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rare or nicely rendering 50mm LUX - Ideas


M10Alpine

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The - original! - Carl Zeiss Sonnar (for the Contax) was unbeatable for small size (perhaps you may call it even too small for practical use). You can use it with an adapter by Amedeo Muscelli on an M camera (The 1:1.5/50mm Sonnar in coated post-war version is no rare lens and not expensive compared to Leica gear on the second hand market, though the adapter, which was handmade in Venezuela by Amedeo, might be difficult to find at the moment). The Sonnar shows better resolution and contrast than the Summarit, though it has a lot of distortion, which the Summarit has not. The first Summilux is better than both. My photo shows the Sonnar with adapter, which takes almost the same length as the lens. The filter shown below adds a lot to the lenses length and the hood is rather larger, though effective.:

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After all the last version of the pre-aspherical Summilux might be the best compromise for size, character and performance. It is much "better" than all other lenses I showed before, though ways "behind" the modern Summilux asph. One might quarrel a lot, whether it shows more "character" than the current version. Since it has in inbuilt extensible hood it doesn't appear too big (a little bit smaller than the modern Summilux asph):

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, ardbeg said:

While expensive, I got the Overgaard screw-in hood for the 50 Lux BC which provides a step up from E43 to E46 for filters thus you can use hood + filters. The original hood I leave in the box.

Thanks for the recommendation. If/when I use a screw in hood, I'd just buy a $10 metal hood that looks like the Overgaard hood and screw it into the native 43mm filter that screws into the lens thread. Therefore, the filter is closer to the lens and less likely to cause ghosting or other issues at night.

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3 hours ago, UliWer said:

....

(All my examples shown below use the "proper" hoods for each lens - don't let anybody tell you, that you should use one of the lenses without hood - it is not true):

 

+1 The Summilux I/II is a lens to be often used with hood, imho; btw, the original one (which can be mounted reversed - with cap too, and stable) does allow the mount of E43 filters (original ... I remember that the only UVIR I found quickly, at M8 times, was a B&W that had a too large mount - then found a "slim" type that hadn't the problem)

 

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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WOW - Thanks everyone! I'm blown away wit all kind recommendations. Believe it or not I haven't managed to look at this since posting because this COVID thing made my workload just quadruple. I will look this through in detail and ask some follow up questions.  

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If someone asked me two years ago, I would have said 50mm Noctilux f/1.0. It was glued to my camera most of that year. I love the magic rendering and bokeh, and it isn't that big, at least not compared to the new f/0.95 version. It's fully possible to use it as an everyday lens. 

Last year I would have answered the 50mm Summilux pre-ASPH v.3. I used mainly that lens in 2019. It is stuffed with beautiful Mandler magic, very similar to both the f/1 Noctilux and the 75mm Summilux, in a small and light package.

This year my answer is the 50mm Summilux ASPH Black Chrome. I use primarily that lens now. It has a bit of all the other lenses, but more controlled. I know I can trust it in all situations. And despite the modern formula, it makes pictures with lots of charm and character. Compared to the ordinary version, I love the scalloped focus ring, the matte finish and the tactile feel. It also feels a little smaller, even though the size is actually the same. The weight isn't an issue, because it balances so well on the M10. But I think the slimmer E39 filter size looks a little strange, and I am no fan of the big, separate hood. So like many others, I don't use it.

Edited by evikne
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On 3/30/2020 at 4:41 PM, newnew said:

Perfectly agree Luigi. I was able to acquire one and besides its nice character I enjoy its wonderful construction. A cult object !

 What would you say is a fair price - looking at Ebay and its quite a spread in prices between silver and black. 

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The price will mostly depend on the condition. I believe 2-2.5K Eur for a good silver copy is reasonable. The version 2 does not exist in black with the scalloped rings I believe. But you may find a version 3 in the 2K eur range i Germany if you are following the offers.

 

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20 minutes ago, M10Alpine said:

 What would you say is a fair price - looking at Ebay and its quite a spread in prices between silver and black. 

😉...LOL... 😎 I've given a look at ebay and what have discovered ? This item, sold from a Canadian location ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leica-50mm-f-1-4-Summilux-lens-and-cap/303524771231?epid=99752267&hash=item46ab7c759f:g:ZY8AAOSwY2pefUES ) , is just ONE NUMBER far from mine ! The item i depicted previously... it's 1.884.604... 😃

(and the ebay item has a very good price... maybe even too good... but I'd buy it just for the s/n oddity... but unluckily is advertised as "ship to US and Canada only."..)

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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I never enjoyed the v2 pre-asph summilux, for some reason its rendering was not my favorite..had it twice, sold it twice, no regrets.

I now own the V1 (1959 version), which to me offers a much better rendering if you like classical / creamy bokeh. It glows a bit, similar to what a 35mm Summicron 8 elements does wide open too, and definitely much less glow than the 35mm summilux pre-asph which too some is a bit too much glow to be usable. 

That being said, even though the V1 is probably one of the most beautiful leica lens you’ll see it is not small or light. If you like classical rendering, a better option could be the Summicron collapsible or rigid (about 100g + lighter and also smaller). 

I have both the collapsible and the v1 summilux as my only 50mm, but I’m considering selling my v1 to get a smaller lens (prob the Elmar 50mm f2.8). My copy has perfect and was recently CLAed in case anyone is interested just drop me a DM. I do love its rendering and design but I like lens that are small and weight less than 250g...

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Just shot two pics for you wide open with the V1. You can see the glow in the first picture, this would be the most glow you’d see with this lens. This kind of glow looks very pleasing in my opinion especially with portraits and flowers. If you shoot at f2 and beyond it’s pretty much gone btw. 

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18 hours ago, luigi bertolotti said:

😉...LOL... 😎 I've given a look at ebay and what have discovered ? This item, sold from a Canadian location ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leica-50mm-f-1-4-Summilux-lens-and-cap/303524771231?epid=99752267&hash=item46ab7c759f:g:ZY8AAOSwY2pefUES ) , is just ONE NUMBER far from mine ! The item i depicted previously... it's 1.884.604... 😃

(and the ebay item has a very good price... maybe even too good... but I'd buy it just for the s/n oddity... but unluckily is advertised as "ship to US and Canada only."..)

Me too,. I would jump into this bidding upon initial look, further on in the description he added that fungus appears present. 

My lenses are very social, less than 6 feet from each other unless out shooting.  Very similar to virus' I wouldn't touch this for fear of fungus spreading, quarantine to repair wouldn't be something I would consider either as tempting as it is.  

I've enjoyed this thread greatly,  the descriptions of lenses and their desirability.  Thanks OP and good luck, be careful if you purchase an older lens.  

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21 hours ago, evikne said:

If someone asked me two years ago, I would have said 50mm Noctilux f/1.0. It was glued to my camera most of that year. I love the magic rendering and bokeh, and it isn't that big, at least not compared to the new f/0.95 version. It's fully possible to use it as an everyday lens. 

Last year I would have answered the 50mm Summilux pre-ASPH v.3. I used mainly that lens in 2019. It is stuffed with beautiful Mandler magic, very similar to both the f/1 Noctilux and the 75mm Summilux, in a small and light package.

This year my answer is the 50mm Summilux ASPH Black Chrome. I use primarily that lens now. It has a bit of all the other lenses, but more controlled. I know I can trust it in all situations. And despite the modern formula, it makes pictures with lots of charm and character. Compared to the ordinary version, I love the scalloped focus ring, the matte finish and the tactile feel. It also feels a little smaller, even though the size is actually the same. The weight isn't an issue, because it balances so well on the M10. But I think the slimmer E39 filter size looks a little strange, and I am no fan of the big, separate hood. So like many others, I don't use it.

The photos it takes are more important than how it looks . . . but it still looks pretty cool on a Monochrom.

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18 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

Just shot two pics for you wide open with the V1. You can see the glow in the first picture, this would be the most glow you’d see with this lens. This kind of glow looks very pleasing in my opinion especially with portraits and flowers. If you shoot at f2 and beyond it’s pretty much gone btw. 

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Love the second picture especially. 

 

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