This is the Old Customs House on the Chao Paya River next to the French Embassy and near the Oriental Hotel. Built in 1880 under King Rama V in the Neoclassical style by an Italian architect, Joachim Grassi, it operated until 1949 when a new port was established further down river at Klong Toey. At that point it became the home of the Harbour Fire Brigade. A colorful, dilapidated building it is still occupied by fire brigade families, although there are plans to convert it into a boutique hotel. It was used for outdoor scenes in Wong Kar Wai\'s film, \"In the Mood for Love\".
As for the Summilux-50 pre-ASPH lens (version II), I\'ve always liked it\'s rendition, and bokeh, better than that of the subsequent ASPH version. However, shooting with it directly into the light, I found it flared more than the DR Summicron-50, a lens that I am beginning to like more for its rendition with the M9 and the M-Monochrom.
