I want to purchase a sharp, small....

[steve garza]

Tom....

Tom....

Steve,

There is no summicron pre-asph, they are all pre-asph 🙂 The 4th and 5th versions are optically identical. The Rigid and DR are similar. The 3rd is different, but no personal experience there.

Only the 50 summilux has an aspherical version.

For what it is worth, all the 50 crons are highly competent lenses. good luck

thanks for cluing me in....I thought most of the new lenses except the Elmar were asph.

 

[steve garza]

My contax G 21mm

My contax G 21mm

i love it. i can't seem to remove it from the zi.
i didn't buy a finder but use the entire fov in the zi. works pretty good.

when i got it, i posted a shot of a city block and then a 100% view of a movie marque from that same shot. it was scary sharp.

was also quite sharp. That lens design is something else.

 

[steve garza]

Yes Telenous....

Yes Telenous....

Hi Steve,

The Planar 50 is a superb lens and if you liked the Planar 45 for the G2 I believe you will like this one too as it is reported to be a near identical formula. I used it and I was very happy with it. In terms of construction quality I am with those who think that it is not quite Leica but it is very, very good indeed. I have only used the very old rigid Summicron which I loved too and have no experience with the newer versions but I 'd trust Puts when he says that the Planar has nothing to envy in its performance from the equivalent lens of the Leica stable. I 'm personally not so keen on the Zeiss Sonnar but everyone else is very excited about it and it surely is a matter of taste.

I loved the shots from my old 45mm planar. This may be the best of both worlds for me as I plan to use the 50mm on an M2. I intend to reaserch this for a while. God, rangefinders are really a sickness aren't they?

 

[FrankS]

I'm not so concerned w/ speed. I really want a smaller, lighter 50mm lens which I plan to use in daylight for the most part.

Seems to me that the 50mmf2.8 Elmar fits that bill. If you need to go cheaper, there's the CV lenses.

 

[matt fury]

50mm M-hexanon is pretty small and definitely a great lens. Cheap too.

 

[steve garza]

I'm interested in the Konica lenses also, but they seem a little trickier to find. Is the contrast as good as a current elmar?

 

[benjaminlr]

I have recently part exchanged my 50 cron rigid for a mint hexanon M 50 and I have to say that I love it. I use it on both my M4-P and Bessa R2 and it gave me excellent results.

If only I was as good as my cameras and lenses are ...

 

[saxshooter]

A few months ago the 50 Hexanon was hard to find and fetching $400-500... I remember seeing a diagram of its element arrangement and seemed similar to the 50 summicron.

 

[steve garza]

Re: hexanon
Size? weight? any example pix?

 

[matt fury]

Focal length 50mm
Max aperture f/2
Minimum focus 70cm
Filter size 40.5mm
Mounts

* Leica M

Weight 255g
Dimensions 43.5mm x 54mm

 

[Alec]

If anyone (especially in the EU) is interested in the M-Hexanon 50mm these guys have some new for 222 euros incl. VAT
http://www.audiophil-foto.de/
(they confirmed last week by email they had one available, although I never could find it on their website)

I'd have bought one myself were it not for the flange distance rumor - and the wife factor, which is not a rumor

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

and the wife factor, which is not a rumor

Alec is right about the most effective antidote to GAS 😉

By the way, John, if sharpness and size are the two prime factors, you can't get any better than the 40 summicron-c or 40 rokkor-m (just use the 35 frameline instead of the 50mm frameline).

 

[akptc]

If anyone (especially in the EU) is interested in the M-Hexanon 50mm these guys have some new for 222 euros incl. VAT
http://www.audiophil-foto.de/
(they confirmed last week by email they had one available, although I never could find it on their website)

I'd have bought one myself were it not for the flange distance rumor - and the wife factor, which is not a rumor

222 Euros is pretty cheap. I bought mine from Bergen County Camera not long ago for ~$350. It's an awesome lens. I used it and my 50mm summicron on the R-D1, have to say I prefer the Hexanon, partly because I find its built a bit better, easier to focus.

 

[Nando]

My 50/1,5 Jupiter-3 is very small and it was really inexpensive. Mine is a little off up close and wide-open so its currently away being Sweeneyfied. Can't wait to get it back. My Bessa-T has slightly less than a 3-inch depth with the J3 mounted with a LTM-M adapter.

 

[Bill58]

Take a look at the vintage Canon 50/ 1.4 LTM--often referred to as a Summicron look-alike and about $350 in most places.

 

[Ronald M]

I don`t view made in Japan as a problem in itself. Just that CV is not made to Leica standards. Silver Zeiss lenses are silver paint, not chrome just for one item. CV black finishes are not known to hold up well.

For the money, they are good lenses and woth what you pay. I have 12/15/25 because the 25 is a screw mount I need.

 

[richard_l]

The latest Elmar-M would be my choice.

Richard

 

[wlewisiii]

From what I've read in this thread, I'd say one of two lenses would meet your criteria nicely - the Collapsible Summicron or the Canon 50/1.8, but especially the Canon. Reasonably compact, a look very similar to the Planar & dirt cheap comparative to the other options. If you don't need the extra stop, save a healthy chunk of change by going 1.8 instead. I had both and kept the Summicron, but based on what you've said in the thread, I'd say the Canon would be the better match.

Another option you might find interesting is the Canon 50/1.5. While you may not value the speed all that highly, the look from the Sonnar design is something special that you might like.

Good Luck!

William

 

[pvenables]

Steve

I got a Summicron Dual Range yesterday for £200 from ebayer in Hong Kong. If you're going to be using your 50 with an M2, it looks and feels perfect. In quality terms it feels a million miles away from the current Leica lenses I own. I haven't taken any photos with it yet but I would be surprised if it's no good. [Not expecting it to be perfect by any means, given that it's 46 years old.]

I have a current 50 Elmar too. Small and takes very nice pictures IMO.

The Hexanon price sounds unbeatable though, if true.

Paul

 

[back alley]

In quality terms it feels a million miles away from the current Leica lenses I own...

do you mean better or lesser in quality?