Summicron 50mm v5 Difference between copies

[Electrodist]

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I recently replaced an older non 6 but coded Summicron 50mm v5 with a newer 6 bit coded copy after an accident with the original lens.  There is a noticeable difference in the rendering between the two copies.  The older lens has a smoother sharpness while the newer lens has more micro-contrast and pop to plane of focus. I’m looking to find a copy that has the same magic as the original lens I owned.  I know technically its the same lens formula and construction since the early 80s (or late 70s?), but does anyone know of any updates is coatings or other optical tweaks during the production run that could explain the difference in rendering?

 

[jaapv]

Haze on the older lens? 

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[hmzimelka]

1 hour ago, Electrodist said:

I recently replaced an older non 6 but coded Summicron 50mm v5 with a newer 6 bit coded copy after an accident with the original lens.  There is a noticeable difference in the rendering between the two copies.  The older lens has a smoother sharpness while the newer lens has more micro-contrast and pop to plane of focus. I’m looking to find a copy that has the same magic as the original lens I owned.  I know technically its the same lens formula and construction since the early 80s (or late 70s?), but does anyone know of any updates is coatings or other optical tweaks during the production run that could explain the difference in rendering?

 

I don't know either, but I wouldn't be surprised if Leica silently improves a lens design over its lifetime, even if it's a result of improved manufacturing precision. Just because a lens has the same number and order of lens elements, doesn't make it the same. Even changing coatings can constitute a change to lens design, let alone the raw materials used in the glass.

I'm very impressed with my 2022 version of the Summicron-M 50mm V versus what I remember from a friends mid-2000 version of the same lens. Notably the lack of colour aberration on the plane of focus around bright and high contrast objects.

It "could" presumably be similar to the differences between let's say an Elmarit-m 28mm f/2.8 ASPH version I and II. At some point Leica updated their manufacturing to allow for even tighter tolerances in manufacturing such as the precision of lens grinding, collimation, machining, assembly, etc

Some days I see little evidence of tight tolerances and quality control at Leica, my latest APO 50mm order was another great example of that... so it could even be sample variation. I've tried three new Summilux-M 50mm APSH lenses and all have been slightly different to each other. 

As Jaap suggested it may also be haze, which even V5 lenses could develop over 10+ years. I recall having seen one or two threads here where a Summicron 50mm V had developed a slight haze.

Edited January 8, 2023 by hmzimelka

[BradS]

One cannot make any meaningful comparison of two groups based upon sample size of one.

Imagine choosing two people at random from a football stadium with 50,000 (insert favorite football team name here) fans. One individual was born in 1987 and the other born in 2001. Based upon these two individuals only what can you say about personality of (favorite team name) football fans born in the 1980's compared to those born in the early 2000's ?

It is absurd.

[lct]

12 hours ago, Electrodist said:

[...] does anyone know of any updates is coatings or other optical tweaks during the production run that could explain the difference in rendering? [...]

Different coatings on early and late 50/2 v4's yes but on 50/2 v5 i'm not aware of that. May have happened though but i don't recall of any literature about that. 

[Electrodist]

Thanks everyone for your input.  BradS, I don't think my inquiry is absurd.  I stated the differences I noticed between two copies I personally used, but made no statement concluding that all early and late copies share a difference in IQ.