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Leica 28 mm f/1.4 Summilux Asph - Some Pics

Has anyone seen that new far focus test on Reid's site? The Lux 28 is phenomenal. I'm saving up for if and when they decide to release this thing.
 

satybhat

Member
I like the second one better.
FWIW, the flock of hair in front of the right eye is very disconcerting (and that's what holds the attention ). I would definitely go squint-eyed within the hour if I held my hair like that....
Excellent processing, btw. very nice.
 

aDam007

New member
Yowzers, that's a sexy lens!
Are we going to play the retail guessing game now?

I'll say $6250 USD.. Not sure if that includes or does not include the 12% :D
 
Yowzers, that's a sexy lens!
Are we going to play the retail guessing game now?

I'll say $6250 USD.. Not sure if that includes or does not include the 12% :D
I hope so too. Should be closer to Lux 35 price than Lux 24/21's. Anyone here is going to pre-order this lens?
 

aDam007

New member
I hope so too. Should be closer to Lux 35 price than Lux 24/21's. Anyone here is going to pre-order this lens?
As for pre-orders. It really depends on the price. If it's similar to the FLE price, or the same price. I'd seriously consider. If it's closer to the 21/24lux pricing, I'd give it a skip. 28 isn't a focal length I use often enough to justify the high price.
 
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Vivek

Guest
The 21/24 Lux' do not have many takers and a few are always on sale.

If the 28/1.4 becomes available (on it own and with a reasonable price), I would consider buying one. Otherwise they will show up on sale at the usual prices. My photography will not suffer if this lens does not exist. It is just a lens. A tiny part of the whole equation.
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
I have a whole shelf of 21s (since these were 28mm-eff on the M8) including the 21 SX. But the only one getting much use is the 21/3.4 SE. The 21 SX is huge, feels unbalanced, and has lots of idiosyncracies, like CA around thin objects at the edges. The 50 and 35 SX have none of this excess bulk and drama. From the shots that Jono posts with his 28 SX, it seems like that design fits into the same family as the 35 and 50. So I want one... The 28 Summicron is boring, the 28 Elmarit is very crisp but a little slow, nice travel lens. The 28 SX from the pictures a few posts back looks very trim.

scott
 
Have you seen the Reid's review? Its corners are sharper than the Lux 50 ASPH at WO. Certainly, this is the most recent Lux ASPH so far, and Leica feels that it's good enough to hang with the Lux 35 and 50 in the 100 Jahre set. The only thing I'm waiting for is the MTF so I can judge its field curvature. If it's close to the 50 APO behavior in term of FC, I would pre-order one. 28 is my preferred focal over 35.
 

John Black

Active member
The 35 FLE is wickedly sharp, so the 28 Lux would have to offer something more than just another sharp lens with a wider field of view to get me to drop $5k+.
 

padam

Member
Make that $6k+
It will be the fastest 28mm lens in production (the only other is -was- the Nikkor 28/1.4 which is yesterday's performance) that alone makes it more exclusive (even amongst Leica lenses) and the price will reflect that.
 

aDam007

New member
I guess I am the odd man out but these shots are just ok. I would have like to have seen more dynamic subject matter and much, much more layered and nuanced light.
Haha... I said it's a sexy lens, looks wise. I never said I liked the images it produces :D

It's a good FL for pairing with 50mm lenses.. As I said before, it would have to be a damn awesome lens to make me spend the cash.
 

John Black

Active member
I guess I am the odd man out but these shots are just ok. I would have like to have seen more dynamic subject matter and much, much more layered and nuanced light.
Ditto to what Adam said. I do not buy an a lens because its exclusive or 1 of X units made. I've owned the 21 Lux and all the 35 Lux's (barring the ASPHERICAL). There are some trade offs with Leica's newest lenses - they offer great sharpness, but at the direct expense of bokeh. I'll toss the 50 Noc ASPH in that lot as well.

Granted, my logic anecdotal at best, but I expect the 28 to be somewhere between the 21 Lux and 35 FLE in terms of its optical performance / character. I do not like the bokeh from the 21 or 35, so strike one for the 28 Lux. The 21 Lux's wide-open sharpness was sketchy at best, 35 FLE is good. 28 Lux probably somewhere between. Call that a foul ball, or strike 2. And if the 28 Lux is upwards of $6k, the value proposition isn't there (for me).

Leica lens prices are not holding their value these days, so buying & trying is an expensive exercise. I love new gear as much as the next person, but in this case, I'm happy to sit on the side lines and watch the show.
 
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Vivek

Guest
John, There are options. You can start your own blog and start "testing" to get free test samples. :D You will continue to get the next ones as long as you hail even an atrociously priced POS as a "great concept". :)

Leica's strategy of keep raising the prices every six months is way past its ceiling. It isn't working.

Oops, you do have your blog (one of the ones i like). May be a change of strategy is in order?
 
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jonoslack

Active member
John, There are options. You can start your own blog and start "testing" to get free test samples. :D You will continue to get the next ones as long as you hail even an atrociously priced POS as a "great concept". :)
That's the one Vivek . . . only I seem to have gone wrong somewhere as I had to pay for mine :(

Leica's strategy of keep raising the prices every six months is way past its ceiling. It isn't working.
Well, whilst I agree, it might be working for them if they're selling them.
 
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Vivek

Guest
Hi Jono, Let me make this very clear. I do not club you in that bunch for many reasons. There are way too many blogs and testers out there.

I am not sure if the strategy (price hikes) is working for them. Time will tell. :)
 

airfrogusmc

Well-known member
Thanks Ashwin for posting this. I have been curious about this lens for some time now. Love how it looks with the MM....Great shots BTW...
 
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