leica glow' refers to a sense of ... umm, reality that comes from a certain combination of good sharpness and high micro-contrast. It's a bit difficult to produce in web images viewed on monitors; it will become more obvious in well-made prints.

It's just a descriptor. There is no official definition, it is perception and opinion and it can and will mean different things to different people.

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6 hours ago, Dr No said:

Choosing lenses works in one of two ways.

a) You decide what characteristics you want and then research and choose the lens you need to reflect that.

Or b) You try different lenses and experiment until you find the thing you like.

Nice assessment. I think in reality its the combination of the two you expressed, which is why people come to the forum and ask others experiences of a lens in order to narrow down and evaluate their choices. Its important to have a criteria as you mentioned and then do  several real world to see which fits best since optical character is only one parameter. Haptics is also important.

I myself admit falling in the 'best' trap since i had already went into that evaluation phase and have decided which was 'best' for myself. I fail to be objective in stating simply the character of the lens. Thankyou of reminding me.

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7 hours ago, Dr No said:

Choosing lenses works in one of two ways.

a) You decide what characteristics you want and then research and choose the lens you need to reflect that.

Or b) You try different lenses and experiment until you find the thing you like.

In my opinion and experience option a is far better. What do you want to say? It's pointless buying a transparent lens if you want atmosphere or some kind of discernible character. It's pointless, to me, buying what is marketed as "the best lens" sharpest by numbers, highest resolving, least flare, characterless rendering if you then spend hours in photoshop trying to make your work look soft and dreamy.

There are no best lenses. There are lenses that are best for you and only you can know.

The idea that a sharp lens is better is a false statement—It's just marketing. It has already been rightly said, they are just different brushes for you to choose for your work. Knowing what you want to shoot is probably the most important.

In this instance the Leica and Voigtlander are different lenses. Some will say the Summilux is better because it is sharper, better corrected, has better contrast wide open. But these may very well be the things that someone doesn't want in their work so buying the lens that is "better" by numbers may actually make it harder for them to say what they want.

In my opinion, the only question to ask about lenses when researching is - "what are the particular characteristics of this lens?" Ignore any comments about best or better.

Even if one follows method (a); the best way to conclude the research IMO is to actually try the lens(es) that one thinks meets the goal(s). And that trial is a more focused version of method (b).  Survey research often tells only half the story; individual experience/demo reveals the rest. For me, that means shooting and making prints, which involves many different handling and workflow variables and personal preferences. One person’s delight can be another’s meh.

Jeff

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There are 2 lenses in my collection that I will never sell: both are Summilux, the 50/1.4 Asph and the 35/1.4 Asph. I consider them the best lenses possible. I had the chance to try other 50s (even non Leica) and 35s (even the FLE) but none has never been in my bag more than some months, sold them all. I've been using these 2 wonderful lenses for 15 years so far.

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  • 3 months later...

I have own summicrons, 90mm, 50mm, and 35m for a number of years and love love them. Always lusted after the Lux, but price was always out of range. So instead bought the CV50 1.2 about 2 years ago and love it. But, still lusted for the 50Lux. Well finally got my hands on a good used 50Lux asph. Only had it a couple of days and shot a few shots. My statement may be premature but I think it accurate. In relation to cost (new today) the 50lux @$4495 is no where near 4.7 better then the CV 50 f1.2 @$949. It would be extremely difficult for the average person, even a person like myself that's been taking images since the 70's to tell the difference when looking at images from the two lens. I am glad I bought a used version, will used it for the next couple of months on a few shoots. If the results remain the same, I will be selling it. Leica was king, but with the new optics and manufacturing technologies and manufacturers making m-mount glass, Leica I believe, will seriously have to consider their lens pricing in the future. 

Edited by roland2
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I have the Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Asph VM and considered the Summilux Asph for quite a while. Suddenly I saw it new for about two thirds of regular price, but still couldn't justify the extra price compared to the Voigtländer which was still less than half than that, so I let it go. Based on the images I have seen on the net, the Leica has less chromatic aberrations, and since it has a floating element, it probably performs better when focusing near the MFD. The latter issue can be fixed by using a weak (achromatic) close-up filter like Elpro 4 (+0.75 diopter) or Tokina AT-X (+0.4 diopter), but this may of course be annoying if you want to quickly change from MFD to medium or long distance. LaCA's can be fixed in editing, but LoCA not so much. The Nokton have a bit of field curvature which is a bad thing for astro and landscape, but a plus for portraits etc.

The above may sound like the Nokton isn't worth buying or full of compromises, but these are the notable drawbacks I can find. The rest is golden. I usually buy lenses used in mint or very good condition (in case I don't like it), but I bought the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Asph VM new and have zero regrets: I just love that lens. I have been into photography since the late seventies (when I was a teenager) and it's one of my favorite lenses ever.

Why? Because it's an awesome all-rounder. Shoot wide open, and you have the creamiest bokeh and good sharpness. It's superfast (f/1.2), but quite compact for what it is. It shows a bit of "Leica glow" at short distances wide open, but stopped down slightly it's gone. Stop further down, and you get razor sharp images. At f/4 it's one of the sharpest lenses ever measured by LensTip. I have tested it side by side with a true reference class lens, Jenoptik Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR Apo Macro lens, and the Nokton is just as sharp and even contrastier (at least in the central area). Check the links below.

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Asph VM @ f/4: https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~forums/63825376/b035894fdf0e46608a6e721f55858a01

Jenoptik Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR Apo Macro @ f/4: https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~forums/63825376/46de18b772ca4c728f03842d3d93725c

 

Since I shoot Nikon Z6, I also tested the Voigtländer against the highly praised Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S-Line lens, and I still prefer the Nokton:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4471355

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Perfect pair IMO is the 50 Lux + CV 50 APO. I haven't gotten the CV 50 1.2 because I have the CV 35 1.2 III, and one M lens with that much bokeh fringing is enough. I'm not criticizing the 35, I love mine, but I don't want a second lens that renders the same way.

The Lux 50 – between its longer-than-50 focal length and the design at f/1.4, it renders more like a 50 f/1.2 lens than an f/1.4 – about the same rendering as my RF 50 f/1.2 wide open, which surprised me. The Lux 50 feels more like a 58mm FOV while the CV 50 APO feels closer to 40. I know they're closer focal lengths in actuality, but that's how the FOV feels for each to me. I think all of CV's 50s are that same FOV.

Will be interesting to see how Leica changes the 50 Lux for the next version. I have a feeling a 30cm MFD version is on the way with a more modern design. Maybe we need to go ahead and start the Pre-30cm Lux ASPH Image Thread now 😆 I've already started my list of reasons why my Lux 50 ASPH will be better than the new one 🤣

Edited by hdmesa
grammar as always
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On 3/28/2019 at 8:04 AM, SMAL said:

The 50/1.4 ASPH has no „Leica glow“. If you want that buy a V3 Summilux 50/1.4 pre-asph. Lively glow and close focus like the ASPH.

Curious if you put a 1/4 black mist filter on the new 50 1.4 ASPH if it would mimic the older leica pro?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have never used either of the lens you asked about but I thought I'd respond anyway and tell you this and that I think they sound really great.

 

Ok, I use the CV 50 f1.2 and it is fantastic. Almost $4000.00 less. Let that sink in.

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On 12/22/2020 at 2:41 AM, David Kopytko said:

The actual focal length of the CV 50/1.2 is 49.2mm. It is noticeably wider than the Summicron-m 50mm (Version 4 with tab), which has a focal length of 52.2mm.

Interesting. What's the source of these spec's?

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