Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/10/06

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Subject: [Leica] Zeiss Normal 50mm f/2 Planar T* ZM
From: benedenia at gmail.com (Marty Deveney)
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 21:36:16 +1030
References: <ee8fa51c0910060215j290a421foda64394ccc5decbd@mail.gmail.com> <C6F08D48.55FBB%mark@rabinergroup.com>

Mark,

 The cheapest $US price I can find is $876.  The Leica 50/2 is $1995
and the 50/2.5 is $1295.  None of the Zeiss lenses are exactly
"budget" lenses.  The Nikkor 50/1.8 that you have often sung praises
of, that's a budget lens.  If you can direct me to the $600 ones I'll
buy a pile and on-sell them.

Have you tried a ZM 50/2?  Erwin says: "Now at last we have a lens
that equals the Summicron-M 50mm and is even a trace better in the
curvature of field area."
http://www.imx.nl/photo/zeiss/zeiss/page65.html  I found the same to
be true.  Its resistance to flare is much better.  I agree the
mechanical construction is not as good as a Leica lens, or as good as
the Konica Hexanon 50/2, which appears to me to be the best
constructed modern 50/2 for M cameras (the seven-element Summicrons
are the 'most built' ever, but they are all now approaching 50 and
optical design, glass making and other factors have come a long way
since then).

The flare in this shot with the 50/2 Summicron:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/freakscene/Russia/St_P_XXXV.jpg.html
was what finally made me stop using my 50 Summicron.  It did it often.
 In extended use the Zeiss didn't do that sort of thing:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/freakscene/Randomness/File1101.jpg.html
and neither did the Konica:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/freakscene/Randomness/File1187.jpg.html

Some day when we catch up, I will bring a big pile of prints, all
three lenses (I still have them all) and a lens spanner so you can
pull them apart and have a look at how you think they're constructed.

Marty



On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 8:29 PM, Mark Rabiner <mark at rabinergroup.com> 
wrote:
>> It's optically better than the Leica 50/2: it doesn't flare and the
>> formula has been tweaked. ?Even Erwin puts says it is an improvement.
>> Mechanically the ZM lenses aren't as sturdy as the Leica ones, but it
>> seemed sturdy enough to me that it would survive just fine.
>>
>> The Summilux ASPH is another thing altogether. ?It's the ultimate (in
>> both senses of the word) fast (as opposed to superfast) 50.
>>
>> Marty
>
>
> The ZM glasses are of a lesser quality.
> The tolerances are lower.
> Its a 600 dollar lens.
> Leica lenses cost thousands.
> They could be made for hundreds with cheaper glass. Lower tolerances.
> No one would try to pawn them off as "better".
>
> Mark William Rabiner
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>


Replies: Reply from wendythurman at gmail.com (Wendy Thurman) ([Leica] Zeiss Normal 50mm f/2 Planar T* ZM)
In reply to: Message from benedenia at gmail.com (Marty Deveney) ([Leica] Zeiss Normal 50mm f/2 Planar T* ZM)
Message from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Zeiss Normal 50mm f/2 Planar T* ZM)