50 APO summicron - fallen out of love with it?

[jakontil]

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8 hours ago, Erato said:

@Huss 

This is a good example from @jakontil  FYR.

Thanks 

 

10 hours ago, Huss said:

Do you have any examples you would like to post using the 50 APO on film?

These wont justify it, but I’d do it anyway

shot on kentmere 400, home developed

 

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[newtoleica]

Just snagged one completely unused NIB for £3850..... woo hoo.

[JTLeica]

On 9/18/2023 at 9:05 PM, newtoleica said:

So not much love for it then 😂

Well I love it. I have only just bought one though, and shoot landscapes. And comparing the resolution to my 24-120mm Nikon at 50mm (bearing in mind that lens is mega sharp in the centre) it still blows it away. Which is nuts.

It is so sharp edge to edge. In a package that is unmatched

[JTLeica]

18 hours ago, newtoleica said:

Just snagged one completely unused NIB for £3850..... woo hoo.

Wow where from?

[cheeseyk]

The well known online auction site. I was tempted to join in but managed to refrain this time!

There was another one on there a couple of months back, £4000 from a seller that I had bought from before.

Perhaps next time one comes up somewhere I might be tempted to throw caution to the wind, but I ask myself, do I really really need it?

[newtoleica]

7 minutes ago, cheeseyk said:

The well known online auction site. I was tempted to join in but managed to refrain this time!

There was another one on there a couple of months back, £4000 from a seller that I had bought from before.

Perhaps next time one comes up somewhere I might be tempted to throw caution to the wind, but I ask myself, do I really really need it?

Yes, personally I don't list things to end on a Wednesday lunchtime, they never sell as well. Well, lucky me. £4000 seems to be the going rate on a private sale though. There's one on Ffords for £5000 and a pretty well used one at Red Dot for £4500.

 

[jakontil]

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45 minutes ago, cheeseyk said:

The well known online auction site. I was tempted to join in but managed to refrain this time!

There was another one on there a couple of months back, £4000 from a seller that I had bought from before.

Perhaps next time one comes up somewhere I might be tempted to throw caution to the wind, but I ask myself, do I really really need it?

Do you need it or want it?

[enrico58]

 Hello,

my small contribution

 

M2  APO Summicron-M 50mm  Fomapan 100  HC-110 1+63 10'

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[JTLeica]

2 hours ago, newtoleica said:

Yes, personally I don't list things to end on a Wednesday lunchtime, they never sell as well. Well, lucky me. £4000 seems to be the going rate on a private sale though. There's one on Ffords for £5000 and a pretty well used one at Red Dot for £4500.

 

Nice work chaps.

I paid 4400 for one two weeks ago from a dealer and was very happy with that.

But less is astonishing as normally 5-5500 for mint condition. Plus, Leica will rise prices within a year or two, mostly likely.

[Rick in CO]

It is reported to be the 50mm M lens with the highest resolution at f2.0 to 2.8 where my lens, while not optimally sharp across the field, has a higher definition at those apertures than other lenses I have tried (ASPH Summilux v.I, Planar, Summicron, Nokton).  Other lenses may catch up at f4.0 to 5.6, and can have different character at the wider apertures.  I take mostly travel and nature photos, and have been very satisfied with the APO Summicron (also bought used at a bargain price, Thank You!).  If I were a portraitist I would likely choose the Summilux.  Depends on your intended use and preferences.  

I might venture the possibility that with the introduction of the 35mm APO Summicron many 50 APO users have made the switch leading to a proliferation of the latter offered for sale used.

[JTLeica]

I have actually just bought a 50 Apo Lanthar as I am too curious not to test it. Whilst the 50 Apo is great I have only used it for a weeks trip and have not mastered the focus distance for landscapes yet.

I’ll se how the APO Lanthar compares. Even if I just return it after confirming my APO Cron is great. 

[Huss]

On 9/20/2023 at 6:46 AM, jakontil said:

Thanks 

 

These wont justify it, but I’d do it anyway

shot on kentmere 400, home developed

 

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2nd pic is so good!  And not because the lady is attractive etc, but just the 'look'.

The first pic has an unusual glow around his shirt/shoulder.  Were you using a pro-mist filter?

Edited September 21, 2023 by Huss

[jakontil]

3 hours ago, Huss said:

2nd pic is so good!  And not because the lady is attractive etc, but just the 'look'.

The first pic has an unusual glow around his shirt/shoulder.  Were you using a pro-mist filter?

2nd pic was the pic which always draws me to get the apo whenever i shoot BW film, that supposedly sharp looks with softness in the mix if u get what i mean huss

the first pict was stopped down, it was direct sun light, against the white shirts, i supposed it was blooming effects? Something like halation that it was too strong it leaves traces on the negatives 

that’s normal on some particular films with strong sun lights, i only use filter protector or uv on my capless lenses huss

 

thanks!

[RexGig0]

8 hours ago, Rick in CO said:

I might venture the possibility that with the introduction of the 35mm APO Summicron many 50 APO users have made the switch leading to a proliferation of the latter offered for sale used.

I, too, have wondered whether this might be so. For several years, it was difficult to find pre-owned APO Summicron-M 50mm ASPH lenses for sale, but that did seem to change, about the time that a substantial number of buyers started receiving their APO Summicron-M 35mm ASPH lenses. Perhaps someone who works at a Leica Store, or at a store that specializes in high-end pre-owned equipment, might have some insight.

Noticing the sudden abundance of pre-owned 50 APO lenses being offered, by reputable on-line sellers, I did, briefly, entertain the idea of acquiring one of them. 

[Huss]

1 hour ago, jakontil said:

2nd pic was the pic which always draws me to get the apo whenever i shoot BW film, that supposedly sharp looks with softness in the mix if u get what i mean huss

the first pict was stopped down, it was direct sun light, against the white shirts, i supposed it was blooming effects? Something like halation that it was too strong it leaves traces on the negatives 

that’s normal on some particular films with strong sun lights, i only use filter protector or uv on my capless lenses huss

 

thanks!

Great stuff!  Thanks for posting those pics.  Now I will pretend I did not see them so my wallet stays healthy...

[jakontil]

9 hours ago, Rick in CO said:

It is reported to be the 50mm M lens with the highest resolution at f2.0 to 2.8 where my lens, while not optimally sharp across the field, has a higher definition at those apertures than other lenses I have tried (ASPH Summilux v.I, Planar, Summicron, Nokton).  Other lenses may catch up at f4.0 to 5.6, and can have different character at the wider apertures.  I take mostly travel and nature photos, and have been very satisfied with the APO Summicron (also bought used at a bargain price, Thank You!).  If I were a portraitist I would likely choose the Summilux.  Depends on your intended use and preferences.  

I might venture the possibility that with the introduction of the 35mm APO Summicron many 50 APO users have made the switch leading to a proliferation of the latter offered for sale used.

I have just received my copy of 35 apo cron, in exchange for a little trouble of my 35 lux FLE 2, being a travel photo myself, the close focusing have been a useful addition, only tried the apo for a few shots but i could already see myself using this focal length for almost everything, and that difference of 10cm in close focus matters more in real life than written

the 50 apo is great for portraits too, the only reason i’d use my lux or noct in this regard is because im after for character looks, otherwise, the apo it is

[didier]

I don’t understand the « no character » thing about the APO 50.

Bokeh is soooo smooth, the purity of colors, amazing clarity … my preferred 50.

I often switch between my (too many?) 50’s on my M10M, depending on my mood and on my photographic goal, but the APO 50 is the one I use most, and always love coming back to it.

In harsh lightning I prefer the Summicron Rigid with its low contrast - high resolution rendering. For close-ups / portraits I love my Elmar-M. It is the Noct I use the less often.
The 50 lux ASPH is versatile but cannot compete with the APO smooth bokeh and overall ‘clarity’. 

All in all, whatever I shoot, the APO 50 never disappoints me. RIght now, it’s only ‘competitor’ is the APO 35…

My current favorite set-up is a 1 or 2 lens combo chosen between the APO 35, APO 50, APO 75 and APO 90… 

Didier

[Lelmer]

1 hour ago, didier said:

I don’t understand the « no character » thing about the APO 50.

Bokeh is soooo smooth, the purity of colors, amazing clarity … my preferred 50.

I often switch between my (too many?) 50’s on my M10M, depending on my mood and on my photographic goal, but the APO 50 is the one I use most, and always love coming back to it.

In harsh lightning I prefer the Summicron Rigid with its low contrast - high resolution rendering. For close-ups / portraits I love my Elmar-M. It is the Noct I use the less often.
The 50 lux ASPH is versatile but cannot compete with the APO smooth bokeh and overall ‘clarity’. 

All in all, whatever I shoot, the APO 50 never disappoints me. RIght now, it’s only ‘competitor’ is the APO 35…

My current favorite set-up is a 1 or 2 lens combo chosen between the APO 35, APO 50, APO 75 and APO 90… 

Didier

...APO shooter 🙂

[JTLeica]

So an interesting discovery... I looked at my images I took in Cornwall with the 50 APO, some were sharp, others not that sharp, none 'blurry' but certainly wasn't overly happy. I put it down to focussing past infinity. So it turns out, that yes it does focus a hair past, which is ok, I tested it at length this morning... But as a comparison I bought a 50 APO Lanthar earlier in the week and also Brought it along, as I know its supposed to be as good, or close to... It is miles better than My 50 APO as every aperture. The Voigtlander is sharp corner to corner even at F2, whilst the 50 Cron is not. It's actually not perfectly sharp corner to corner at any aperture.

I know that this isn't normal as the comparisons I have seen show the APO Cron to be at least equal in the corners if not slightly better. So I will have to send my 'bargain' APO Cron back this week. Shame. I am now unsure if I should try to find another or just stick with the Lanthar? 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[newtoleica]

Oh dear… I never test lenses like that as I don’t care a bit about corner sharpness. It’s centre sharpness and rendering I need (street portraits). I prefer the rendering to the 50 Lux which can be distracting and have hexagonal highlights when stopped down slightly (I usually do stop down a little to aid focus). 
sorry about your experience. I wonder if it’s been dropped?