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Leica SUMMARIT-M 50mm f/2.5 Lens

The Leica Summarit-M 50mm f.2.5 lens is nothing short of excellence. It is a fact that Leica is one of the top brands when it comes to lenses, and this lens is no exception. This particular line of lens can only be utilized along with manual focusing and a working aperture, there is no tech involved with this lens at all, everything is done manual. Now while the Summarit line is the least expensive lens, it's still pretty pricey coming in at over 1K USD.

Given the lack of autofocus in this lens, it's a given that it is designed to shoot static scenarios only. With use, it can be seen immediately that the lens lives up to its Leica branding. Photos taken with this lens showed negligible amounts of vignetting or distortion. When analyzing the MTF (resolution) this lens constantly delivered impressive characteristics. At f/2.5, it's a given that this Leica lens center quality is great. At f/4 there is even greater improvement, to the point where one could say that the image is excellent with crisp sharpness. Although, approaching f/11 and onwards the diffraction effects definitely take a toll on the quality. Chromatic aberrations are handled well with the les, but as with the MTF, the quality takes a noticeable hit as aft f/8 and up.

One of my favorite things about this lens is the overall quality of the bokeh, or out of focus blur. The bokeh is generally one of the primary aspects of a fast prime lens like the Leica Summarit-M 50mm f/2.5. To say the least, this particular lens delivers a decent bokeh. The out of focus possesses a noticeable outline effect when taken at f/2.5. During critical FTZs, or critical transition zones, the blur quality is buttery smooth in both to background and the foreground of an image.

One of the most common issues with fast lens like his one is the LoCA (Longitudinal Chromatic Aberrations). The problem generally shows itself at f/2.5 where halos possess different colors. As you approach f/4 and higher this problem goes away. Ultimately, this lens is only worth it for the brand. The optical quality overall is pretty good but it's comparable to many other lens under the 1K USD price. Mechanically, the quality is flawless as are Leica lenses. The smoothness felt when adjusting the lens is simply perfection, as expected with Leica lens. If you're a photog then you could easily justify the price tag, but unfortunately if you're just an amateur enthusiast, your money could be better spent elsewhere.

Charlie
Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:52:36 +0000

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