Anyone out there have experience with the new Elmar f2.8 50mm lens? I currently use a 50mm Summicron and was wondering how they compare. I am interested in purchasing one since they seem to be moderately priced especially used. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

-- John Alfred Tropiano (jat18@psu.edu), May 07, 2002

Answers

I enjoy mine for it's size. No great performance pros or cons from my perspective, but it is not flashy or expensive. I use it for bare bones work on family trips and the like.

I received mine basically free because it was packaged with an M6 TTL kit I purchased here in Germany.

If buying, I would opt for the 50 Cron.

-- Kevin Baker (kevin@thebakers.org), May 07, 2002.

There have been a number of threads about this subject. See http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-one-category.tcl?topic=Leica% 20Photography&category=Leica%20M

-- Andrew (mazurka@rocketmail.com), May 07, 2002.

Also see http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/lensreports/elmar2850-2.html

-- Andrew (mazurka@rocketmail.com), May 07, 2002.

My advice is, for the difference in price buy a used current model 50/2 (which is better and faster and not much longer), or buy a used previous-version (11817) 50/2 which is as good or better from f/2.8, has an extra stop if you need it, and will cost the same or less than the Elmarit.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 07, 2002.

There's been a thread recently pointing to an apparently reliable German test performed some years ago on the 4 current 50s...

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=008zGm

It showed that they are all remarkably close in terms of optical and mechanical quality.

I had the Summicron; I now have the Elmar and the Summilux. They are all superb lenses in their own right, each with its different strengths and few weaknesses.

My favourite is the 'lux, which produces beautiful results wide open and isn't much bigger than the 'cron. The Elmar is quaint and just nice to have. It's hard to justify on rational grounds, but since when has that troubled Leica owners?

-- Paul Hart (paulhart@blueyonder.co.uk), May 07, 2002.

this is the thread where i posted a comparison between current summilux and current elmar:

LOOK

-- stefan randlkofer (geesbert@yahoo.com), May 07, 2002.

FWIW, I too would opt for the 50 'cron like Kevin said. I started off with a new current 'cron. The Elmar costs exactly 60% of this. But I then sold the 'cron (for the same price I paid) and bought an 'cron LP (that leans last penultimate version) because I prefer its tab and hood. That costed me exactly 50% of the current 'cron then-price.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), May 08, 2002.