Advice - 50 cron vs. lux ASPH

mijosc

mijosc

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I currently have two 50mm Leica lenses, but can only afford to keep one.

First, I have a black Summicron v5. The lens is in really nice condition, only lightly used. Not 6-bit coded.

Second, in October, I was lucky enough to find a brand new chrome Summilux ASPH. So I snatched it up without giving it much thought.

Now I have to decide which one to sell. My general preference is to keep the lux; it is a beautiful lens in every way. However, it is quite heavy and I could put close to $4k back in my bank account.

Any thoughts or advice?
 
bills to pay? sell lux

otherwise, sell the cron IMO.

Im a bit surprised you're asking though. Have you used the Lux much? If you have, and you still are asking, you should probably sell it given how much more valuable it is. If it's a matter of having not used it, then I suggest you try it out and sell it only if you don't find that you need that extra Lux-ness.
 
No bills to pay, just doesn't make sense having two 50s.

I have used the lux and love it. It's only downside is weight.
 
I sold my Summicron the minute I got my Summilux. If I wanted $4k back, I'd sell them both and get a Zeiss 50/2 🙂 But right now, I like the Summilux.
 
Keep the lux, it won't be easy to find another one if you want it back one day.

But it's true it's a very heavy lens.
 
Why not more than one 50mm ?
I have the Elmar-M, Summicron V, Summilux pre-Asph and Noctilux (f1.0), all of them different, each one with its own advantages and compromises.
I'm sure most of us own more than one 50.
 
I personally would rather add another focal length to my kit vs. having two 50s. 21 Super-Elmar, I'm looking at you!
 
My impression is that the "2nd" down Leica lenses usually have higher IQ than the faster lenses. You need good IQ for 18 Mpix on FF, and whatever higher resolution camera comes next.

But...

In this case, I'd argue for the 50mm Summilux ASPH as it defines what is special about the Leica system: a lens with superlative bokeh and a FF sensor that can capture it. You would have a difficult time finding any other camera that gave you 50mm FF Bokeh this side of Medium Format.
 
ZM Planar. Rendering almost as gorgeous as the 'lux ASPH, light & small as the 'cron, less expensive than either one. I had a v. 4 cron (same optical formula as the v.5) for about 12 years. The 'cron is a good lens but I now have to admit to myself that over that entire time I never truly warmed to it.

But then, I'm a total convert to Zeiss glass anyway.
 
Personally, I would keep the beautiful Chrome 50 Lux and sell the Cron. I made the same decision last spring, kept a Black 50 Lux and sold the Cron and have no regrets.

However if you want some cash and a another lens or two then sell the Lux. You could pick up a 21 Super-Elmar, if you can find one, and have some cash left over.

. . . . . or maybe even the 24 Elmar, usually availble new and used, and have more cash left over.

Or get a Zeiss 21/2.8 and have lots of cash left over.


Then again, you could sell the cron, pick up Zeiss 21/2.8 and have a little cash left over, and you would still own that beautiful Chrome 50 Lux which you would still be able to sell for the $4K some time in the future . . . . . .


Good luck with your decision.
 
I sold my V5 Summicron the same week I acquired my V2 Summilux, and don't regret it. The extra weight is the only thing I can hold against the faster lens. My Summilux's supremely refined optical character has more than made up for its excess heft. I can only imagine that the aspheric version's performance would be a cut above that still.

So I'd vote for keeping the fat one, too.
 
I think the person best equipped to answer this question is....you!

Almost every lens has its advocates - realistically if I tell you which one I would keep, how does that help? These questions can help prior to purchase, but once you have the two lenses in your possession to compare - go compare them!

At last count I have three 75mm lenses and four 90mm lenses. Each have their advantages (close focus, rendering, speed) and disadvantages (size, weight, speed) but I don't think anyone here could help me choose which to keep......

Get out, get snapping, look at the results. Compare results, and compare existing shots that you have made. Choose based on your gut. But ultimately, the choice should be yours.

And another vote here for the Zeiss 21mm 2.8 Biogon - a stunning lens, for a lot less than the Super Elmar.
 
mijosc said:
No bills to pay, just doesn't make sense having two 50s.

I have used the lux and love it. It's only downside is weight.
Click to expand...

hello,

i got both and in my experience I don't think they are "two 50s", I mean they are different. I use both both for different purposes; if you can, keep both otherwise don't sell the Summicron! 🙂

Claudio
 
Do you know what would be really great? If you shot 3 test shots of multiple scenes that were identical:
-Summicron at f/2.0
-Summilux at f/2.0
-Summilux at f/1.4

I'd buy that for a dollar!
 
Keep both for 12 months and monitor their use. At the end of the year, keep the one you used more (or the one with the better pictures). The resale value of either lens probably will not go down much over the next year.

I understand the appeal of the Summilux (I've had one since they came out) but unless you're shooting film you really don't "need" the extra stop of speed. Because of the aforementioned weight issues, I use a Summicron much more.
 
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