50 Summicron "bokeh" ?

[Fujitsu]

I found a good deal on a used M6 + 50 Cron. I´m still contemplating wether to keep the lens or sell it to fund something faster (Voigtländer perhaps).

So how´s the look of the 50 Summicron considered in general? Sharp? Smooth?

If you have, I´d love to look at some samples at f2.

Thank you!

(P.S.: Yes I know there´s a flickr m-mount pool, but you cant filter by aperture. Im interested in performance at f2. Im not the "stop down" type of person... 😀)

 

[ferider]

Version or serial nr. might help.

 

[coelacanth]

Yep, what Roland said. But in general, I think Summicrons have a bit higher contrast compared to Elmar of same generation. I'm a fan of Elmar/Tesser (Don't even remember how many I had) lens and I have never owned 50 Cron of any generation though. 😛

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I can't complain about the 50mm Summicron bokeh, It is far better than any 50mm SLR lens I have used and better than the other RF 50s that I've tried. This is with the tabbed version IV.

 

[Fujitsu]

Version or serial nr. might help.

Sorry, i got the the tabbed one with external hood. I think this is IV, like chris´ lens.

 

[Mister E]

I love the 50mm Summicron's blur. Plenty of examples on my flickr.

 

[aizan]

the current formula summicron can be very harsh (tons of examples on the internet), but nothing that can't be mitigated through aperture and background selection. follow the traditional rules of thumb to avoid flare!

 

[semilog]

Chris and Aizan are correct. I also have the version IV tabbed (current optical formula with superior ergonomics to the current lens) and it is a really terrific lens -- but not without reservation. Its bokeh can be rather nervous harsh under the wrong conditions. I think that the Summicron rigid/DR is a more consistent performer for B+W work, but IMO the v. IV/V is better at wide apertures, and it's better in color. Many think it was the best 50 ever produced until the 50 Summilux ASPH. That said, since I got the Zeiss 35mm Biogon-C, it's been hard to mount the Summicron. It seems to have all of the Summicron's strengths, and none of its weaknesses.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Chris and Aizan are correct. I also have the version IV tabbed (current optical formula with superior ergonomics to the current lens) and it is a really terrific lens -- but not without reservation. Its bokeh can be rather nervous harsh under the wrong conditions. I think that the Summicron rigid/DR is a more consistent performer for B+W work, but IMO the v. IV/V is better at wide apertures, and it's better in color. Many think it was the best 50 ever produced until the 50 Summilux ASPH. That said, since I got the Zeiss 35mm Biogon-C, it's been hard to mount the Summicron. It seems to have all of the Summicron's strengths, and none of its weaknesses.

I use 50mm a lot, and I have the C-Biogon, I think they work well together.

 

[semilog]

I use 50mm a lot, and I have the C-Biogon, I think they work well together.

Completely agreed. Both lenses have similar character and very similar (superb) optical properties -- MTF, vignetting, distortion. But IMO the Biogon-C has better bokeh at most apertures, and it has a bit less curvature of field and flares less (almost not at all).

 

[khc1013]

here are some samples of the 50cron latest version. Somewhat regret that I sold it. If f2 is fast enough for you, 50 cron is a very very good lens. Sharp and smooth! KEEP IT!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/khc1013/tags/leica50mmsummicron/

 

[Mister E]

 

[porktaco]

collapsible, from mid 60s.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I found a good deal on a used M6 + 50 Cron. I´m still contemplating wether to keep the lens or sell it to fund something faster (Voigtländer perhaps).

So how´s the look of the 50 Summicron considered in general? Sharp? Smooth?

If you have, I´d love to look at some samples at f2.

Thank you!

(P.S.: Yes I know there´s a flickr m-mount pool, but you cant filter by aperture. Im interested in performance at f2. Im not the "stop down" type of person... 😀)

Both the summicron and the 1.5 aspherical Nokton have beautiful soft bokeh most of the time, and a bit busy one (yet nice) in extreme situations (close focus, background with strong lights or high contrast...) For sure I'd prefer the Nokton because even wide open it's very sharp and well corrected (aspherical...) and yet it has a wonderful bokeh... I've seen shots with really creamy bokeh and I was surprised, being a modern sharp aspherical lens... And for low light -against the summicron- I could set on my camera a one stop faster shutter speed, and that counts a lot...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[dacookieman]

Hi! I have the Summicron Rigid, usually I use it mainly for my BW work, I do however shoot the occasional colour slides with it. Below are some samples, hope it helps.


Summicron Rigid at F2, Provia 400x:

Similarly shot at F2, Tri-x 400 (hc-110:B):

 

[LChanyungco]

latest (built in hood) Summicron 50 and Velvia 50

same lens with ADOX CHM 400

 

[Fujitsu]

Great shots guys

 

[StaaleS]

DR Summicron, early sixties I believe:

 

[oleg C]

Current version

 

[rdeleskie]

I recently picked up a Summicron DR 50mm for my Bessa R3A (it works fine on this camera, with some caveats). This lens is exactly what I was looking for: low contrast (compared to modern lens, such as the Nokton 50mm 1.5), it can be razor sharp, and the bokeh is beautiful. I would describe the look as "classic" as opposed to "nostalgic" (unlike the Summar, for example). If you are interested in the Leica legacy, mystique, aesthetic (whatever you want to call it), I can't imagine you would be disappointed with this lens.