RexGig0
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 p.7 #8 · Leica 50/1.4 Lux vs Voigtlander 50/1.2 Nokton vs 50/2 APO | |
gammarART wrote:
Is there any particular version of the Summilux Asph that you recommend? I can get the silver 11892 for just under 2300 euros in very good condition. I recently had the 50mm Summicron Version 5, and I wasn’t particularly impressed with it. I wouldn’t know what I’m paying the high price for with this one.
How is it with the Summilux Asph?
If this was directed at me, I have only used one optical formula of the Summilux-M 50mm ASPH. The 11891 and 11892 share the same 2004 optical elements, differing in the metals used. The 11891 has an anodized aluminum barrel. The 11892 has a silver-toned chrome finish on a solid brass exterior, resulting in a notably heavier weight/mass. I bought a pre-owned 11891 in 2018, after several years of looking at others’ images posted on-line, and then test-shooting it during several visits to Houston Camera Exchange, an authorized Leica dealer, in Texas, coached by wonderfully patient employees.
With the newer, closer-focus Summilux ASPH being newly-extant, this is a good time to buy a 11891 or 11892, while many shooters are wishing to “upgrade,” or simply ignoring the older version, in the quest for the latest and greatest.
I will not dismiss the utility of a closer-focus 50mm lens, but, in early 2022, decided to add a pre-owned APO Summicron-M 75mm ASPH lens, rather than upgrade from the M Type 246 Monochrom, to the M10 Monochrom. From the same 0.7m Minimum Focusing Distance as the Summilux 11891/11892, the Magnification Factor of the APO Summicron-M 75mm ASPH can accomplish what the Close-Focus Summilux-M 50mm ASPH can do, at its newer, closer Minimum Focusing Distance.
The Summilux-M 11891 and 11892, and the Summicron-M Version IV/V, are not immune to flare, such that some shooters intentionally use it artistically. A reason I added the Voigtlander 50mm APO Lanthar is that it is much more flare-resistant than these Leica-brand competitors. This reviewer found that the Voigtlander 50mm APO Lanthar outperforms the mighty APO Summicron-M 50mm ASPH, in resistance to flare, as he tested them:
During a brief moment in time when I thought that I might try to commit the financial resources to add an APO Summicron-M 50mm ASPH, this presentation helped me to decide that it was better to remain faithful to my Summilux 11891, and add the Voigtlander 50mm APO Lanthar.
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I think the ZM 50/1.5 is chronically underrated as only a character lens that suffers FS when you shoot wide-open. It has good flare resistance, is sharp enough (IMO) stopped down, sensational color and contrast, is small and cheap, and most importantly, has a lot of character done well 
The MFD is long and it does have other cons—it’s a lens you have to learn to shoot with. Not super low maintenance, but the results are just fantastic.
