50/1.2 vs 50/1.4 pre-asph

[Aryel]

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I have experience with only the summicron v1, v2 (rigid) and v4. I sold the v4 because I prefer the lux rendering. The summicron are smaller and lighter than the lux and after f4, trying to distinguish them is like splitting air (beside the lower contrast of the older lenses). Generally, I like the pre-asph lux for color a lot and tend to prefer the summicron v1 and v2 for black and white. I use the noctilux for portraits or shots where I want the special look wide open. I use the pre-asph when I want its colour rendering or may need f1.4 (I am a film shooter only).

When it comes to 50s, they are all good. Best is to look for images, and if possible handle the lenses so that you can find your own sweet spot. The lux pre-asph is a very very good starting point. It is a lovely lens and very versatile. It fills a very sweet spot in the Leica line up between the lenses from the 50s and the modern asph.

Hope this helps a little bit. 

[DennisPT]

Just for size comparison: Summilux V2, Noctilux 1.2 ASPH and Elmar-M. 
@tom0511 Hope it helps and good luck with your purchase. 

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[JTLeica]

1 hour ago, DennisPT said:

Just for size comparison: Summilux V2, Noctilux 1.2 ASPH and Elmar-M. 
@tom0511 Hope it helps and good luck with your purchase. 

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Great comparison. Noct just has a slightly worse diet than the Lux

[DennisPT]

I had the v5 50mm Summicron twice before, nice lens and the retractable hood was convenient and the 0.7m minimum focusing was a plus.  The performance was on par with the high standard the Leica was famous for.  I sold it because I wanted to travel compact and I finally settled for the Elmar-M. 
I remember the days I had the E58 and v4 Noctilux and I was shooting film, with the limited ISO of film, the f/1 Nocts really gave me the edge when I could shoot 1/15 instead of 1/8.  The Nocts were special tools for selected occasions.  The downside to me was the weight and size and I sold them.  The reason I bought the Noctilux 1.2 remake was just sentimental as I couldn’t afford it 15 years ago, even before it skyrocketed.  Speaking of the remake, I had a chance to try 2 copies and I found one was sharper than the other.  I could be wrong as it might be rangefinder calibration related issue.  With me shooting digital these days, the remake was a special tool in a different way as the draw was vastly different wide open and stop down. 
The V2 Summilux which is a keeper, I like the way it performs on film and digital, not critically sharp and I like the color rendition.  It was also the 44th copy of the first batch.  
So it is really up to the OP to decide what to purchase and I reckon he may end up trying all of them sooner or later.  Best of luck @tom0511.

[tom0511]

Thank you all for sharing so much experience and I hope this can be also an interesting thread for other "50mm-people" as well.

 

 

 

[patrickcolpron]

On 2/20/2024 at 3:18 PM, tom0511 said:

I am looking for an older (optical design) 50 lens mainly for use on my new M11Mono.

Canon anyone comment ont he above lenses new 50/1.2 vs 50/1.4 preasph?

Hi Tom, 

I have the Noctilux 1.2 reissue. it is by far my favourite lens for my M10-Monochrom. I did not try it on an M11 or M11 Monochrome and I have no experience with a 50 Lux Pre-Asph

This said it can be sharp even at f/1.2 when used at minimum focusing distance, I always use a yellow filter for my black and white photography. Of all my lenses the 50/1.2 is a keeper. I will not part with it for a few reasons, it shines for black and white photography on both digital bodies and with film 

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Here is a sample wide open at 1 meter 

A crop to see the centre sharpness - I never use live view or a visoflex for critical focus, preferring the rangefinder as it is more accurate and usually set the lens to its minimum distance and move myself with my eye on the rangefinder patch to where I want the focus. There was slight sharpening applied to this M10-M file.

A further distances f/1.2 can be hit or miss and appear slightly off but for portraits it can be wonderful.

For street or candid photos I close it down to f/4, shooting from the hip is not an issue, this is an M10-P capture from yesterday's walk 

For its rendering a static shot at the park this afternoon, f/1.2 maybe a meter and a half away, the centre can be sharp when the focus is nailed using the rangefinder patch. I find that I get more soft images when I tried with liveview, which I never use for focus these days.

Now if you you a pre-asph lux and a closer minimum distance please wait a few month before making your purchase, I heard through the grape vine there is something coming... 

[tom0511]

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vor 11 Minuten schrieb patrickcolpron:

Hi Tom, 

I have the Noctilux 1.2 reissue. it is by far my favourite lens for my M10-Monochrom. I did not try it on an M11 or M11 Monochrome and I have no experience with a 50 Lux Pre-Asph

This said it can be sharp even at f/1.2 when used at minimum focusing distance, I always use a yellow filter for my black and white photography. Of all my lenses the 50/1.2 is a keeper. I will not part with it for a few reasons, it shines for black and white photography on both digital bodies and with film 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Here is a sample wide open at 1 meter 

A crop to see the centre sharpness - I never use live view or a visoflex for critical focus, preferring the rangefinder as it is more accurate and usually set the lens to its minimum distance and move myself with my eye on the rangefinder patch to where I want the focus. There was slight sharpening applied to this M10-M file.

A further distances f/1.2 can be hit or miss and appear slightly off but for portraits it can be wonderful.

For street or candid photos I close it down to f/4, shooting from the hip is not an issue, this is an M10-P capture from yesterday's walk 

For its rendering a static shot at the park this afternoon, f/1.2 maybe a meter and a half away, the centre can be sharp when the focus is nailed using the rangefinder patch. I find that I get more soft images when I tried with liveview, which I never use for focus these days.

Now if you you a pre-asph lux and a closer minimum distance please wait a few month before making your purchase, I heard through the grape vine there is something coming... 

 I would not have expected such clarity wide open.

[patrickcolpron]

3 minutes ago, tom0511 said:

 I would not have expected such clarity wide open.

The problem I see online and in camera lens reviews with the M digital cameras is that most people are stuck on liveview or are using a visoflex 100% of the time to try and achieve critical focus when modern lenses are fantastically calibrated by Leica for the M system. 

There is a way to easily achieve critical focus at the minimum focusing distance wide open, the trick is really to use the rangefinder patch through the optical viewfinder, setting the lens to its minimum distance, then moving one's head with the lens to have the patch images line up, I gt this by moving my whole upper body slightly.  

At further distances it can be trickier to nail critical focus but not impossible.

The 50/1.2 reissue is the lens I always have on my M10-Monochrom for family events and dinners. It's a brilliant combo for black and white photography for me.

[tom0511]

I use the same technique for short distance shots often.

 

[tom0511]

Thank you all again. I am heavily leaning towards a Summilux Pre-asph, but at the moment prices are quite steep. So I wont hurry and wait for my chance