misteracng wrote:
I think serial number is on the front ring xxxx/9999 is what mine says.
I have the brass one, feels great in the hand very smooth focus, center sharpness is between the pre asph and the asph to me, also less glow otherwise seems very similar to the pre asph v3
The brass one is chrome? Your serial number is a rare one=4x/9999. Congrats.
And if possible, a v2 lens also, shot at f2 and f2.8, at close range. Reason being this Mandler lens uses 12 iris blades where the v3 uses 9 - the pre-asph v2 uses 12 blades as a common era-specific hedge against disruptive bokeh on slight stop down. You read different accounts:
The confusion regarding the aperture blade count of the Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux Pre-ASPH V3 (E46) stems from conflating it with either its predecessor (the V2/E43) or its successor (the 2023 version of the Summilux ASPH). The official, definitive blade count for the Pre-ASPH V3 (E46) is 9 aperture blades.
Could have something to do with the closer MFD. Some commentary on the persisted use of 9 blades in the Asph lens that followed:
Mechanical Reliability: Fewer blades mean a simpler mechanical assembly inside the tightly packed lens barrel. This reduces internal friction, lowers the risk of blades binding or catching, and prevents oil from "gumming up" the mechanism as the aperture stops down.
Space Constraints & Complex Optics: The ASPH design introduced an advanced optical formula featuring floating elements to maintain sharpness at close distances. Packaging these sophisticated internal moving groups left less physical space inside the housing, favoring a streamlined 9-blade diaphragm over a more crowded traditional ring.
Sharpness Over Roundness: Older lenses prioritized high blade counts to keep the stopped-down aperture perfectly circular. Modern high-performance designs lean heavily on sharp optical correction and contrast, though a 9-blade straight-edged stop-down can occasionally create distinct geometric or "ninja-star" shapes in out-of-focus highlights.
