50mm APO Summicron-SL vs Summilux-SL?

[tom0511]

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vor 11 Stunden schrieb globalwander:

Many thanks to everyone for your insights and for sharing your experience with these two great lenses. In the end I went with the 50mm APO Summicron-SL. 

Good choice. Do you have it already?

[Jared]

11 hours ago, globalwander said:

Many thanks to everyone for your insights and for sharing your experience with these two great lenses. In the end I went with the 50mm APO Summicron-SL. 

I expect you’ll be pleased with your choice.  Did you have any trouble locating one?  I know they have been in short supply.

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[Ivar B]

On 4/7/2020 at 9:25 AM, scott kirkpatrick said:

DXO tested the SL/SC 35 on an S1R, which is not an ideal match.  And then, they are DXO, so who knows what their reviews mean, as all of the numbers they plot are aggregates of measurements not clearly specified  I agree that the 35 is outstanding, even compared with the SL/SC 50 and even on an S1R, but it is better on the SL2.

Interestingly, the German magazine Color Foto have tested Apo-Summicron-SL 35mm and 50mm, as well as the Panasonic S 50mm. All lenses were tested on an S1R body. This may not be ideal and one can of course discuss test methodology, but probably they know how to perform lens test as this is something they do all the time over many years. Regarding the 50mm lenses (Panasonic and Apo-Summicron), the clear winner is the Panasonic, with a score of 112 vs. 100. The 35mm actually also received a score of 112, so perhaps that lens performs better on the S1R than the 50mm. But this is contradicted by DXO. We probably have to wait until all lenses are tested on an SL2 to form a definitive opinion.

[scott kirkpatrick]

If those tests were conducted in mid 2019, there were no SL2s available on which to test them.  So rather than test them on SLs, they probably felt that comparing L-mount lenses on the L-mount camera with the most pixels (S1R) would be the best test.  It is also possible that Panasonic offered to loan cameras and gave other help.  We don't get to hear about those little details.  Leica is notoriously difficult about helping those of whom they are suspicious (like Phase One).

[globalwander]

On 4/7/2020 at 9:05 AM, Jared said:

I expect you’ll be pleased with your choice.  Did you have any trouble locating one?  I know they have been in short supply.

Hi Jared, maybe I just got lucky, but Leica Store San Francisco had one in stock. This lens produces beautiful images with lovely rendering and excellent sharpness. I'm using this on the SL. It feels very well balanced. The auto focus is fast too. In a few years, when I upgrade to the SL2, I'm sure it will be even more fun to shoot this lens.

[Jared]

On 4/7/2020 at 12:35 AM, vincent_1919 said:

The test method itself is ridiculous. When a company design a modern lens, the thickness of the filter is a factor that no one can ignore and has a great impact on the result. This explains why Sigma 50 1.4 Art performing poorly on sony camera but very good on canon and nikon. S1R has a filter of 1.7mm thickness before CMOS which SL2 only has a only 0.7mm one. 35mm apo sl is definitely far superior to any of lenses they have tested in regard with sharpness when on a SL2 system. 

The thickness of the cover glass shouldn’t matter with telecentric designs which includes most designs after the advent of digital cameras. It certainly matters a lot on older designs, though, particularly wide angle designs. Hence, the issues with rangefinder lenses in particular which often have light rays that are far from parallel exiting the last lens element.

One other thing I just inferred looking at DXO’s lens database... The measurement on throughput scores lenses not on a percentage of the specified focal ratio achieved but on the absolute amount of light. In other words, an f/1.4 lens will automatically be scored higher on this metric than an f/2 lens, even if the T-stop is measured at 1.8 to the f/2 lens’ T-stop of 2.0. So fast lenses get a “boost” in score. That highlights to me the problems with assigning a lens a single number score.  

[albireo_double]

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All testing fine...I looked at the images that JoeyL was getting with his Summilux SL and purchased the lens afterwards (the Cron 50 SL was not available at that time). Maybe a different perspective - instead of reading the tests, look at what some photographers that you respect have achieved with the equipment and make your own judgment.

Joey's shoot for the ZAAF Collection - using a Phase One plus Leica SL

 

 

[NRKstudio]

On 4/6/2020 at 9:47 PM, globalwander said:

Many thanks to everyone for your insights and for sharing your experience with these two great lenses. In the end I went with the 50mm APO Summicron-SL. 

I have the 50/2 SL and I wish I got the 50 Lux, as when I use the 35/1.2 Sigma L, I often use it wide open (at f1.2 or f1.4) for family environmental portraits and candids.  I wish I could use f1.4 on my 50mm Cron, but alas I can not.  I hear the Panasonic is newer, sharper and cheaper but bigger.  There’s a good post somewhere on LUF with pics to show differences b/w Pana and Lux.  Also, the 50/1.4 Panasonic had better pcmag Imatest results than the 75 Cron SL (tho such is 1 release/generation behind the 50 Cron SL) which prob means it’s sharper than the 50 Lux.  
 

the size tho of the 50 Cron is great.  The SL2 is a big camera (remember when the S1r came out most bloggers thought it was enormous), so a big 50/1.4 shouldn’t dismay you too much (whether Leica or Pana) on such a large body. 
 

Do check out the Sigma 35/1.2 Art, it’s sharper than all the Crons (minus the 90 maybe) and about the same size as the Lux.  That and a 75/2 Cron is an awesome combo.  Sharpness or not, the crons focus well for having to deal with the bastardly CDAF (though slower than some of the worst lenses on Fuji, Sony or Nikon mirrorless tho). 
 

also, I purchased 3 diff 50 crons 2 had issues (1 had a torn gasket, 1 with internal chip in front element).  Two out of three also had ridiculously stiff focus rings.  This last one is legit tho.  

 

[Jared]

On 4/16/2020 at 8:41 AM, globalwander said:

Hi Jared, maybe I just got lucky, but Leica Store San Francisco had one in stock. This lens produces beautiful images with lovely rendering and excellent sharpness. I'm using this on the SL. It feels very well balanced. The auto focus is fast too. In a few years, when I upgrade to the SL2, I'm sure it will be even more fun to shoot this lens.

Glad you got lucky and had no trouble finding one.  It’s a wonderful lens.