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50 cron APO - “Standard” or retro


GMB

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I bought the Harry Benz Brogue black strap for my SL2. It was nicely crafted (other than the black residue that covered my fingers after initial attachment), but I didn’t like it practically.  So it sits new in the box, and a far less expensive and more functional Peak Design strap, which I bought during the 10 week wait for the Benz, satisfies. Sometimes one never knows without trying.  

Jeff

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The lens arrived this afternoon.  I must say that I am very happy that I took the plunge for the retro version.  Not only does it look great, it also is a joy to handle.  Very different feel compared to the 50 lux or non-APO cron.  In particular the focus ring is very pleasant.  Just the right balance of stiffness.  The price is, of course, kind of ridiculous for a 50 mm f 2.  But that’s nothing new for Leica.  I am very much looking forward to give the lens a good run on the M10 and M10M over the weekend.  

Thanks again to all who chimed in for the helpful advice.  

Georg

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Enjoy. Mine is also a pleasure to focus, and the aperture clicks are firm, unlike the standard version samples I tried.  Cosmetically I prefer the glossier black paint LHSA special edition model, but the finish isn’t as durable and the price is far higher.  Fortunately my black chrome  version cost less than the standard version list price...no such bargains on the LHSA, which is more exclusive.

Jeff

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  • 4 months later...
On 6/3/2020 at 8:44 AM, onasj said:

Advantages of the "standard" version: it's less expensive, it is smaller overall, and the hood is built in and twists out with a cool and reliable mechanism.  It has a focusing tab.

Disadvantages of the standard version: It has a focusing tab (if you don't like them). The focusing ring aside from the tab is mostly smooth, so if you prefer to focus your lenses by gripping the ring rather than using the tab then in my opinion you will not like the ergonomics of the standard version.  The hood, while convenient and lovely, is pretty short, and I'm skeptical it will be as effective at reducing flare as the larger, longer hood of the retro version.

Advantages of the retro version: it looks great.  The focusing ring is larger in diameter, so even though the throw is identical (I think), the larger diameter makes it easer to precisely focus, like driving a car with a tiny steering wheel versus a large steering wheel.

Disadvantages of the retro version: no built-in hood.  The provided hood is fine—probably more effective at reducing flare than the standard hood—but it is large and clips on.  Clip-in hoods tend to wear scratches into the finish of the lens, if that matters to you.  They are also fussy to install and fussy to take off.

Overall: if you love/hate focusing tabs go standard/retro.  If you think you'll need a hood and don't want to leave the large retro hood on the end of the lens, go standard.  But if you dream about the look of the retro version then you know what you have to do... buy both ;)

 

Adding a detail from my experience with two standard Apo Summicrons (a silver one  and a regular black one), both had so smooths iris rings that I often changed the iris setting accidently when focussing .

I now have a Black Chrome version and all is well, using the 12586 hood which fits perfectly .

 

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