Fred Miranda
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 p.4 #12 · Light Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Rigid Review | |
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Final Thoughts
After shooting and testing the new Light Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Rigid, I'm confident to report that it's a faithful replica to the original Leica Rigid lens. The mechanics are pretty much identical with only very small differences in the font used and to the fact that the Light Lens Lab lens altered some aspects of the original lens. However, the changes are very welcome like the ability to focus with the rangefinder at 0.7m distance and the ability to select 1/2 distinctive clicks in the aperture ring.
The brass construction feels solid and the focusing ring moves the smoothly in my copy. It is also well calibrated with the rangefinder, which my original Leica was not and adjusting this lens is not so trivial and required sending it in to a technician. Luckily the Light Lens Lab's tolerance was great from the start.
The Light Lens Lab exit pupil is larger than the Leica's, but this has no impact on rendering. Vignetting remains unchanged, and specular highlights retain their original shape, resulting in an identical level of optical vignetting. All other aspects like distortion, resolution/contrast performance, sunstar rendering, color error, field curvature and even flare is similar to the original Leica, so if you like the Leica, you will also like the Light Lens Lab.
But why not just find a good copy of the original Leica? This is not a very rare lens and it's one of the most affordable Leica lenses. Well, first the coating on these old lenses were very fragile so most copies out there are likely full of scratches. Over the years the amount of dust likely created a bit of haze as well and rangefinder accuracy may not be ideal, especially when shooting with Leica M digital bodies, so expect to add some extra expense for an extensive CLA in your price calculation. What you get with the Light Lens lab is a lower price brand new lens that's free of issues caused by time, so perhaps more headache free. Also the Leica black paint version is very rare to find for the original Leica, and if you do, expect to pay substantially more for it. Light Lens lab offers the Black version for a similar price.
So, what's there to criticize about this replica lens? Most of its drawbacks are shared with the original Leica, making it difficult to find significant flaws given their similar performance and rendering. My Leica copy shows a very slight advantage off-axis, but I don’t attribute this to sample variation, as both lenses tested were perfectly centered. Having worked with numerous Leica copies, I can say that this comparison is based on well-performing samples.
Pros:
• Excellent resolution and contrast around the center area, closely matching the original Leica Rigid.
• Improved minimum focusing distance (0.7m vs. 1m on the original Leica).
• Sturdy construction with precise tolerances; my copy was well-centered and rangefinder-calibrated.
• Maintains the classic rendering of the original Leica Rigid.
• Very slight pincushion distortion (-2 correction in Lightroom).
• Great control over chromatic aberration, particularly lateral CA, with well-managed axial CA.
Cons:
• Sunstars show some definition from f/2.8 but become more pronounced only after f/5.6.
• Prone to flare, which can reduce clarity and contrast, though some may appreciate the vintage, cinematic look.
• Close focusing benefits from stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4, with noticeable focus shift — similar to the original Leica.
• Field curvature shows a slight wavy pattern at longer distances and outwards at close distance, mirroring the original Leica's behavior.
• Corner sharpness is lacking at wider apertures, comparable to the original Leica. The Light Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Speed Panchro II performs better in this regard.
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