If you have both: when and why 50 APO or Summilux?

[Stephen.s1]

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But sure I know how money can make you shoot better pictures 😁

We all need different whips...

[Twasi]

I do have both, in both the spherical and aspherical versions,  and it's truly an artistic choice. Basically the Summilux wide open has that glowy atmosphere which is halfway to the look of a Noctilux. The spherical Summilux even more so. The APO Summicron is nothing but sharp at all apertures. It also has beautiful rendering and blur in the out-of-focus areas, but its real virtue is its sharpness. The spherical Summicron is also amazingly sharp with terrific contrast, but there is a tiny fall-off towards the perimeter -- nothing to complain about. 

If you find it fun to shoot wide apertures and like the Noctilux look, the Summilux will get you close to it. If you had to own only one lens, the Summilux is less expensive and still extremely sharp, almost the equal of the APO Summicron. Really a terrific all-around lens and still very compact. 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Twasi
added discussion of spherical versions

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[M11 for me]

Am 27.12.2020 um 17:23 schrieb didier:

I don’t do side by side comparison, but here is a portrait whose clarity and details you won’t get (in my View with my copy if the Lux) from the ‘lux 50 at that distance.

shot with M10M + APO 50, no reframing.

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Lovely picture of that kid. There is absolutely no doubt and if I had made that picture with my M10 I would be very, very  pleased. On the other hand it is a bit disappointing that nothing in the background is crisp and sharp as I would expect it from an APO 😎 🥵

Edited December 29, 2020 by M10 for me
Smiley added

[jaapv]

??
A lens being an Apochromatic design will not increase the DOF. Apochromatic correction is defined in the plane of focus.

[M11 for me]

I added a Smiley in the above post.

[darylgo]

1 hour ago, M10 for me said:

 On the other hand it is a bit disappointing that nothing in the background is crisp and sharp as I would expect it from an APO 😎 🥵

+2

In addition to the crisp background the bokeh should also be crisp and sharp.  No smiley.  

 

[M11 for me]

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Absolutely:

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[M11 for me]

To be clear: ITS A WONDERFUL PICTURE: I JUST HAVE NO APO 🥳

No APO no Fun.

Edited December 29, 2020 by M10 for me

[Lelmer]

BTW, the LUX Asph is APO as well 😉

[M11 for me]

vor 25 Minuten schrieb Lelmer:

BTW, the LUX Asph is APO as well 😉

That is what I heard when I was visiting Wetzlar. 

[Jeff S]

2 hours ago, Lelmer said:

BTW, the LUX Asph is APO as well 😉

But not corrected to the same degree.

Jeff

[pedaes]

4 hours ago, M10 for me said:

Absolutely:

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What nonsense! You don't know what shapes are being captured.

[didier]

1 hour ago, Jeff S said:

But not corrected to the same degree.

Jeff

in my View, the difference in the 2 lenses is not in Apo correction, as both are, though not to the same degree as Jeff said.

For me, as a user, I have never been disappointed with the 'lux asph when focusing @ 3 or 5m or further. In the close range I often find it disappointing, where the APO is amazing.

Didier

[Alexander-HH]

vor 35 Minuten schrieb didier:

For me, as a user, I have never been disappointed with the 'lux asph when focusing @ 3 or 5m or further. In the close range I often find it disappointing, where the APO is amazing.

Interesting ... I thought this is what the the floating element is for? Would be curious to hear more about this.

[M11 for me]

vor 30 Minuten schrieb pedaes:

What nonsense! You don't know what shapes are being captured.

Finally. Thanks. Of course this is pure rubbish and it fully ignores how these round or oval shapes are produced. It is physically impossible that you get round bokeh at the edge. Further it is probably absolutely not relevant for the quality of the image (portrait of that child). Then it has nothing to do with apochromatic. I am just one of these volk who do NOT believe in any APO-importance (even though the APO Summicron 50mm is an outstanding lens). For me this APO thing is a theoretical aproach that in theory renders a "better" result: When focusing red, green and blue (simplified) all meet at the same point in the focus layer. The non-APO Summilux does (almost) the same.

[budjames]

I owned both the APO Summicron 50 and Summilux 50. After using my APO almost exclusively for the past year, I sold my Summilux. The smaller size, lesser weight and remarkable sharpness and contrast of the APO made it an easy decision to sell the Summilux.

I went through a review process with my Summilux and Summicron 35 lenses. I sold the Summicron 35.

The  35 and 50 focal lengths are my go to for my kind of photography, travel, street, architecture and family. The benefits of these lenses still hold with my move from the M10 to the M10-R. I am very happy with my decision to reduce my lens inventory.

My post-processing is done in Capture One Pro. Capture One just released version 14.0.2 which adds support for the M10-R.

Regards,

Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto.

 

 

 

[Robert Blanko]

Am 6.12.2020 um 11:03 schrieb Robert Blanko:

Dear Leica enthusiasts,

As I have so far only the 50 Summilux (ASPH) (which I really like a lot), I am curious to learn from those using (or have used in the past) both if both lenses commonly coexist in your gear setup.
And, more important, for which purpose do you use the APO Summicron instead of the Summilux or vice versa and why?

If you would have to select only one, which would you select?

Best,

RB

As I recently bought the 50 APO, I can provide an update and answer myself. 😀 

To start with the last question: If I would have to select only one, this would be the APO!

So far, I did not take portraits, so that I cannot judge whether I would prefer the Lux over the Apo here, but what I can say so far is that the bokeh looks better than I expected.

For landscape and architecture photos, the APO is great, as I frequently use my 50ies for stitching to produce larger / more wide angle photos and the consistent quality of the Apo over the full frame is better for said purpose.

[Lelmer]

On 1/14/2021 at 7:21 PM, budjames said:

I owned both the APO Summicron 50 and Summilux 50. After using my APO almost exclusively for the past year, I sold my Summilux. The smaller size, lesser weight and remarkable sharpness and contrast of the APO made it an easy decision to sell the Summilux.

I went through a review process with my Summilux and Summicron 35 lenses. I sold the Summicron 35.

.........

What version?

[budjames]

9 hours ago, Lelmer said:

What version?

All are the currently availsble versions.

Regards,

Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Lelmer]

15 hours ago, budjames said:

All are the currently availsble versions.

Regards,

Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto

Thank you. Actually, I meant Summicron 35 APO or not? I'd be interested to know if you preferred the Summilux 35 FLE over the APO Summicron.