The Perfect Standard Lens? My Take on the 50 APO SL

[jonoslack]

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Hi There

I've had 3 of these lenses over the last 6 months, and here is a short piece with respect to my feelings about it;

 

My Text on the Leica 50 APO Summicron Asph SL

All the best

 

[colonel]

I think this might be my ideal 50mm for the SL. As I am usually out and about the 1.4 is simply too large.

Your pics remind somewhat me of the slightly etherial quality of the 50mm Summilux 1.4 ASPH M, which has always been one of my favourite 50mm people lenses

 

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[jonoslack]

8 minutes ago, colonel said:

I think this might be my ideal 50mm for the SL. As I am usually out and about the 1.4 is simply too large.

Your pics remind somewhat me of the slightly etherial quality of the 50mm Summilux 1.4 ASPH M, which has always been one of my favourite 50mm people lenses

 

I'm glad that my pictures look 'slightly ethereal' - I'd not thought of it like that, but I certainly feel that the images have a particular 'feel' about them.

[Fedro]

wonderful review and pictures as usual

[dkCambridgeshire]

But still no extension tubes  

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/299449-apo-summicron-sl-50/?do=findComment&comment=3798210

dunk 

 

[jonoslack]

5 hours ago, dkCambridgeshire said:

But still no extension tubes  

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/299449-apo-summicron-sl-50/?do=findComment&comment=3798210

dunk 

 

Hi Dunk

Have you tried a Marumi achromat? (I seem to remember you have). as I said, I understood that they were a better way then extension tubes?

 

[jaapv]

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Quote

The result of this is not just that the 75 APO SL is sharper (it certainly is), but that it has apparently the same DOF as the 75 Summilux-M. The MTF figures for the 50 APO are even better, and so the effect is even more visible.

Typo, Jono?

[jonoslack]

50 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Typo, Jono?

erm - maybe (it usually is) but I'm not sure why. Peter Karbe's diagram is about the 75 cron / 75 lux

 

[Chaemono]

I’m a bit confused about the sharpness DOF curves of the SL Summicrons and how Jono uses the term DOF. I understand that Leica has tightened and raised the curves as can be seen in Jono’s review with the 75 Summicron-SL vs. the 75 Summilux. And I understand the depth effect this creates. But I doubt that the DOF of the 50 Summicron-SL will be as shallow as the 50 Summilux-SL one. F/2 should simply result in a bigger range of distance in a photo that appears to be in sharp focus.

[Chuck Albertson]

3 hours ago, Chaemono said:

I’m a bit confused about the sharpness DOF curves of the SL Summicrons and how Jono uses the term DOF. I understand that Leica has tightened and raised the curves as can be seen in Jono’s review with the 75 Summicron-SL vs. the 75 Summilux. And I understand the depth effect this creates. But I doubt that the DOF of the 50 Summicron-SL will be as shallow as the 50 Summilux-SL one. F/2 should simply result in a bigger range of distance in a photo that appears to be in sharp focus.

I thought the curves for the 75mm lenses were for contrast values, not DOF. They're certainly popular - Leica uses them for the promotional blurb announcing the 50 SL Summicron.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Chuck Albertson

[Jon Warwick]

Hey Jono, thanks for your report. I was wondering if the new 50 has a highly similar fingerprint (“rendering”) to the SL 35 / 75 / 90 primes, or do you see any differences?

[jonoslack]

3 hours ago, Chaemono said:

I’m a bit confused about the sharpness DOF curves of the SL Summicrons and how Jono uses the term DOF. I understand that Leica has tightened and raised the curves as can be seen in Jono’s review with the 75 Summicron-SL vs. the 75 Summilux. And I understand the depth effect this creates. But I doubt that the DOF of the 50 Summicron-SL will be as shallow as the 50 Summilux-SL one. F/2 should simply result in a bigger range of distance in a photo that appears to be in sharp focus.

Hi there

Of course, the depth of field is a function of the aperture and the focal length and the distance from the subject - so of course you’re right, but the rapid loss of contrast gives the effect of a shorter depth of field. In effect you’re reducing the area which is not quite in focus.

[jonoslack]

26 minutes ago, Chuck Albertson said:

I thought the curves for the 75mm lenses were for contrast values, not DOF. They're certainly popular - Leica uses them for the promotional blurb announcing the 50 SL Summicron.

Indeed Chuck - but the rapid loss of contrast of the APO lenses when you move away from the point of perfect focus gives the effect of a smaller depth of field.

[Tailwagger]

Yet again, thank you Jono. Your reviews on this lens and the 35 APO, have been quite troublesome as they have me searching the couch in a desperate search for sufficient funding. 🙂

I do feel compelled to ask, given your recent review of the S1, if you used the lens on both the SL and Pano and if so, if there was anything to distinguish the two cameras when sporting the latest APOs.   ( I wont press you on how well these perform on the SL2 😉)

 

Edited August 15, 2019 by Tailwagger

[Chaemono]

vor 7 Stunden schrieb jonoslack:

Indeed Chuck - but the rapid loss of contrast of the APO lenses when you move away from the point of perfect focus gives the effect of a smaller depth of field.

And because of this illusion, subject separation is more pronounced than with the M Summicrons. I agree now. It will be interesting to see side by side, over/under comparisons of the APO 50 Summicron-SL with the APO 50 Summicron-M, let alone with the 50 Summilux-SL. The latter is APO, too,  but maybe it’s not labeled this way because its optical perfection is partly achieved through software corrections. 

Edited August 16, 2019 by Chaemono

[Jon Warwick]

Can the lens hood for the all the SL Summicron primes be reversed for transportation on the lens? And if so, does it fit very flush to the lens barrel? 

[helged]

39 minutes ago, Jon Warwick said:

Can the lens hood for the all the SL Summicron primes be reversed for transportation on the lens? And if so, does it fit very flush to the lens barrel? 

Yes. Yes. https://www.leicacamerausa.com/75mm-f20-asph-apo-summicron-sl.html

 

[Agent M10]

I haven't seen it in my photographs...yet. But the bokeh of these Summicrons is a bit concerning. Jono, take your picture of the bartender in your portfolio. His right hand looks alien. There are some 75Cron photos on the forum that exhibit that type of harshness. I haven't seen that type of thing with the 50mm APO on the M.

Edited August 16, 2019 by Agent M10

[Jay B]

2 hours ago, Agent M10 said:

I haven't seen it in my photographs...yet. But the bokeh of these Summicrons is a bit concerning. Jono, take your picture of the bartender in your portfolio. His right hand looks alien. There are some 75Cron photos on the forum that exhibit that type of harshness. I haven't seen that type of thing with the 50mm APO on the M.

Drink glasses in front of his hands are in acceptable focus, and so are his eyes. Thus, given where his hands are, they also should be in focus.
Simply motion blur. The exposure was at f / 2.2 & 1/100 sec.

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[jrp]

The main takeaway from this photo is the absence of obvious CA/LOCA