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Two overlooked gems: Brasov with Summitar 5o/2


kathala

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The bizarre ways of life have brought me to the Romanian town of Brasov, and to the Leica Summitar, the often unloved 5o/2 predecessor of the famous Summicron (not technically speaking an "M" lens, but I didn't know where to put it. It's definitely not "just" a collector's item or a piece of history!). A walk through the town, at the same time a test run with the Summitar, have shown me two rather overlooked gems - the town, with its charm and not-yet-disneyland restoration, as opposed to so many old towns. And the lens, with its charm, flaws and magic. 
Separation is surprisingly low for both a Leica* and a 5o/2, and centre sharpness seems optimal around f/5.6 whilst corner sharpness requires f/11, which already heavily diffracts the centre and still does not render the corners properly sharp. 
But look at that bokeh and character. The Summicron might be better technically. Yet I once owned a Summicron and sold it, finding it boring (blasphemy! bring on the stones!). I can't know the bizarre ways of life, but right now, I see no intention of ever selling the Summitar... 
*I once had an opportunity to compare the Noctilux 5o/1 to the Canon FD 5o/1.4, and at f/2 the Leica shows as much separation (i.e. shallow depth of field) as the FD at 1.4!

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