The 50mm APO is excellent for sharpness, but its bokeh performance does not match the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. As a portrait lens, my feelings are a bit mixed. As a landscape lens, the 50mm APO is probably as good as it gets (on 24 megapixel Leica sensors). That might not be great for portraits, but it is great for landscapes. This results in having lots of DOF for landscapes, even at F4 and F5.6. The 50mm APO has a wider depth of field at each aperture stop versus the 50 'Lux ASPH. The 50mm APO's corner and edge performance definitely outclasses the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. While I love the 50 'Lux for portraits, its landscape performance could be better. Sharpness can be a bit challenged in the corners, and the 50 'Lux is known for a mid-zone dip in its sharpness as well. The Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH has been my de-facto 50mm lens for many years.

If describing the 50mm APO in one word, the word would be 'sharp'. I am still not convinced that the 50mm APO is worth its price tag, but its compact size and easy to use nature are growing on me. Focusing the 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH and 50mm Summilux-M ASPH are far more demanding. The depth of wide at F2 is quite wide, so absolute focus precision is not required. The 50mm APO has proven easy lens to focus - as 50mm lenses go. While the lens hood execution is very nice, the hood itself is quite shallow. The aperture ring sits at the front of lens, making it easy to find by touch. The 50mm APO's focus throw is ~90Вє, so the lens is pretty quick to focus. Thus, the Leica M Monochrom Typ 246 and 50mm APO balance nicely. So one of the things I like most about the 50mm APO is its size / performance ratio.Д«eing a short lens, there is not much weight hanging beyond the camera body. The 50mm F.95 Noctilux-M ASPH weighs nearly 2 pounds! How is that a good idea on a M-sized camera.?. And for Leica fans, there is the coveted Noctilux. The Zeiss Otus 55mm is an uncompromising lens, but a behemoth. While we see cameras getting smaller, like the Sony A7r-series vs dSLRs, lenses have bucked that trend. Lens handling is where the 50mm APO begins to set itself apart.

The 50mm APO is nicely sorted, but from outward appearances there is nothing afoot to explain why the 50mm APO costs 2X as much as a Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. There is no wobble or play in the lens barrel. The build quality is typical Leica with a nicely dampened focus feel, a focus tab, a nifty twist & lock lens hood and the metal front lens cap. When something bugs me, I tend to spend money. In these settings the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH's corner performance can be lacking, and it started to bug me. The majority of the M-246 pictures were stopped down landscapes at F5.6. In early 2016 I bought a Leica M Monochrom Typ 246. As time marched along, nothing changed those opinions. When the Leica 50mm F2 Summicron-M APO was released, it struck me as being grossly overly priced, especially with the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH being such a good lens. 8 Elements / 5 Groups, 1 Aspherical ElementДў93 Grams / 10.375 Ounces (without lens caps)

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