[Leica] Re 50mm Summicrom

[Carl Cook <clcook@halcyon.com>]

At 04:28 PM 8/6/2000 -0700, you wrote:

>     Carl, commenting on a defective pre-owned 50mm Summicron, wrote:
>[ snip ]
>I am returning th lens, but I thought this was supposed to be a pretty good
>lens -- yes? No? I have a Summicrom 35mm that is so sharp I can  -- and
>have --  cut my fingers on the negs!
>
>         --> The 50mm Summicron has been a reference from day one.
>         Yours simply needs urgent service attention.

I'll be returning it Monday, hopefully in exchange for another.

>         I keep wondering why people who already own 35mm
>         focal length lenses feel any urge to get a 50mm.

My style is journalistic, and after years of Nikons and zooms, I have 
become accustomed to framing as close to the final print as possible. I 
find that I really need something between 35 and 90 -- not critical, but I 
want to use my Nikons for extreme telephoto or extreme wide angle only and 
use Leicas now as a main system.

Years ago, I shot most things with only a 35, using my old 50mm as a loupe. 
That poor old maligned 50 can be invaluable when used as a lens. For many 
it takes years to discover this fact. I'm one of them --

>        How about considering a 24mm Elmarit-M f/2.8 ASPH,
>         definitively a reference and one wonderful focal
>         to work with, photo wise. Or a 75mm Summilux
>         (To me, 90mm is over-reaching ... ), depending on your
>         photo style.


I have a 24 -- just got it, and it kicks butt! What a lens! I'm not using a 
finder yet, but so far have been pretty good at guessing the frame lines. I 
suspect I'll wind up getting a finder, but the price for what you get is 
depressing.

Thanks for your advise!

Carl
>Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 07:55:17 -0600
>From: John Collier <jbcollier@home.com>
>Subject: Re: [Leica] 50mm Summicron
>Message-ID: <B5B2CA65.8018%jbcollier@home.com>
>References:
>
>How well does it couple with the rangefinder of your camera? Try aiming the
>camera at an object at least two miles away with the lens set to infinity.
>Does everything line up? Try taking pictures of a three dimensional subject
>to see  where the plane of focus is. I had to have my used 50 adjusted to
>match my other lenses.
>
>John Collier

It seems to line up fine. Shots at infinity are OK too. Photos up close are 
not so hot.

For the moment, I think I'm going to send the lens back and try again. The 
folks at KEH have been pretty helpful in the past. We'll see what happens.

Thanks,

Carl
clcook@halcyon.com
http://www.halcyon.com/clcook/photowks.htm