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50mm Summilux vs Summilux-M pre-ASPH?

francishmt

New member
I really need some help on various versions of the 50mm Summilux lens.

Some 50mm lux says "Summilux", while some says "Summilux-M". There is substantial price difference when the "M" is present at the end.

What are the difference between these lenses? How are the IQ? I understand the ASPH version is a different animal altogether...

Thanks so much.
Francis
 

carstenw

Active member
There is no difference. All Leica-made lenses are either -M or -R (and probably -S coming up). I believe the 4/3 lenses are marked "D".

There are two interesting 50 Summiluxes:

- Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 (pre-Asph)
- Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH

The latter is perhaps the best normal lens ever made, an astoundingly good lens with awesome boke and sharpness. However, wide open, some prefer the also very good pre-ASPH. It has a little of that old glow. The latest version with the pull-out hood focuses closer and is quite sought-after.

If you have seen higher prices from lenses marked -M, it is likely coincidence (since they all are, except the very first versions from '59-'61, order number SOOME, 11114/11113, SOWGE, 11014, these can be recognized by their scalloped focusing rings), or it just reflects that people selling more expensive copies are more careful with their writing :)

All 50 Luxes from '61 and up to the latest pre-ASPH (11114, 11868, 11856, 11869, 11621) have the same optical formula. The early Lux is not nearly as good as the later two.

You will notice that the order number 11114 appears in both lists. Leica made a gliding switch and didn't confirm until '68 that this had happened, so I would recommend avoiding this, unless you have access to an expert who can tell the difference via serial numbers or possibly other means.
 

cam

Active member
all the 50 Luxes are gorgeous and share many of the same characteristics. i have an early one with scalloped edges but the later optical formula and it is gorgeous. the only issue i have with it (and one for you to aware of) is that only the last version Pre-asph and the Asph itself focus to .7m. all others will only go as close as 1m.

this makes the last version Pre-asph the most desirable and more expensive than the other Pre's. if near focus isn't an issue for you, you can get a wonderful lens for quite a bit less in some cases.

the Asph isn't that much different than the Pre-asph, but takes it up a notch and is wicked sharp. i've heard many people say that this is one of their favourite lenses, but i personally prefer the slightly gentler draw of the Pre-Asph.

starting over again, i would go for the last version because i find the 1m limitation of mine drives me mad -- yet i am so in love with the one i have, i haven't bothered to replace it.
 

geesbert

New member
I had both the pre-asph and the asph version of that lens, but just sold the asph for a few reasons:

the pre-asph handles better, it's 1 cm shorter, the focus ring is better placed and after I got a focus lever attached it focusses quicker. I also prefer the hood design. I prefer the look wide open. I lost quite a lot in selling the ASPH, but I had to find out myself....
 

carstenw

Active member
That's the early version. The later version has a different focusing ring:

http://www.camera-exchange.de/images/leica-summilux-50-2848954.jpg

And the pre-ASPH looks much more modern, focuses to 0.7m, but has the same optical formula:

http://tinyurl.com/ydcx32h

(Note that the ad is for the ASPH version, but the photo is the pre-ASPH. Note the hood which slides into the lens, rather than sitting on the outside, like the ASPH.)

Someone on l-camera-forum.com tested the 50 Lux vs. 50 Lux ASPH once, specifically for boke, and IIRC was unable to produce a single image where the 50 Lux has nicer boke. It does have a little of that glow which looks so nice for portraits, so if you like that, or prefer the better price, then the 50 Lux is still a truly great lens, which lasted 4 decades in Leica's lineup.

Both exist in black and chrome, btw.

Don't fall into the trap of dismissing the ASPH for being too sharp though. Too many people do that. The 50 ASPH is a truly special lens, a classic for years to come, and wide open it is sharp, but never harsh. The best reason to buy the pre-ASPH is price, compact size, or the glow, not boke, less sharpness or any other reason.
 

Tim Gray

Member
I think the 50 ASPH is an awesome lens. I've yet to take a picture where I thought it was too sharp. There are only two complaints I could have with this lens. 1) it's expensive. 2) it's a bit bigger than the pre-ASPH. However, performance is impeccable - it doesn't flare, it's sharp when/where it's supposed to be, easy to use, focus close and doesn't fall apart there. It's awesome.

The other complaint you hear get heaped on the ASPH lenses is harsh bokeh. The 50 ASPH doesn't have it. In fact, when it comes to 35s, I though the 35/2 IV had harsher bokeh than one of the ASPH 35s. I don't get where the harsh bokeh thing comes from or what lens it's supposed to apply to.
 

ampguy

Member
Here's a review of the pre-asphs I did a few months ago here

The scalloped focus ring came back a few times for special versions. The E46 version's main benefit is the closer focus than previous 50 Summiluxes.
 

stevem8

New member
I have had the 50 ASPH and the 50 PRE ASPH and still own the PRE ASPH. I have a beautiful, coded black paint version with scalloped focus ring and built in hood. Focuses to .7 and I like this lens more than the ASPH version, but its all personal tastes.

The ASPH version, like others have said is a pretty perfect lens. The pre-asph has some of that old school charm and romance. Even the pre can be sharp wide open. Here is one I shot on the M9 with the pre-asph.



Also reviewed the pre-asph on an M8.2 at my site. Great lens and not as expensive as any one you find will be used.
 

LCT

Member
Have both latest pre-asph and asph Lux 50. The asph is probably the sharpest 50/1.4 ever made at f/1.4 but its bokeh is too sharp for my tastes at f/2.8 and on. Also the asph is very contrasty, which can be a problem with digital. The pre-asph is second to none for portrait. If i had to keep one it would be the latter. Beware that all pre-asph Lux are not the same. The latest model has a built-in hood. It is sharper than earlier versions but has no 'glow' at all. FWIW.
 

francishmt

New member
Have both latest pre-asph and asph Lux 50. The asph is probably the sharpest 50/1.4 ever made at f/1.4 but its bokeh is too sharp for my tastes at f/2.8 and on. Also the asph is very contrasty, which can be a problem with digital. The pre-asph is second to none for portrait. If i had to keep one it would be the latter. Beware that all pre-asph Lux are not the same. The latest model has a built-in hood. It is sharper than earlier versions but has no 'glow' at all. FWIW.
So the one that has the "glow" is the v2?
 

carstenw

Active member
The pre-ASPH (v2+) is meant to have the same optical formula as the previous version (v2), so I do not see why this would be. Perhaps there is some copy-to-copy variation in play here.

I own the ASPH, but also have a 75 Lux, and one day, I will buy myself a nice v2 Lux. I love that rendering too. I think that both have their place, but as previously mentioned, differences in boke aren't among them; the ASPH is better than the pre-ASPH as often as not. The gentler rendering would be the primary reason.
 

ampguy

Member
Ehh...

I had a CLA'd '66, and current E46 and they "glowed" the same. But if you like old fashioned "glow" an early lux version might be preferable with lesser coatings, more haze, etc.

IMHO, the pre-asph lux has more character, but is technically not as good a lens as the asph. I attribute this to the harsher bokeh (subjective) of the ASPH, along with the measurable sharper edges at corners of the ASPH vs pre-asph.

Just my opinion. Ideally, get them both, then sell one.

So the one that has the "glow" is the v2?
 

Tim Gray

Member
Maybe it's because I came from a Canon, but the Canon EF 50/1.4 has 'glow' wide open, and I always found it incredibly annoying. It must not be as rampantly out of control on the Leica as it is on the Canon lens, but Leica 'glow' was one of the things I never bought into.
 
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