[Leica] SUMMILUX 50/1,4 Asph

[TTAbrahams at aol.com (TTAbrahams@aol.com)]

 When this lens was announced I scoffed at the idea - a $2500 standard 
50/1,4! I thought it was a joke, but I was sufficiently intrigued to ask 
Leica for a 
loaner at photokina. Big mistake! I have now used it since late September 
and 
I have put 60-70 rolls of film through it (Tri-X) and a couple of 100 images 
in my loaner RD-1. Not only is it a major improvement over the old Summilux 
(I 
have 2 of those), it beats the 50/2 hands down. The floating rear element 
makes a big difference in close shooting (a weak spot with the old version) 
and 
its smaller size, compared to the older one, makes it comfortable to hold 
and 
carry.
 Leica also managed to remove some of the unpleasant "Asph" jagged look that 
the 21/24/35's suffered from. Contrast is higher than the old version (easy 
to 
do - they tended to be a bit "flat") but it is not so elevated as to make it 
difficult to print. The extra stop over the 50/2 is a bonus, but even 
without 
that I would still use it as my preferred 50. It might sound like heresy - 
but 
it is that good. The pull out/locking hood is an improvement - I have been 
bugging Leica since the infamous 90/2 of 1980 to come up with that lock (all 
my 
"collapsible" hood lenses have holes drilled and tapped in them that locks 
them in a fully extended position. Oh, you can use gaffer tape too, but the 
glue 
residue is tacky (pun intended).
 What is the result of this test - at LHSA in Williamsburg I asked Stefan 
Daniel to send me a bill for the lens - I am buying it! Stefan smiled and 
said "I 
knew you would".
 Any negatives? Well, nit-picking I would say that the lock for the hood is 
a 
bit too short - it only turns about 1/8's of a turn and occasionally I have 
found it in my bag with the hood collapsed. A good ? turn would have been 
better. I am not getting rid of my old DR Summicrons or the nice chrome 
standard 
Summicrons - they are the lenses that I have used for 40+ years and 
sometimes 
one gets nostalgic and want that "look" - but for regular shooting it is 
50/1,4 
Asph!
 I use the 50 about 30% of the time - wider lenses (21/24/28) about 20% of 
the time and the 35's for the balance. The last month I have been trying to 
get 
by with only a 50/35 combo - 35/2 or VC 35/2,5 on a M2 and the 50/1,4 Asph 
on 
the MP. Nice "walk-about" package.
All the best,
Tom A
--------------
Tom Abrahamsson
Vancouver, BC
Canada
www.rapidwinder.com