Which 50s?
- Thread starter CTH1983
- Start date
impossibru
Member
Summicron - Great great performer for it's price. Smallest of the lot, if you don't need speed the this is your glass of choice.
Summilux - Best lens that leica made at this focal length, been with me 5 years and I haven't owned anything else in ages as I can't afford it.
Summicron APO - used it at the M Monochrome launch, and despite it's long backstory - it was very sharp, wide open but probably not worth the extremely high premium IMHO ($10000 and above) and also, claimed to be the most perfect lens ever made by the staff.
Noctilux - I am a film user primarily, and due to my shooting style I rarely ever do shoot wide open, mostly at f/5.6 - 8 at pre set focusing for ease of shooting. With my camera, I also cannot make use of the len's speed due to slow top shutter speed of 1/1000. If you own an M9/M240, go for it as it's an insane lens. Rendering is beautiful, but softness is expected. Not a bokeh fan, but its really very nice and creamy. If you use film, it's probably not so smart a choice as you don't wanna risk your images being OOF because it is quite tricky to get your focus, it's really really shallow wide open. Size wise it's huge, heavy. Not an everyday lens if you ask me, the chance of it being stolen/damaged just makes me quiver.
My two cents worth!
Summilux - Best lens that leica made at this focal length, been with me 5 years and I haven't owned anything else in ages as I can't afford it.
Summicron APO - used it at the M Monochrome launch, and despite it's long backstory - it was very sharp, wide open but probably not worth the extremely high premium IMHO ($10000 and above) and also, claimed to be the most perfect lens ever made by the staff.
Noctilux - I am a film user primarily, and due to my shooting style I rarely ever do shoot wide open, mostly at f/5.6 - 8 at pre set focusing for ease of shooting. With my camera, I also cannot make use of the len's speed due to slow top shutter speed of 1/1000. If you own an M9/M240, go for it as it's an insane lens. Rendering is beautiful, but softness is expected. Not a bokeh fan, but its really very nice and creamy. If you use film, it's probably not so smart a choice as you don't wanna risk your images being OOF because it is quite tricky to get your focus, it's really really shallow wide open. Size wise it's huge, heavy. Not an everyday lens if you ask me, the chance of it being stolen/damaged just makes me quiver.
My two cents worth!
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Any of the current 50s are good - including the seldom mentioned Summarits which in terms of Leica $$ gives excellent bang for the buck. At the end of the day, it really depends what you are looking to shoot as each of the 50s have their own signature in rendering.
By means of an all rounder - I will probably pick the current Summilux in terms of size, performance and well balanced on an M if you can push the $$ envelop. The Noct is an unique lens in the way it captures and while I love the drop-dead images that it can produce, I will probably not "termed" it as an everyday or one lens travel kit.
The APO is supposedly the new king of the 50s and it does seem to produce to die for images wide open, there are reports of it flaring when the aperture is being stopped down at other Leica forums. Then again have not shot with this lens so really cannot comment on it much.
By means of an all rounder - I will probably pick the current Summilux in terms of size, performance and well balanced on an M if you can push the $$ envelop. The Noct is an unique lens in the way it captures and while I love the drop-dead images that it can produce, I will probably not "termed" it as an everyday or one lens travel kit.
The APO is supposedly the new king of the 50s and it does seem to produce to die for images wide open, there are reports of it flaring when the aperture is being stopped down at other Leica forums. Then again have not shot with this lens so really cannot comment on it much.
impossibru
Member
Summarit 1.5 is sometimes pure gold, and cheap at that!
Very very well said ! No experience with the apo .i wld take e lux . Never know when u wld need e extra light , especially on travel . Opening up that extra bit sometimes makes or breaks a pic . The noctilux ? Chunky but lovely balance n feel n good from 0.95 all e way down . Slightly long focussing throw but its a pleasure manual focussing . All said , every lens mentioned also good
sillbeers15
Member
My last 50mm lens was purchased 30 yrs ago, it is (I still have it in 10/10 perfect condition) a Carl Zeiss T* Planner F1.4 lens.
It has been kept as a paper weight since new till now,....so for sure I'm not a 50mm (46deg angle) kind of shooter as I often find it not broad enough for normal use.
So when I restarted my hobby 30 years later in the digital cam, I started with Leica Ms. I specifically use my 35mm Lux FLE for standard lens shooting. It provides better indoors coverage over 50mm lens most of the time. In addition for me, 21mmLux for wide and 90mmAPOLux + APO180mmElmarit-R for further objects (ah,...still have my 80-200mm R Vario-Elmar which I use it for my travel) on my M240.
However I am trying out using my 21mm Lux shooting as a standard lens as suggested by some pros,...I'll give feedback later when I can conclude.
50mm Notilux will not be a standard lens (IMHO). I'll only shoot it wide open for subjects to stand out in pics. It can be used as a good potrait lens as many pros do so. It will a lens of my desire after I run out of lenses to buy ( I choose to buy the 21mm Lux over Notilux first).
It has been kept as a paper weight since new till now,....so for sure I'm not a 50mm (46deg angle) kind of shooter as I often find it not broad enough for normal use.
So when I restarted my hobby 30 years later in the digital cam, I started with Leica Ms. I specifically use my 35mm Lux FLE for standard lens shooting. It provides better indoors coverage over 50mm lens most of the time. In addition for me, 21mmLux for wide and 90mmAPOLux + APO180mmElmarit-R for further objects (ah,...still have my 80-200mm R Vario-Elmar which I use it for my travel) on my M240.
However I am trying out using my 21mm Lux shooting as a standard lens as suggested by some pros,...I'll give feedback later when I can conclude.
50mm Notilux will not be a standard lens (IMHO). I'll only shoot it wide open for subjects to stand out in pics. It can be used as a good potrait lens as many pros do so. It will a lens of my desire after I run out of lenses to buy ( I choose to buy the 21mm Lux over Notilux first).
NazgulKing
Senior Member
The 50mm APO is overkill unless one intends to use it exclusively for landscape and macro.
The Summicron (or the near equivalent Zeiss 50mm Planar) is good enough for most use, and the Summilux if you have the money for it.
The Summicron (or the near equivalent Zeiss 50mm Planar) is good enough for most use, and the Summilux if you have the money for it.
One 50 to choose? 50 lux preasph for me. More affordable, smooth, sharp even at 1.4, vignetting not serious, great in both BW and color. Lux asph maybe even better but it costs more.
I was lent a noctilux before and I used with slide film. I have no problem with focusing at all, all shot are sharp and correctly focused even in low light, wide open on film. But i consider it as a special lens, not everyday, not walking lens. There is a facebook group for M240 user, a lot of them posting photos with Noct0.95 lens. Most of them are crappy photos. Not because of the lens, but the users. Over-usage of shallow DOF without proper content just make photos bland. Well, maybe they are just doing "lens test".
I was lent a noctilux before and I used with slide film. I have no problem with focusing at all, all shot are sharp and correctly focused even in low light, wide open on film. But i consider it as a special lens, not everyday, not walking lens. There is a facebook group for M240 user, a lot of them posting photos with Noct0.95 lens. Most of them are crappy photos. Not because of the lens, but the users. Over-usage of shallow DOF without proper content just make photos bland. Well, maybe they are just doing "lens test".
artspraken
New Member
Voightlander Nokton 1.5 /50 chrome version
impossibru
Member
Get an Elmar 5cm, it is below $1k and is good enough for HCB ;p
I think the 50mm f/3.5 is only going for $600! Bloody gem of a lens. I once used it on someone's Minolta CLE and it was just amazing, super sharp wide open.
artspraken
New Member
Yes it is the fact that HCB used cheap lens with small aperture made me realise i should shoot more and buy less/cheap.
artspraken
New Member
My view is neither. Both lenses are big and expensive. I would be scared to carry around as "everday use" or "travel". I doubt got travel insurance will cover so high amt.
Everyday use lens - need you to think less about the lens, and more abt the shot. I find i take better pictures using cheap lenses for this reason
magicianhisoka
Senior Member
Heck yeah. I brought a nokton instead of a cron to Europe when I was there for 4 months. So I didn't have to think twice before shooting solo at night
Thoth
Senior Member
Not forgetting d 50 Summicron. Sharpest 50 wide open. Bokeh is quite pleasing too.
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