Upgrade to Nokton 50mm from Cron?

[ywenz]

I have the current model Summicron 50mm (with built-in hood). I'm attracted to the extra speed with the Nokton 50mm but are there any qualities of the summicron I'll be missing going to the Nokton since I plan on selling my Summicron (exe condition, all boxes + papers 😉 ) if I get the Nokton. Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Justin Low]

Small size, for one.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[markinlondon]

I'm with Magus on this. I had both, I now no longer have a Nokton. But if you need the speed then you need it.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Rayt]

I used to have a 50mm Nokton and while it is sharp the color fidelity and tonality are a far cry from a Summicron.

 

[ywenz]

Magus, what offering does Zeiss have in the sub-f/2 50mm category and how is it?

 

[Justin Low]

Magus, what offering does Zeiss have in the sub-f/2 50mm category and how is it?

A beautiful looking 50/1.5 Sonnar. Looks to be about the same size as the Summicron, yet one stop faster.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[jlw]

You're getting a lot of advice here based on supposed desirable qualities that are highly subjective at best, and "magical" at worst. (This seems to be typical of the loyalty people feel to Leica lenses.)

Your only hope is to figure out which of these alleged qualities are important to you in your Summicron shots, and then compare on that basis.

Objective data will be of no help here: The Nokton is an excellent lens, delivering high edge-to-edge sharpness, good contrast, and smooth rendition of out-of-focus areas, but only you can determine whether or not it will have the "magical" qualities you like.

A sensible strategy, if you can afford it, might be to hang onto your Summicron until after you've bought the Nokton, so you can compare the results, and then sell the Summicron separately rather than trading it in. You often get a better financial return this way anyway.

 

[x-ray]

I can give you an unbiased report in a couple of days. I have owned all of the 50 summicrons with the exception of the current one you have and have currently the 50 asph. On the way is a CV Nokton 50 for a second kit.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

If you are unhappy enough with the 50 cron then just sell it in the Classifieds and get the Nokton. Obviously something about the 50 cron is not working for you. What is it? Otherwise, not sure how our opinions can help you.

The Nokton is an excellent lens. If you can live with the ergonomics, go for it. If you don't like it afterwards, sell it in the Classifieds again, you won't lose much, if anything.

In terms of optical quality, you won't gain anything more except speed and money saved.

 

[Avotius]

im liking the new zeiss c sonnar and when I eventually will pick one up because I will need the extra speed but I cant afford a noctilux or summilux, and I like the very luminous images it produces. Look around flickr, there are plenty of nice looking sonnar shots

 

[Huck Finn]

I have the current model Summicron 50mm (with built-in hood). I'm attracted to the extra speed with the Nokton 50mm but are there any qualities of the summicron I'll be missing going to the Nokton since I plan on selling my Summicron (exe condition, all boxes + papers 😉 ) if I get the Nokton. Your thoughts are appreciated.

You will lose the ability to shoot as close with the Nokton as you can with the Summicron.

Minimum focus distance:
Summicron = 27+ inches
Nokton = 35+ inches

This may or may not be important to you.

It's also worth noting that in Popular Photography's lens tests, their measurements showed the Nokton to be not quite as fast as advertised - f/1.6 maximum aperture - & the Summicron to be a hair faster than its specs - f/1.9 maximum aperture. So, you're really only gaining a half stop of speed whereas most people are thinking pretty much a full stop at first glance.

 

[ywenz]

Huck.. good points. I do value the minimum focus distance. 8 inches is pretty significant for what I want to photograph... I wasn't aware of the *actual* speed difference between the two lenses. Good to know!

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Toby]

I've heard a lot of talk of magical lenses but I've never seen one that could turn a bad photographer into a good one. Ywenz I'm surprised that considering you have a Eos 5d you are not waiting to see what the Canon 50/1.2L is like, it's a bit on the big side but that combination could be very potent.

 

[Huck Finn]

Huck.. good points. I do value the minimum focus distance. 8 inches is pretty significant for what I want to photograph... I wasn't aware of the *actual* speed difference between the two lenses. Good to know!

I'm glad that the information was helpful to you. It makes the digging that I've done over the years feel worthwhile. 🙂

 

[Avotius]

hm....this makes me wonder what other lenses speeds are not as advertised