Bought a new lens - 1999 Ltd ed chrome 50 Summilux f1.4 screwmount

[ZoomP]

Guys,

Just bought a brand new in box lens from a fellow collector in Singapre. I know this is a ltd production model that was produced for Japan Lemon Camera back in the late 90's. I can't seem to find much information about this lens other than a few threads here n there about it.

Does anyone else has this lens and whether you can provide more info and review on it? Understand that this is ver 3 lux and the true pre-asph. It has a E46 filter size and comes with a Leica LTM-M adaptor. I can't find info. on the focusing distance but some online forums suggested that it's 0.9m vs. the regular ver. 3 and the Millenina BP version of 0.7m.

The lens is super mint and kept in the dry box the last decade. No dust, haze, fungus etc at all. Now my chrome M8 is complete with a chrome lens.

Here's a pics of my current lenses. I've got the 35 Summicron v4 (Bokeh King) for wider angle, a Canon 50 f1.4 LTM and a Canon 50 f1.2 LTM in pretty good condition. As you can see, I love fifties!!!

Here's my lenses. On the left is my 50 Summilux-R that I used on my Canon 5dm2 and Leica R4s.

Here's a pic of me taken by the seller. Love the bokeh which I find creamier and soothing.

 

[venchka]

Surely the lens has a distance scale.

You need the Nikkor 50/1.4 (original), and Konica 50/1.2 and 60/1.2.

Enjoy!

 

[ZoomP]

Wayne, yeah yeah... the quest is never ending. 🙂

Andy, I've been waiting to get a ASPH locally for the longest time and frankly, the price quoted here is cheaper than if I buy online. Couldn't wait anymore and this piece happens to be available for a good price. The price I paid is not much more than a good conditions v3 and I like the fact that it's a ltd ed with full brass barrel.

 

[maddoc]

The special edition 50mm Summilux pre-ASPH in LTM mount (11621) pops up sometimes here in Japan. I have seen one copy in a shop window in Osaka, they wanted 220.000JPY for it. Close focusing seems to be 0.9m (the scale shows 1m), which would be a drawback for me.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Venchka's suggestion of getting an ORIGINAL 50/1.4 Nikkor? Great idea. That's a fantastic optic.

 

[ZoomP]

Thanks guys for the info. Will try my best to hold off buying anymore lens and spend the time taking pics with them. It's a hole burning in my pocket now.I did consider the Nikkor 50 f1.4 will likely pick one up with the right price n conditions. Btw, there's a nice Canon 50 f1.5 Sonnar on evil bay now.

 

[furcafe]

I have the same lens. Not much info to add to what's already been posted & not sure what there is really to know. Performance-wise, it's the same as the M-mount version of the same time period.

I've never heard a good explanation of why Leica decided to limit the close-focus distance for these lenses, but my theory is that they wanted to prevent cannibalization of the market for the regular M-mount versions. Perhaps they wanted to prevent misfocusing by users of screw-mount bodies, but surely anybody serious enough to use the lens on such a body would be aware that the RF roller will disengage closer than 0.9-1m (just like someone using a modern M-mount lens on an old M3).

 

[35mmdelux]

50s are alot of fun because they're great lenses and generally affordable.

 

[ZoomP]

Yes in comparison with wider angle like the 35, the 50s are indeed more affordable. I am still trying to find a mint 35 lux pre-asph again.

 

[ZoomP]

I wonder if this lens fare better than the regular v3 pre-asph?

 

[ZoomP]

Why would it? It's exactly the same lens, but with two disadvantages to the M user: can't focus as close and have to use a LTM/M adapter.

There is one advantage... I feel a screwmount body calling.. :_)

 

[ZoomP]

Took this pic of my daughter. I love the color tone of this lens. It's the only one that can give a neutral color in my room.

 

[dfoo]

On my monitor at least that looks very green.

 

[ampguy]

uhh

uhh

it's a color photo ...

On my monitor at least that looks very green.

 

[furcafe]

I believe dfoo was referring to the green color cast in the shot, probably caused by fluorescent lighting, that seems to be contradict ZoomP's description of his Summilux giving "neutral color." Of course, it's quite possible that ZoomP's other lenses provide even more non-neutral color casts.

it's a color photo ...

 

[ZoomP]

I believe dfoo was referring to the green color cast in the shot, probably caused by fluorescent lighting, that seems to be contradict ZoomP's description of his Summilux giving "neutral color." Of course, it's quite possible that ZoomP's other lenses provide even more non-neutral color casts.

Yes, that's what I mean bro. The fluorsecent lighting and wallpapers in my house will always give out weird WB. This is as natural as it gets. Haha!!

 

[Gary Sandhu]

I have the 35 asph cron and 50 cron in LTM. great lenses on my iiif rd st.

 

[marke]

Perhaps they wanted to prevent misfocusing by users of screw-mount bodies, but surely anybody serious enough to use the lens on such a body would be aware that the RF roller will disengage closer than 0.9-1m (just like someone using a modern M-mount lens on an old M3).

Please help me understand this. I have a 1958 M3 (SS converted from DS). Does this mean that my ver.3 lux 50 (M mount) pre-asph should not focus closer than 1 m?

 

[furcafe]

Sorry for the delay, but just saw this. I don't know how close the version 3 of the Summilux focuses, but if it focuses closer than 1m, the lens will basically disengage from the camera's RF & you will have to scale focus. This assumes that your M3 hasn't been adjusted--I know that the single-stroke M3s & M2s can be adjusted to focus a little closer than 1m (0.7-0.9m range IIRC), I don't remember whether you can do the same w/the double-stroke M3s (see about 2/3rd's down this page: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/page10.html ).

Please help me understand this. I have a 1958 M3 (SS converted from DS). Does this mean that my ver.3 lux 50 (M mount) pre-asph should not focus closer than 1 m?