Leica Summilux-R 50mm f/1.4 Reviews

Before purchasing, I was told Summilux is one of the best standard lense in the world. After I own it, I did a comparison on Nikon's 50/1.4 and Summilux. It turns out the Summilux is far superior than Nikon's at wide open. I also owned the 1st version which is very good, but not as good as the current version of course. At f2.8 and down, you will be impressed by its excellent resolution and high contrast. The 1st version performs more Leica-ish, whereas current version has similiar imprints from modern lenses, such as Summicron 90 APO.

This lens was introduced in 1998, and is considered to be the best standard lens to date that has come from the Leica stable. Inevitably, it has to be compared with the 50mm Summicron R, considered in its time to be outstanding amongst standard lenses of other makes. Certainly the Summilux R is one stop ahead on definition, although it should be noted that neither of these two lenses clear their corners until f/4.

The Summilux is a lens for the polished professional however, not being particularly easy to handle. The focussing ring has a thread so fine that particularly wide movement is required, causing the user to hunt back and forth several times through the optimum. The extraordinary high resolution in the plane of focus makes focussing errors really stand out, and one is constantly checking depth of field.

It is pointless to assess this lens with colour print film. A slow slide film, or Adox CMS 20 is essential to exploit its resolving characteristics. Using Technical Pan. Film, it is possible to pass off the work as medium format. However, at hardly more than half the weight, neat, and easy to use, the Summicron still has a lot to commend it as the better buy.