Anyone have one of the new 50mm f/2.5 Summarits?

[Biggles]

If so, got pictures? And how's crispness across the aperture range?

Reason I ask, is, from the little I've read, and from the size of it in pictures, it looks like it'd be an ideal light, compact travel 50 for someone who wants crunchy modern glass.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Put it this way: we borrowed all four for review and Frances spent her own money on keeping the 50mm: http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/ps firstlook summarit.html

Cheers,

R.

 

[Biggles]

Whoa. Now, that's an answer. Thank you, Mister Hicks.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

A 50 Summicron can be bought used in good condition for half as much and is a bit faster. I Bought a Summicron for my M4 and have no regrets.

 

[Biggles]

A 50 Summicron can be bought used in good condition for half as much and is a bit faster.

I've owned two, a 1950s collapsible and this one:

Found the collapsible a bit soft. Found the Version 5 to be light in weight, critically sharp, but just a bit too relentless, as someone here once put it. Didn't quite like the bokeh, either. Plus, it sticks out like an anteater's snout.

I shoot at 1600 day in, day out, so f/2 vs f/2.5 isn't such a big deal in my case, either. Pocketable, though, is.

 

[Fujitsu]

A 50 Summicron can be bought used in good condition for half as much and is a bit faster. I Bought a Summicron for my M4 and have no regrets.

Exactly. Forget about the Summarit.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I've owned two, a 1950s collapsible and this one:

Found the collapsible a bit soft. Found the Version 5 to be light in weight, critically sharp, but just a bit too relentless, as someone here once put it. Didn't quite like the bokeh, either. Plus, it sticks out like an anteater's snout.

I shoot at 1600 day in, day out, so f/2 vs f/2.5 isn't such a big deal in my case, either. Pocketable, though, is.

I have the same version you do and I absolutely love it. I want a sharp lens, and the bokeh is better than what I was used to before I got my Leica. I shot SLRs and almost all Japanese SLR 50's from all the manufacturers have HORRID bokeh.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Exactly. Forget about the Summarit.

Until you try it. I've tried both...

Cheers,

R.

 

[Jaans]

I used the Leica Minilux and then the CM when I started photography and later the CM as an addition to my Minolta CLE.

These cameras house a 2.4 Summarit.

All I can say is that the performance was stunning - like a combination of old school Leica and modern design. There was less contrast than the summicron and modern elmar that I have used. In the sun there was a hint of a flare that added to the mood of lens.

And the highlights were absolutely stunning - they had a glow to them that my 1985 50mm summicron suppressed.

Now, I don't know if the same formula was used for the current 2.5 Summarit lineup. So, if I had the money I would go for a summarit 2.5 instead of the summicron - I have seen what it does and its outstanding to say the least.

So, like Roger said, you don't know until you've tried it.

 

[Fujitsu]

Until you try it. I've tried both...

Cheers,

R.

I did. No reason to buy a Summarit (with the joke lenshood) when you can get a second hand Summicron for less.

Now a used Summarit at around 300$ may be another story.

 

[aizan]

what's wrong with the lenshood? it's made out of metal, and the hood cap stays on better than the 35/2 asph's hood cap, for example.

i would get the summarit over a late summicron for the better bokeh, focusing tab, and flare resistance.

 

[Bingley]

If you want a crisp, sharp, modern contrasty look, you might be able to find the Elmar-M 50/2.8 (the recently discontinued one) for less than the new summarit. Just a thought...

 

[ian_w]

I'll happily second Bingley's comment with the caveat that I haven't tried the new Summarit. I've owned the latest Summicron and the Elmar-M. I sold the Summicron as I didn't like the imaging characteristics, especially the clinical bokeh, as much as I love the Elmar-M's rendition. Obviously there are heaps of people who love the Summicron, but I didn't like it as much as the Elmar-M. The Summarit may be a totally different thing again, but the only way to know is to try both concurrently as I did with my options. Secondhand pricing is so solid that you will almost never lose money on buying secondhand and reselling.

Cheers
Ian

 

[hlockwood]

If you want a crisp, sharp, modern contrasty look, you might be able to find the Elmar-M 50/2.8 (the recently discontinued one) for less than the new summarit. Just a thought...

I agree. I have the 75-mm Summarit and find it to be excellent, as far as I have tested it. But I just posted an image from the Elmar-M/2.8 on the thread, "35-mm 'Cron Asph at the MFA" and it certainly meets my needs for that focal length. And the price was right.

Harry