Leica 50mm Summicron-R f/2 (ROM)

Extremely high quality standard lens for Leica R mount.

Creates very clean, sharp images. High contrast and does exhibit the Leica 3D look on some images. Can be bought cheaply if you buy the older versions. Used on a digital slr via an adapter, you can really see the extra resolving power. Zooming onto a scetion of an image and suddenly words which would have been blurred on other lens makes can now be read clearly. Does not have the colour casts common to Canon & Nikon lenses - white comes out briliiant pure white. Very solidly built. Focus ring is quite tight but is reassuring that no dust will get in.
Very compact.

None excpet it's a lot heavier than it looks which is part of it's tank like build.

Canon EF 50 F1.8
Canon FD 50 F1.4
Olympus 50 F1.8
Nikkor 50 AI F1.4
Jupiter 8 55mm F2

This lens is great to use and produces superb results in terms of definition, colour saturation and contrast. Period. The overall rating shown has been skewed by just two low evaluations in the ten reviews so far: note that eight (and I) gave it the maximum of 5/5.

Solid, quality feel, smooth as silk, built-in lenshood (so you actually use it!) but above all superb results in image quality. I used it, the 35 f2 and the 80-200 f4 for two weeks shooting in the southern Adriatic recently, and the sharpness and saturation with 100ASA Superia film was just great. This lens gives the best VfM in Leica R lenses. A must-have for anyone with an 'R' camera.

Heavy - but Leica don't compromise on the materials they reckon a lens needs.

Canon 50 f1.4 / Pentax M 50.

Never needed.

Ignore reviews where reviewers refer to magazine reviews. This forum is for people who have used the lenses themselves. Yes the Zeiss Planar 1.4 was top dog in the Pop Photography review a few years ago. The Planar is superb. So is the Summicron. I had a 10 year old Canadian 50 f2 pre ROM. The results: incredible fine detail with very fine gradients between objects in the frame. I don't know the exact technical terminology. But if you enlarge the negs to huge prints, the fine detail will astound you. If you just look at prints, the beauty of the tonal range and the perfect balance of all optical qualities (as opposed to pumping one or the other for visual effect) will be evident to anyone. This is a superior lens that delivers beyond the measurable numbers. It's not a mystique...it's just good. Other lenses do similar special things--Olympus 50 1.8, the 35 on the Konica Hexar AF, the currednt Voigtlander Nokton 50 1.5, the Nikkor 50 f2 AI and others. There is no mystique with any of them. The makers just got it right. I doubt whether those who criticized this lens have used it. That's too bad because careless criticism can stop others from enjoying something special. Some reviewers beat up Leica products because they're Leica and some reviewers revere Leica because they're Leica. This lens is great because someone made it great. Try it.

Brilliant optically in ways that will continue to delight and must be lived with to appreciate. Superbly made.

I have seen some with stiff focus, but that may be a function of age as I have seen the same problem in other manufacturers lenses. Maybe the cameras are less good, but that is strictly speaking not a lens flaw.

50's from Nikon, Olympus, Voigtlander (modern) Pentax and Canon FD. Lot's of great 50's out there

No personal experience.

Old design, well built, high price but an honest price regarding to Leica-quality. I develop B&W myself and when you see the negatives, you can immediately tell it''s Leica''s. Why does so many in photography dream of Leica. Is it the name? No. They have Nikons, Canons, Minolta''s. And still they keep on dreaming of Leica, and money.

Sharp, contrast very good, nice bokeh. Excellent standard lens. Lens all metal. The clic of the aperture ring is what is must be, strong and sure. Built forever.

Built-in shade is plastic and no standard for Leica. Focus ring is heavy to turn. Adjusting although is firm and precise. Turning aperture is opposite to other brands.

Nikon, Fujinon.

Not needed.

A very contrasty lens, like most leica lenses. However sharpness at wider apertures is not quite as high as for example the excellent 45mm contax g planar. However the colour rendition, flare control, and out of focus rendition is top notch.

Contrast and colour rendition.

Not the sharpest 50mm lens at f2 and f2,8 , but still in the top league.

Zuiko 50/1.8 , Zeiss 45/2