Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/05/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hmm. There is no one "best" 50mm lens for the Leica -- there is only the lens which will be the best one for your use. The parameters, as previously pointed out, include optical performance, cost, weight, flexibility, and the like, and there are just too many offerings around to pick one single design as the ultimax normal lens. Sorry to be so rigid but this really is the way it works -- one man's meat is, after all, another man's poison. Or, for the politically correct in our number, 'one person's meat is another person's poison'. If I were approaching Leica today, I'd but the current 2/50 Summicron until I learned my way around the system a bit. For that matter, if cost were a matter, I'd go for the 2.8/50 Elmar. As it is, I own a bunch of 50mm's though not as many as does A Certain Other Member Of This List Who Shall Remain Anonymous. The normal lens on my M6 is a 1.4/50 Summilux-M and that on my M3 is a 2/5cm NF Summicron. I also own a 2/5cm Summitar, a 1.5/5cm Summarit, and a 2/5cm collapsible Summicron, all in LTM, which I occasionally use on my M's with the appropriate adapter. All are great lenses. The non-ASPH 1.4/50 Summilux-M is a great lens. It took Leitz three decades to meet up with the epic stature of Bertele's 1931 1.5/5cm Sonnar, but they did so with the second version of the Summilux, and a killer lens it is. For those concerned with cost, that lens is a winner, as it is being discounted on the used-equipment market as the new ASPH lens supercedes it. The Jupiter-3 is, of course, the ultimate for those concerned with cost: I paid $90 for my late Zagorsk version and it is a great lens in all respects and is the optical equivalent of my Summilux, though the mount's build quality is not up to the Leitz standard, of course. Now, if cost were not an object, I'd go for either the 1.4/50 ASPH Summilux or the Noctilux. Should I win the Mega-Millions tomorrow, I will be ordering one of each and a bunch of other lenses on Monday, if I don't just flat-out buy control of the company! Your vision is your own. Your constraints are your own. Some folks have fiscal concerns. Some folks have physical constraints which limit the ability to carry a heavy lens. (We have a member over on the IDCC who suffers from some physical disability which forces him to use a walker. It is amazing how much gear he can carry on bags strapped to a walker and on his service dog. He had never mentioned having a physical problem and one day he popped up mentioning his service dog. We all immediately thought, "seeing-eye dog" and thoughts of a blind photographer popped into our heads. Finally, a daring list member asked him why he needed a service dog, and the truth came out. The mutual sigh of relief caused a major Internet ructus.) Other folks need low-light abilities, while some only photograph in broad daylight. Some folks swap lenses frequently, while others hold them for decades. It all depends on you and on your own needs. Again, your vision is your own. Marc msmall@aya.yale.edu Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!