steve_hoffman

<p>M2-R w/ Dual 50 Cron.</p>

<p>Money no object? MP a la carte, black paint, smooth black leather and 50 'Lux ASPH.</p>

<p>Both of mine are beyond dead. I'm impressed!</p>

<p>For me it would be the 50 f1.4 Summilux pre-ASPH and the 24 f 2.8 Elmarit. That would do it! One can never have enough lenses though...</p>

<p>Damiano,</p>

<p>I enjoyed your essay and my wife couldn't believe the old and new shots of Wetzlar. Not much has changed...</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

It sounds glamorous to shoot without a meter but really, it's not. Dr. Paul Wolff and his ilk were using light meters with Leica III's in the 1930's. He wanted his pictures to WORK and in order to do that, he needed an accurate judge of light.

 

Don't be afraid to use a meter.

Some of the Hong Kong dealers still have the chrome 35 ASPH 'Lux new in box. Do some checking. They are around...

That 50 f/2.8 Elmar is a very nice lens. Your shots look pretty darn good to me... What did you use for a meter

or did you guess?

Bill,

 

The TTL still flares.... Unless you use flash a lot get a Classic. They are not much money now for pristine versions. Remember, film is dead to most of the world! Heh.

 

I've used the same Titanium M6 Classic for 10 years now and the battery cover has never become loose...

 

Regarding flare, just move your eye a bit, it goes away. Not a big deal.

 

At any rate, let us know!

No love for the M4? It's cheap, has rapid loading, still looks good, not too old.

 

Personally I'd get a slightly used M6 Classic. Spend a little more, get the built in meter and some peace of mind..

 

Of course when the fit takes me I reach for my 1935 III...

Sam is great, it's just that everything he sells is list price.

They made a yellow filter in a "Series 7" style but they are pretty hard to find...

Quite a nice lens, I use mine all the time.

 

There is one on eBay right now here. Keep an eye on it:

 

Item number 140021542119

Antonio,

 

That's not a reasonable price, no. Way too much.

I love the non-ASPH Summilux 50 and I think that the few NOS examples out there should be snapped up without delay. Tony Rose has a few Chrome versions still new in the box..

 

Thomas Pastorello wrote this about the old non-ASPH 50mm 'Lux:

 

"I believe the (non-ASPH) Summilux-M 50 IS the best

lens Leica (or for that matter anyone) ever made. In

addition to its two main attributes of near absolute

freedom from flare and a signature bokeh of subtle

beauty, it is characterized by an artistic balance of

high resolution and realistic contrast -- even wide

open. It is perfectly balanced on the M body, such

that hand-holding is easy at 1/4 -- which makes it

very fast indeed at f1.4 (more so than the less well

balanced and holdable Noctilux at f1.0).

Will the new Summilux-M 50 ASPH have higher

contrast and resolution than the current? Of course

-- no need to wait for the Puts report! If all I

wanted was the highest possible (and most useless)

resolution and contrast, all I'd have to do is slap an

adapter and a process lens on any camera body. If the

new Summilux-M 50 ASPH has the look and feel of most

other new Leica ASPH lenses, with harsh bokeh and

flare proneness, I will not buy."

 

And Feli on the LUG wrote:

 

"I've had mine for almost a year now and it's really grown on me.

 

Not as sharp as the current Cron, which I also have, but plenty sharp.

By f8 the Lux is very sharp, all the way into the corners. I love the

extra

stop and the ability to focus as close as 70 cm. My biggest complaint is

the collapsible hood, which can't be locked into place. I solved that

problem

with a metal screw-in hood from Contax.

 

But what I really like about this lens is the fingerprint. It's magic

in black

and white. People talk about the Leica glow, and this one has it in

spades.

Buttersmooth tones with the smoothest bokeh and actually quite sharp.

It has a very classic look, hires and medium contrast, which isn't

surprising

given it's lineage, the Xenon, Summarit and first gen. Lux.

 

I've made some 11x14 prints on Agfa FB Classic from APX100 negs

(Rodinal)

and there is something about the look that even laymen notice.

 

The Lux gets knocked a lot because it was in production for about 40

years,

and remained unchanged, but it's much better than people think.

Absolute sharpness

isn't everything. Plenty of people made better shots than any of us

could manage with

the 1.5/50 Sonnar and the Lux blows that lens away. In any case, it's

another brush

in the shooters arsenal."

Enjoy that lens! It is a little heavy but very nice. Takes great shots, creamy yet detailed. Have fun!

Friends,

 

Do you really think this lens will sell 2,000 a year? I mean, think about it. I bet it won't even get to 2,000 in the entire long-term run.

 

:^)

I think Dr. Wolff could take great shots with a Brownie; he is my favorite. It's true though; most of his books' technical sections have the same aperture settings as us mortals use. I doubt he slipped in some secret Leica custom ground lenses so Erwin must be telling a tale...

Thomas Pastorello wrote the below in 2004. I agree with him totally:

 

"I believe the old non-ASPH Summilux-M 50 IS the best

lens Leica (or for that matter anyone) ever made. In

addition to its two main attributes of near absolute

freedom from flare and a signature bokeh of subtle

beauty, it is characterized by an artistic balance of

high resolution and realistic contrast -- even wide

open. It is perfectly balanced on the M body, such

that hand-holding is easy at 1/4 -- which makes it

very fast indeed at f1.4 (more so than the less well

balanced and holdable Noctilux at f1.0)."

 

And Feli (on the LUG) wrote:

 

"I've had my 50 1/4 non-ASPH for almost a year now and it's really grown on me.

 

Not as sharp as the current Cron, which I also have, but plenty sharp.

By f8 the Lux is very sharp, all the way into the corners. I love the

extra

stop and the ability to focus as close as 70 cm. My biggest complaint is

the collapsible hood, which can't be locked into place. I solved that

problem

with a metal screw-in hood from Contax.

 

But what I really like about this lens is the fingerprint. It's magic

in black

and white. People talk about the Leica glow, and this one has it in

spades.

Buttersmooth tones with the smoothest bokeh and actually quite sharp.

It has a very classic look, hires and medium contrast, which isn't

surprising

given it's lineage, the Xenon, Summarit and first gen. Lux.

 

I've made some 11x14 prints on Agfa FB Classic from APX100 negs

(Rodinal)

and there is something about the look that even laymen notice.

 

The Lux gets knocked a lot because it was in production for about 40

years,

and remained unchanged, but it's much better than people think.

Absolute sharpness

isn't everything. Plenty of people made better shots than any of us

could manage with

the 1.5/50 Sonnar and the Lux blows that lens away. In any case, it's

another brush

in the shooters arsenal."

Gandy is a good guy.

Wonderful work.

Every guy in the world has an obsession for tits. This is nothing new. Ah, you meant titanium?

Robert,

 

I use my BP 'Lux a lot. I like the scalloped ring and of course I like the "look" of the pre-ASPH lens. It's heavier, yes but not too bad..

This thread is funny. Poor dude just asked a question..

Try Tony Rose at www.popflash.com

 

He has all of those extra parts. Shouldn't be too much..

Eric,

 

WAIT. Wait for a good one; it won't be too much more $$ believe it or not...

 

Wait.