Summilux 50mm lens hoods

[Photar]

Hi, Has anyone experience with both the (by now) very old 50mm Summilux with detachable lens hood and 1m minimum focus distance and the old (i.e. pre-asph) 50mm Summilux with bulit-in lens hood and 0.7m minimum focus distance? I wonder if a) the old lens hood does a better job than the new one, b) the extended close distance focussing range (0.7m-1m) of the newer lens is really usable with decent results given that the lens was originally developed for 1m close focus distance? Thanks for any input!

 

[jaapv]

I do believe there is not much optical difference between the two- coatings etc. but the extendible hood gives me one item less to fumble with and drop or to have to find in my camera-case. As for the focussing distance, I confess I never use the 70 cm. In those cases I tend to take a SLR and macro-lens. I never noticed any serious tendency to flare in my pre-asph. summilux using the pull-out hood and I would say the it is more than adequate.

 

[J. Borger]

The 50 lux pre-asph is perfect usable at 0.7 (also wide open) ....... it is one of my favourite lenses. The 0.7 is very welcome if you want to use it for portraits.

I prefer the pre-asph luxes to the asph versions ......
I recently purchased the 35 summilux pre-asph .... another stunning lens with beautiful tonalities and unique signature ............. i prefer it to my 35 summicron asph.

The 35 & 50 lux pre -asph are both considered "soft" wide open if you believe the forums.
Let me tell you it is not true ... both lenses are more than sharp enough for people-shots wide open. And i can not think of very much else to shoot at 1.4.


The aspherical lenses have a signature too similar to Canon L lenses for my taste.
In real dim conditions they give crispier results than the pre-asph versions however ..... so they are probably a better choice for people doing lots of low light shooting.



Han

 

[Ben Z]

The optics of the pre-ASPH 50 Summilux with E43 and extra shade were changed way back in the early 60s, so there are actually 2 versions. I've got the second, from the early 80s, which is the same optics as the E46 model from the 90s. According to the lens chart brigade, it suffers some performance at close distance unless stopped down. I can't think of any reason why the E46 wouldn't perform worse at 70cm than 1m. That said I also agree about the ASPH vs pre-ASPH, the differences are there to be seen on controlled test shots with resolution targets, but in practical photography only someone with a vivid imagination and most probably the owner of an ASPH or a lens-luster, would claim to see it. There is a huge, gaping difference between the 35 Lux-ASPH and pre-ASPH however (and I own neither and am basing on results from shooting real subjects).

 

[J. Borger]

The 35 lux pre-asph has an old Leica look. Very different from 35 ASPH lux or summicron.
It has a completely different signature and looses in the sharpness/ contrast department. But the files are soooooooooooo pleasing .......... in the end it all comes down to personal taste and the type of photography you are doing.


Han

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Hi, Has anyone experience with both the (by now) very old 50mm Summilux with detachable lens hood and 1m minimum focus distance and the old (i.e. pre-asph) 50mm Summilux with bulit-in lens hood and 0.7m minimum focus distance? I wonder if a) the old lens hood does a better job than the new one, b) the extended close distance focussing range (0.7m-1m) of the newer lens is really usable with decent results given that the lens was originally developed for 1m close focus distance? Thanks for any input!

Wow, this one is really easy: yes, yes, yes and yes. 🙂

 

[peter_n]

I'm a bit of a barbarian and don't like the big vented hoods from any manufacturer. My 50 Summilux (1979 I think) wears a nifty solid hood from darkstar of eBay fame. Excellent quality and very practical.