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On the fence about buying the 50 SL Summilux…..


trickness

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It's a special lens, yes it's bulky, large and heavy, but every time I use it, l am completely blown away by the results. Beauty comes with a price 😉.

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I allways found the shallow DOF of a 50/1.4 (or even 50/0.95) difficult to use with manual focus other than for static subjects.

Therefore I mostly use the 50 APO on my M instead, sold the 50 Noctilux and 50 Summilux M years ago. (I still have a Nocti 1.0 for special effects, but not used often)

The 50/1.4SL, even if not as fast focusing as a 50 Summicron SL, allows me to shoot shallow DOF with reliable/accurate (auto)focus.

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22 hours ago, trickness said:

Yeah the Nocti - that’s kind of what I started looking at when I realized I needed a 50. But then I thought the 50 SL would be less than 1/2 the money and I wouldn’t be inclined to shoot only wide open all the time 😅

Have you considered the 50mm Noctilux f/1.2 re-edition? The way in renders colors for portraits is just stunning... very natural.
PM me if you want a sample picture..

Alain

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12 minutes ago, alainD said:

Have you considered the 50mm Noctilux f/1.2 re-edition? The way in renders colors for portraits is just stunning... very natural.
PM me if you want a sample picture..

Alain

I’ve looked at all the sample images from outlines and honestly I don’t get the hype. I haven’t seen a single shot it looks any different/better than you could get with the Summilux M. So yes I will PM you as I am curious!So yes I will PM you as I am curious!

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In everyday use, the new 50 M summilux and SL look very similar. to me, I shot them side by side to decide which to keep when I had both for a while. I preferred the SL at the time as everything was always in focus :) SO SHARP at the FP and so smooth in transition.

Both are amazing lenses. In the end I sold the SL Summilux as it is just too big to be convenient. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
5 hours ago, 6bit said:

Do people put a UV filter on this lens to protect the front element? I am wondering if glare is a problem with a "protective" filter for this lens. 82mm filter size, wowza. 

I don't really see glare as a issue, that said it's a very expensive lens so there's probably some merit to putting something on it. So far I've been lucky. Lens still looks like new after 18 months.

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Thank you for that answer. My SL 1.4/50mm came today. I put a Leica UV filter over the end. So far, no problems. Will report back. I was a little surprised at the AF speed, but it is not that bad. Focusing at 1.4 is not easy task. Colors are ok, images are superb. Lens hood will not get used (too big and bulky for me). I am going to shoot with it a lot over the weekend. My impressions after a few hours is if you are thinking about it and can afford it, do it.

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6 minutes ago, 6bit said:

Thank you for that answer. My SL 1.4/50mm came today. I put a Leica UV filter over the end. So far, no problems. Will report back. I was a little surprised at the AF speed, but it is not that bad. Focusing at 1.4 is not easy task. Colors are ok, images are superb. Lens hood will not get used (too big and bulky for me). I am going to shoot with it a lot over the weekend. My impressions after a few hours is if you are thinking about it and can afford it, do it.

Good decision . . . enjoy.  Look forward to seeing some photos.  

I still regret selling mine and have been tempted to buy again.  Then I thought about the size; then I tried the reissued 50mm Noctilux f1.2.  And that’s where the money went (and a bit more).

Great on the SL2 and I think I can manually focus almost as quick as the Summilux auto focus.

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22 minutes ago, 6bit said:

Thank you for that answer. My SL 1.4/50mm came today. I put a Leica UV filter over the end. So far, no problems. Will report back. I was a little surprised at the AF speed, but it is not that bad. Focusing at 1.4 is not easy task. Colors are ok, images are superb. Lens hood will not get used (too big and bulky for me). I am going to shoot with it a lot over the weekend. My impressions after a few hours is if you are thinking about it and can afford it, do it.

it's a stunning lens. I've used all the big 50's from canon/nikon/sony and this one is my fave. Certainly not the smallest or fastest but the images are amazing.

With focus at 1.4, if you shoot people, toggle the face focus on. It's surprisingly accurate, I use it at weddings for close up portraits.

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6 hours ago, 6bit said:

Thank you for that answer. My SL 1.4/50mm came today. I put a Leica UV filter over the end. So far, no problems. Will report back. I was a little surprised at the AF speed, but it is not that bad. Focusing at 1.4 is not easy task. Colors are ok, images are superb. Lens hood will not get used (too big and bulky for me). I am going to shoot with it a lot over the weekend. My impressions after a few hours is if you are thinking about it and can afford it, do it.

Congratulations - it’s a fantastic lens. You’ll love it. 

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50 minutes ago, trickness said:

And after all this, I ended up buying the M Summilux 50 1.4 ASPH - AGAIN! Like they say, don’t ever sell a Leica lens…..thanks all!

Can’t go wrong with the M 50 Lux. Awesome lens. A lot of punch in a small package. Congratulations, again. 🙂

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  • 2 months later...
On 7/21/2021 at 7:18 PM, trickness said:

And after all this, I ended up buying the M Summilux 50 1.4 ASPH - AGAIN! Like they say, don’t ever sell a Leica lens…..thanks all!

Congrats. I have the 50 Lux-M BC and just pulled the trigger on a well priced used 50 Summiluxi SL. Was going to sell the M, but I really feel it will serve a different purpose. Looking forward to the SL arrival. 

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Not sure if this helps -- here's a portrait with the 50mm SL Summicron:

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