50mm Black Chrome Edition - APO-Summicron vs Summilux

[LeicaM60]

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Any thoughts from those who’ve held or owned both? Looking for real life comparison: size, weight, handling.

Nothing like side by side pictures!

Thanks!

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[ola.fiske]

I have just sold my 50 lux asph the for the 3rd time. Last time black chrome version. It’s the size and weight. A little bit to big and heavy. Wondering if I will buy again. Nowadays I’m happy with my dual range 50 cron

[jaeger]

If one can nail the focus, summilux else summcron.  blackchrome or not is just cosmetic.

[Fedro]

I have the Lux because I think the price difference is reasonable between the normal version and not.

It is gorgeous and smooth, perfect aperture ring etc. so it was fun to try for a little extra money (though I bought second hand)

That said if I had to buy again (this is my 3rd Lux in the last 15 years) I would stick to the normal version, which is a beauty in design, lighter and carries 46mm filters

I have the standard APO and would not buy the black chrome version - which is relatively more expensive compared to the standard version - especially if I was planning to use it and risk scratching it etc

Edited December 3, 2020 by Fedro

[digger1914]

I have the standard APO and Lux.  When buying the APO I played with the Black Chrome version, and what out me off was the lack of a focus tab.  I just find them much easier to use.  It did look gorgeous though!

[Ecar]

Irrespective of the version, I prefer the rendering of the Summilux and the size of the APO. I used to have the regular versions and there IS a tactile difference between these and the BC. The latter are smoother (the difference is most notable on the Summilux, where focus on the regular version can be jittery - and I'm rather agnostic regarding focus tabs). The BC are heavier, though. I actually swapped my regular APO with someone who had just bought the BC and found it too large/heavy. No optical difference that I could detect. When it comes to looks, well, pick your poison...

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[Jeff S]

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1 hour ago, Ecar said:

The BC are heavier, though. I actually swapped my regular APO with someone who had just bought the BC and found it too large/heavy. No optical difference that I could detect. When it comes to looks, well, pick your poison...

 

No surprise as the black chrome versions are machined from brass rather than aluminum.  The build quality of my 50 APO black chrome was immediately evident.  And unlike so many standard 50 APO versions, which tend to have loose aperture rings (all 3 samples I tested), the BC version has firm and solid click-stops.

Nevertheless, I sold mine only because it was getting neglected in favor of my standard 50 Summilux ASPH, which has buttery smooth focus since DAG serviced it.

Jeff

[evikne]

40 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

And unlike so many standard 50 APO versions, which tend to have loose aperture rings (all 3 samples I tested), the BC version has firm and solid click-stops.

My experience is the opposite, which is perhaps a little unusual. I have had three standard 50mm Summilux ASPH with quite nice aperture rings, while the one on my  BC is a bit loose and sloppy. The scalloped focus ring, however, is fantastic.

[Jeff S]

That is odd, but I never tested the black chrome Summilux, only the APO BC version. I know that DAG here in the US can also fix loose rings, but a pain to have to deal with it.

Jeff

[evikne]

6 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

That is odd, but I never tested the black chrome Summilux, only the APO BC version. I know that DAG here in the US can also fix loose rings, but a pain to have to deal with it.

Jeff

I have almost one year warranty left. If I could fix it for free, maybe I should do it while I can.

[Jeff S]

1 minute ago, evikne said:

I have almost one year warranty left. If I could fix it for free, maybe I should do it while I can.

I would have asked for dealer replacement. But might be too late for you. If so, you might contact customer service to discuss options...and timing, given Covid, etc.

Jeff

[LeicaM60]

6 hours ago, Ecar said:

Irrespective of the version, I prefer the rendering of the Summilux and the size of the APO. I used to have the regular versions and there IS a tactile difference between these and the BC. The latter are smoother (the difference is most notable on the Summilux, where focus on the regular version can be jittery - and I'm rather agnostic regarding focus tabs). The BC are heavier, though. I actually swapped my regular APO with someone who had just bought the BC and found it too large/heavy. No optical difference that I could detect. When it comes to looks, well, pick your poison...

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(apologies for the quick phone shot)

Thank you. This is very helpful. They look pretty close in size. Much closer than the normal versions. How about weight and handling?

[Ecar]

7 hours ago, Jeff S said:

That is odd, but I never tested the black chrome Summilux, only the APO BC version. I know that DAG here in the US can also fix loose rings, but a pain to have to deal with it.

Jeff

When I still had the standard APO, I had to send it twice to Leica to tighten the aperture ring - it was still a bit loose after the first pass. It helped though that Leica Switzerland was able to do that with a turnaround time of a couple of days each time. Never had this issue with the standard Summilux, and both the BC are butter smooth, possibly even on the slightly tight side when brand new.

[Ecar]

2 hours ago, LeicaM60 said:

Thank you. This is very helpful. They look pretty close in size. Much closer than the normal versions. How about weight and handling?

It may not seem much from the picture I posted, but there is a noticeable size difference. Also, the front element of the Summilux is larger (E43 vs E39 for the APO), which might also contribute to its perceived larger size.

On my scale, the APO BC is 401g and the Summilux BC is 394g, both with rear cap, no front cap and no hood. Essentially a tie. Ditto for handling. But if you prefer focus tabs and slide-out hoods, you may be better served by the standard versions.

[oka]

BC's are noticeably heavier and missing focus tab makes focusing bit slower.

I do like the look of the BC's but if I would acquire again, I would stick with the standard ones - especially with the APO.

I swapped to BC's as I thought it maintains the value better and the looks.

Standard APO has loose aperture ring but it's can be easily fixed by the service.

[Rob L]

I went full circle on some of these Leica vintage vs modern issues. When I had M6s in the 90s, I lusted after a clean M4 or M2 with engraving. They were harder to get in the pre-internet era so I never followed through. When I got back into Leica in 2010, I started with film and have gone through countless vintage Ms of all types and their period correct lenses and spent thousands on DAG CLAs. Then I went digital and acquired a nice set of complementary lenses. I have since sold all of my old lenses ( all mint and CLAed ) including Summicron V1 35, V2 50 Rigid, V4 35 and many others in favor of the newer stuff. And I have grown to prefer the plain tops on my M10s. I even chose the standard M10M over the Wetzlar version too. Long story short, Those clip on hoods are a pain! They add unnecessary length and girth, they are generally too close to the aperture ring, making access awkward and they don't work very well as a sun shade. I would never pay extra for that myself.

[Ecar]

29 minutes ago, Rob L said:

 [...] they don't work very well as a sun shade.

I'd disagree with this, but let's not get in the hood debate again.

[ELAN]

On 12/4/2020 at 2:54 AM, evikne said:

I have almost one year warranty left. If I could fix it for free, maybe I should do it while I can.

The aperture clicks on my BC lux are perfect and I love their tactile feel.  Same with the BC APO.  Both feel nicer than aperture clicks of my other brass lenses. You should definitely get yours adjusted. (And BTW, Leica recently adjusted my 35 FLE loose aperture, no charge, 5 years out of warranty!).

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[Jeff S]

7 minutes ago, ELAN said:

(And BTW, Leica recently adjusted my 35 FLE loose aperture, no charge, 5 years out of warranty!).

An even better approach would be for Leica to do this on all samples before sale.  I just received my new 35 Summilux FLE from a dealer who selected the best of his inventory in terms of click-stops and focus tension. It’s better than the 3 other samples I handled elsewhere. But my old 35 Summicron ASPH v.1 is significantly better in both regards, since new.

Jeff

[evikne]

1 hour ago, ELAN said:

The aperture clicks on my BC lux are perfect and I love their tactile feel.  Same with the BC APO.  Both feel nicer than aperture clicks of my other brass lenses. You should definitely get yours adjusted. (And BTW, Leica recently adjusted my 35 FLE loose aperture, no charge, 5 years out of warranty!).

Thanks. I just checked my BC Lux now, and each aperture stop are well enough defined, but it still feels a little sloppy, because on every click I can turn the aperture ring a tiny bit extra in each direction (less than a millimeter). In addition, I can lift the entire aperture ring a tiny bit in all directions (up, down, right, left), as if it's a little too big for the lens barrel (still talking about very small margins). But I find both all these extra movements, and also the faint, metallic sound they make, a little annoying. I also hear that sound when I put the camera down on the table. Isn't this normal behavior for BC lenses? Am I perhaps too demanding?