Brand new close focus Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 ASPH

[Al Brown]

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The Karbe Lux masterpiece is finally getting a facelift.

11 blades, 45cm close focus, rumored performance tweaks, same ol’ price.

(Rumor has it it will be announced next week). 

Edited April 9, 2023 by Al Brown

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[Gobert]

As expected… I would be surprised if it is a significant improvement over the present 50 lux (safe for the close focus of course)

[Al Brown]

4 minutes ago, Gobert said:

As expected… I would be surprised if it is a significant improvement over the present 50 lux (safe for the close focus of course)

Most likely as big of an improvement in IQ as the old FLE vs. the new FLE II... 😁

[RexGig0]

The “rumored performance tweaks,” depending upon what they are, will be more interesting to me, than the closer-focus. Perhaps the aperture blades will maintain a rounder opening, through more of the aperture range? That would be useful. With no price increase, I am thinking that the optical glass elements will largely remain unchanged.

[evikne]

I can't wait to see it! 

Although I wouldn't have been able to afford it for a long time anyway.

[chris7273]

Lighter and smaller would be great

The present silver version is so heavy…

Edited April 9, 2023 by chris7273

[evikne]

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57 minutes ago, RexGig0 said:

Perhaps the aperture blades will maintain a rounder opening, through more of the aperture range?

I was a little disappointed with the new 35mm Summilux FLE II. The two additional aperture blades form a slightly rounder diaphragm than its predecessor, but the roundness is still far from lenses like my old 12-blade 50mm Summilux pre-ASPH.

[maxpower]

I'm very curious about the initial reviews, the current version of this lens is probably my favourite if I could only keep one. But that's probably also the reason I might find it hard to justify this new model as an upgrade, or as an additional model in a different color. Let me buy some lottery tickets before it's announced. 

[darylgo]

Why no price increase?  Doesn't Leica see added value with the Asph II?

For my needs the update won't be a compelling reason to change.  Furthermore, the Asph is a perfect lens, a one lens solution on any M body.  

[Al Brown]

1 minute ago, darylgo said:

Why no price increase? 

I am also suspecting price increase will most probably happen. The rumor site quoted the same ol' price of 50 lux ASPH but Spock would say it is illogical.

[Lelmer]

1 hour ago, chris7273 said:

Lighter and smaller would be great

The present silver version is so heavy…

I doubt...

But same IQ without Ninja stars around f4 would be pretty attractive 😊

[kinetic]

I miss closer focusing from my other cameras, so I think the closer focusing would be the reason why I would switch from my 50mm lux black chrome. Even though the black chrome looks fantastic, it's still pretty heavy on my M11.

[LocalHero1953]

I wonder if the new trend to close focusing M lenses means a new EVF-M is coming. It seems a lot of effort when the base body can't handle it and you need either the external EVF or a SL2.

[elmars]

I love the design of the new Summilux 35. It would be great if the new Summilux 50 is similar to this. 

[kinetic]

4 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I wonder if the new trend to close focusing M lenses means a new EVF-M is coming. It seems a lot of effort when the base body can't handle it and you need either the external EVF or a SL2.

I’m new to rangefinders, but why would a EVF be needed over a rangefinder that can handle closer focus?

I really love the rangefinder, and I’d rather have one that could handle the closer focus. But maybe there’s a mechanical limitation?

[XRayGuy]

4 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I wonder if the new trend to close focusing M lenses means a new EVF-M is coming. It seems a lot of effort when the base body can't handle it and you need either the external EVF or a SL2.

I do not disagree that these lenses make an M-EVF more useful, but any of the base bodies can handle the close focusing with live view on the rear screen remember. The digital Ms, anyways.

Edited April 10, 2023 by XRayGuy

[hdmesa]

10 hours ago, Al Brown said:

I am also suspecting price increase will most probably happen. The rumor site quoted the same ol' price of 50 lux ASPH but Spock would say it is illogical.

In the US, the 35 Lux FLE II is less expensive than its predecessor, so no price increase on the new 50 makes sense. 

[JeffWright]

7 hours ago, kinetic said:

I’m new to rangefinders, but why would a EVF be needed over a rangefinder that can handle closer focus?

I really love the rangefinder, and I’d rather have one that could handle the closer focus. But maybe there’s a mechanical limitation?

The primary limitation is that of the parallax problem- the closer you get to the subject the bigger the difference between what is seen by the lens by what is seen through the viewfinder. It's been a long time since I've had naked rangefinder parts in front of me, but I suspect there are mechanical issues potentially as well with the actual rangefinder mechanism, but those could probably be overcome.

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Hallo,

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[SiggiGun]

vor 13 Stunden schrieb elmars:

I love the design of the new Summilux 35. It would be great if the new Summilux 50 is similar to this. 

Da haben wir wieder neue Vorfreude 😊 

[darkspark]

I'm also eagerly waiting for early reviews on this. I already put down my name for it at my local Leica dealer.