Leica 50mm F2.0 Summicron M Lens

This will be a summary review on the Leica 50mm F2.0 Summicron M lens as I have done extensive reviews on its bigger brothers, the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux M Lens and the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux M Lens.

I have only had the 50mm Summicron for a short period before decided to upgrade to the faster 50mm Summilux lens. However, if you are on a budget and do not require very fast aperture to shoot wide open all the time, then the Leica 50mm F2.0 Summicron M lens will be sufficient 95% at all times. 

Build Quality 

The Leica 50mm F2.0 Summicron Lens has standard Leica build quality but not as well made or solid as the more expensive Summilux or Noctilux lenses.

The built in sliding hood is similar style to the 50mm Summilux lens but smaller and shorter in dimensions, which makes it more practical and convenient

Image Quality 

The Leica 50mm F2.0 Summicron lens is the sharpest lens out all Leica’s current lineup only inferior to the newer Leica 50mm F2 Summicron APO lens. It is arguably sharper than the faster Summilux lens with similar clinical sharpness. However, the rendering of the Summicron is more towards the classic side compared to the more modern rendering of the Summilux lens. The 50mm Summicron produces classic colours combined with lower contrast defines the character of this lens.

Practical Use 

The Leica 50mm F2.0 Summicron lens is probably the easiest and most convenient Leica 50mm lens to carry around for all purposes. It is relatively small and light weight lens with a fast enough maximum aperture at F2 also with great ergonomics in practical use. Overall, it is probably the best all-round 50mm lens for Leica M Rangefinders. 

Specifications

Production Year: 1979 - Present

Construction: 6 Elements / 4 Groups

Diaphragm: 8 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F2.0 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.7m

Filter Size: 39mm

Weight: 240g (Black)  |  335g (Chrome)

Conclusion 

The Leica 50mm F2 Summicron is a versatile all-purpose lens, which offers a relatively fast maximum aperture of F2 to benefit working in lower-light conditions with great control over depth of field.

Leica M10 Camera Review

The Leica M10 is an evolutionary camera for long time Leica users. It is getting back to basics shooting with similar style to Leica film cameras with integration of modern technology.

Comparison  

The Leica M9 was the landmark for Leica’s transition into digital photography and it was so intuitive to use like all Leica film cameras. However, with the introduction of the Leica M Typ240 as a revolutionary approach to fully embrace photography technology, it felt like Leica has lost its soul and essence during the process. The Leica M Typ240 with those extra technological features was an interference to pure shooting and the camera became inconvenient to carry, as it feels bulky and heavy compared to all previous Leica M. The Leica M10 improves on the practicality and physical aspects of the Leica M Typ240 significantly.

Build Quality and Ergonomics

The Leica M10 is build with similar dimensions to Leica M film cameras. Both the size and weight of the Leica M10 is astonishing close to the Leica MP and this is difficult to achieve for a modern digital rangefinder. The build quality is extremely solid and well made like all other Leica M cameras but it feels more compact and lighter than previous Leica digital rangefinders.

The ergonomics of the Leica M10 is excellent, it feels intuitive in the hands and makes the photographer wants to hold it. The relocation of the iso dial onto top of the camera similar to the film rewind knob is a nostalgic touch for traditional Leica users. The reduction of dials and buttons to only essentials combined with the removal of movie function brings back the essence of pure shooting.

Image Quality and Practicality

The Leica M10 uses the latest 24MP CMOS sensor developed especially for Leica. The transitioning from full frame CCD sensor in the Leica M9 to the CMOS sensor in the Leica M Typ240 has been controversial and it wasn’t until arrival of the Leica M10 that rectify it. The sensor in the Leica M10 retained similar rendering of the CCD sensor and provided high iso capability of the CMOS sensor. The new sensor produces great colours and contrast that has the ability to shoot up to 10,000 iso without any visible noise.

Everything you need to adjust in order to take a proper photograph is at the reach of fingertips. Once the settings are preset within the menu, there is no need to touch them again as all essential adjustments (aperture, focus and iso) can be selected externally and independently. This makes the Leica M10 the most functional and practical digital rangefinder until now.

Key Highlights

• 24MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
• Leica Maestro II Image Processor
• Optical 0.73x-Magnification Viewfinder
• 3.0" 1.04m-Dot LCD with Gorilla Glass
• ISO 100-50000, Up to 5 fps Shooting
• Built-In Wi-Fi
• Slimmer Body Profile
• Stills-Only Operation
• Built-In ISO Dial & Frame Line Selector
• Weather-Resistant Brass Construction

Specifications

Physical

Dimensions (W x H x D):  

139.0 x 80.0 x 38.5 mm

Weight:  660 g with battery

Imaging
Lens Mount:  Leica M

Camera Format:  Full-Frame  

Max Resolution:  5976 x 3992

Sensor Type / Size:  

24 Megapixel CMOS, 24 x 36 mm

File Formats:  DNG, JPEG

Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH M Lens

Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux ASPH M 

Lens Review

The Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH is one of the legendary Leica M lenses, which is an ultra fast lens with unique rendering and the ability to isolate the subject with exceptional low light performance. 

Comparison

The Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH is best described as the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH on steroids. Everything about the Noctilux is enhanced from the Summilux including size, weight, bokeh and rendering. When shot wide open at F0.95, the lens produces amazing Leica pop and insanely shallow depth of field, which isolates the subject completely and provides almost three dimensional effect.

Build Quality

The build quality of the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH lens is second to none. It is probably the most well made Leica lens of all time. The Noctilux is a large and heavy lens but it is so solid and densely constructed that sometimes make you forget its size or weight.

Image Quality

The Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux maintains the same rendering signature as the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux lens and if you are a fan of the Summilux then you will love the Noctilux as well. The rendering of the Noctilux is very modern with great colours and high contrast. When shooting wide open, the Noctilux lens offers shallower depth of field and enhanced bokeh than the Summilux lens, this will increase the image pop effect to achieve that desired Leica look.

Practical Use

The Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux is a big and heavy lens for Leica M Rangefinders. When mounted on camera, it tends to be front heavy and there is certain viewfinder blockage as well. During practical use, it will be difficult to carry the Noctilux for a prolong time due to its size and weight.

There is a built-in sliding lens hood which is convenient and practical. The aperture ring clicks in place nicely when selecting the aperture and the focus ring is exceptionally smooth. The Noctilux has a short focus throw which will be perfect for street photography.

Specifications

Production Year: 2008 - Present

Construction: 8 Elements / 5 Groups

Design Features: 

• Two Aspherical Elements
• Five Partial Dispersion Glass Elements
• Three High Refractive Index Elements
• Floating Elements System

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F0.95 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 60mm

Weight: 700g

Conclusion

The Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH offers extremely fast maximum aperture with shallow depth of field for selective focus shooting and allows to be handheld in low light conditions. If you don’t mind the size or weight of the lens and desire that maximum aperture of F0.95 then this will be the perfect lens for you.

Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH M Lens

The Leica 50mm Summilux is my favourite lens of all time. It offers amazing image rendering and that signature Leica look. The optical performance on this lens is simply stunning and the physical design of the lens is almost perfection.

Image Quality

The Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH produces my favourite image renderings out of all Leica lenses. The images are sharp and contrasty with that signature Leica look. The rendering is very modern and dramatic as the lens offers high contrast and extreme sharpness. When shot wide open, the shallow depth of field and smooth bokeh making the subject stands out. The Aspherical element design resolves all the issues normally associate with lenses, which in turn made the optical performance of this Leica 50mm Summilux almost flawless.

Build Quality

The Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH Lens is built to last. It is constructed solidly and designed to be used on daily basis. The build quality is what you would expect from top of the Leica range with stunning German craftsmanship. The Lens is offered in either black anodised or silver chrome version, with the chrome made from brass been slightly heavier. There is also a built-in sliding hood which making this lens convenient and practical. The hand build workmanship with all metal solid construction making this lens among one of the best lenses ever built.

Practical Use

The Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH Lens is designed to be used on daily basis. The size is compact for a fast lens and the weight is perfectly balanced on Leica M Rangefinders. Everything is convenient hands on including the built in lens hood making it without any external interferences.

The aperture clicks in place solidly when selecting the aperture and the focus ring is exceptionally smooth when turning. Every design on this lens is very intuitive to use and once you get familiar with it, the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH will become an extension of your eye.

Specifications

Production Year: 2004 - Present

Construction: 8 Elements / 5 Groups

Diaphragm: 9 Blades

Design Features:  One Aspheric Element and One Floating Group

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.4 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.7m

Filter Size: 46mm

Weight: 335g (Black)  |  460g (Chrome)

Conclusion

If you want a faster lens than the Leica 50mm F2 Summicron and a smaller lens than the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH then the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH is the perfect lens in between offers nothing short of breathtaking performance yet practical for daily usage.

Fujinon 5cm f/1.2 | Fujinon 50mm F1.2 LTM Lens

The Fujinon 5cm f1.2 lens is an urban myth in the world of ultra fast lenses. It is seldomly seen and there is little information written on this highly collectible and ultra rare beauty.

This lens is commonly known as the Fujinon 50mm F1.2 LTM lens that is capable of competing against the Legendary Japanese ultra fast lenses such as the Canon 50mm F0.95, Zunow 50mm F1.1 or Nikkor 50mm F1.1 LTM lens.

Production Versions

• LTM Mount in Black & Chrome Version (Less than 800 units)
• Nikon S Mount (Less than 50 units)

Most of the Fujinon 5cm f/1.2 lens was offered in Leica Screw Mount in either Chrome or Black finishes. Fujinon also produced a few in Nikon S Mount for Nikon Rangefinders, which is reviewed here but they are never seen on the market and hidden away in cabinets by true collectors.

Build Quality 

The Fujinon 50mm F1.2 LTM is a compact lens for its fast aperture and the weight of the lens is relatively light. It is solid all metal construction but subpar compared to modern Leica lenses build quality. It balances well on Leica M Rangefinders due to its compact and solid lens body.

Image Quality

The Fujinon 5cm f/1.2 offers spectacular image performance for a vintage ultra fast lens. When shooting at maximum aperture  of F1.2, the bokeh is exceptionally smooth and the rendering is very pleasant. The colour rendition of the Fujinon is towards the natural side with typical Fujifilm signature and the contrast produced is excellent as well.

There is no present chromatic aberration but the lens exhibits slight vignetting when shooting wide open due to been a vintage lens design. However, the sharpness increases significantly and vignetting goes completely away when reaching aperture of f4 or greater. Overall, the Fujinon 5cm f/1.2 provides stellar optical performance and produces eye-pleasing images. 

Practical Use

The Fujinon 5cm f/1.2 lens reviewed here is in Nikon S Mount originally designed to be used on Nikon Rangefinders. However, through a custom made Nikon S to M Mount adapter by Amedeo, the lens will work flawlessly on Leica M Rangefinders. The Amedeo adapter is made with full brass and six bit coded with capability for rangefinder coupling.

The focus ring is very smooth when turning during practical use. The aperture ring does not have clicks when selecting the aperture like modern Leica lenses and turning feels towards the loose end. 

Specifications

Lens Mount: LTM | Nikon S

Production Year: 1954

Construction: 8 Elements / 4 Groups

Diaphragm: 12 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.2 - F16

Filter Size: 58mm

Weight: Nikon S / 305g | LTM / 403g

Conclusion

The Fujinon 5cm f/1.2 lens is another legendary lens made in Japan by Fuji back in the 1950 to 1960s during the competition to produce world’s fastest lens along with Zunow, Canon and Nikon. It is even more rarer and seldom seen, which makes the lens most desirable among the world of ultra fast lenses.

Zeiss Hologon 15mm F8 for Leica M

The Zeiss Hologon 15mm F8 is a legendary wide angle lens. It is ultra rare as only 225 sets ever produced for Leica M Cameras. The Zeiss Hologon was released in the 1960s and the original 15mm F8 lens was made as a fixed ultra wide angle lens for the Hologon camera. Leica converted the remaining Hologon lenses to M-Mount in 1972, which was the widest angle lens available for Leica M Rangefinders.

Build Quality

The Zeiss Hologon 15mm F8 for Leica M is an incredibly small and thin lens. The size of the Hologon lens is almost identical to a regular metal cap for Leica M Cameras. The lens is made of full metal and has hefty weight when held in hands. It is still solidly built and well constructed but you wouldn’t notice its weight when mounted on the camera.

Image Quality

The Zeiss Hologon 15mm F8 was the widest angle lens at the time and obtained legendary status in the world of wide angles due to its amazing optical performance. The Hologon lens offers 110° diagonal angle of view and capable of handling strong glare. The lens delivers extremely high resolution across the field along with great contrast and colour rendition.

There is barely any visible distortion and the edge distortion is minimal. This is almost impossible to achieve for ultra wide angle lenses thatmade possible by a tight tolerance lens construction, which consists of a triplet lens design formula combining with an incredible minimal back focusing distance to ensure perfect optical performance.

Practical Use

The Zeiss 15mm Hologon feels almost non-existent when mounted on Leica M Rangefinders. It is incredibly tiny and thin but you wouldn’t have issues turning the focus ring. There are two metal bars on the top and bottom of the lens, the top section is marked by a white central dot with white metric scale and the bottom section is marked by a red central dot with red distance scale measured in feet. The focus turns in both directions and the turning motion is exceptionally smooth.

The Hologon lens set comes with a Graduated Centre Filter and an Optical Viewfinder. The optical viewfinder provides the exact 15mm frame line required to compose accurately. The graduated centre filter is effective to reduce the vignetting and chromatic aberration of this ultra wide angle lens.

Specifications

Lens Mount: Leica M

Production Years: 1960s - 70s

Construction: 3 Elements / 3 Groups

Fixed Aperture:  F8

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.2m (Non RF Coupled)

Filter: Graduated Centre Filter

Versions:

1. Zeiss Hologon 15mm F8 Original Fixed Lens for Hologon Camera

2. Zeiss Hologon 15mm F8 for Leica M

3. Zeiss Hologon 16mm F8 for Contax G

Comparison

The differences between the original 15mm f8 hologon and the hologon for Leica M remains cosmetic rather than optical. Both versions maintained the same optics but there are slight differences in the appearance. The Hologon for Leica M version uses red coloured scales and the distance scale is provided at the opposite end. The Hologon for Leica M also comes with accessories of separate optical viewfinder and graduated centre filter made by Leica as standard.

The 16mm F8 Hologon was reintroduced in the 1990s for Contax G series cameras. The focal length has been increased marginally from 15mm to 16mm and the aperture remained the same at fixed f8. The Lens was produced in both black and silver finishes, supplied with modern bubble optical viewfinder and a rectangular graduated centre filter as standard accessories. The optical construction for 16mm F8 hologon has been modified with 5 elements in 3 groups compared to the original lens design consisting of 3 elements. The lens coating on the 16mm f8 hologon has also been improved with modern T* coating by Zeiss.

Conclusion

The Zeiss 15mm F8 Hologon for Leica M is a legendary lens in the world of wide angle lenses. Due to its rarity and astonishing optical performance, it remains as the most desirable and high collectible ultra wide angle lens among Leica users today. Keep in mind during practical use, this lens benefits the most when using on Film Leicas or shooting monochrome on Digital Leica Cameras.

Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.2 M Lens

Konica released a limited edition set consisting of a Konica Hexar Rangefinder Camera with the Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.2 M lens back in 2001 to celebrate the new millennium with a total limited number of 2001 sets produced. It is a rare occasion to see the lens separated from the set hence few information dedicated to the Konica 50mm F1.2 lens.

Build Quality

The Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.2 M Lens has excellent build quality. It is made from all solid metal construction with a bronze brass finish. It feels nice in the hands for a lens made in Japan but not as well as some lenses made by Leica Germany. The lens feels more compact and lighter than similar ultra fast lenses for Leica M.

Image Quality

The Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.2 M is an amazing ultra fast lens, it’s bokeh is very smooth for out of focus areas and extremely creamy when shooting wide open at its maximum aperture of f1.2. The lens sharpens up at f2.8 and beyond, which reaches maximum sharpness at f8.

The rendering has the best of Japanese lenses that produce natural and eye-pleasing images. The colour rendition and contrast are excellent, which is not too heavy with tendency to the natural side. The Konica 50mm F1.2 has the best qualities of modern lenses.

Practical Use

Konica 50mm F1.2 lens balances exceptionally well on Leica M Rangefinders. The aperture ring clicks in place nicely and the focusing ring is very smooth, even turns faster than most Leica lenses during practical use.

There is no viewfinder blockage with the lens alone. However, there is certain intrusive blockage with the large lens hood installed and quite intimidating to subjects during actual shooting.

Specifications

Lens Mount: Leica M

Production Year: 2001

Construction: 7 Elements / 6 Groups

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.2 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.9m

Filter Size: 62mm

Weight: 390g

Conclusion

The Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.2 is a modern ultra fast prime for rangefinders that provides exceptional image rendering qualities as an alternative to similar Leica lenses.

Canon 85mm F1.8 LTM Lens

The Canon 85mm F1.8 LTM is arguably the best Canon 85mm RF lens made. It is relatively hard to find and has very high reputation as a portrait lens without the softness associated with most vintage lenses. It has similar resemblance to the older Canon 100mm F2 LTM lens but with improved ergonomics and optical performance.

Build Quality

The Canon 85mm F1.8 is a solid and compact lens for its focal length. It’s compact dimensions and solid build quality is perfect balance on Leica M Rangefinders. The lens is all metal construction with design consisting of focusing and aperture ring turning simultaneously.

Image Quality

The Canon 85mm F1.8 LTM is a vintage lens that offers relatively modern rendering with typical Fuji signature colours. The lens produces sharp contrasty images and renders like newer modern glass. There isn’t noticeable flare or vignetting with this lens and it renders image beautifully for 1970’s Lens.

The Lens offers a relatively fast maximum aperture at F1.8. When shot wide open, it produces pleasant bokeh and smooth out of focus area. The image rendering is classic with natural and vibrant colours.

Practical Use

The Canon 85mm F1.8 LTM is in original Leica Thread Mount hence requires a LTM-to-M adapter to work properly on Leica M Cameras.

The focusing throw on this lens is very long but very smooth at the same time. When adjusting for aperture, since the lens has no dual helicoil mount and the aperture ring turns with focusing throw. This can be confusing during practical use as both aperture and focus turn at the same time.

Canon 85mm F1.8 vs Canon 85mm F1.9

The main difference in terms of image quality is when shooting both lenses wide open. The Canon 85mm F1.8 LTM is definitely sharper and more contrasty than the Canon 85mm F1.9 LTM at their respective maximum aperture, this is partially due to their optical design. When shooting wide open, the bokeh of the Canon 85mm F1.8 is more smooth and pleasant in comparison to the Canon 85mm F1.9 lens.

The size and weight of the Canon 85mm F1.8 is bigger and heavier than the Canon 85mm F1.9 lens. It is slightly larger in dimensions and around 100 grams more in weight. There is also a difference in applicable filter size for both lenses with 58mm for the Canon 85mm F1.8 lens and 48mm for the thinner Canon 85mm F1.9 lens.

Specifications

Lens Mount: Leica Thread Mount (LTM)

Production Year: 1960 - 70s

Construction: 7 Elements / 6 Groups

Diaphragm: 13 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.8 - F22

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Dimensions: 75mm x 60mm

Filter Size: 58mm

Weight: 470g

Conclusion

The Canon 85mm F1.8 LTM is an excellent short telephoto lens, it has plenty of character and shoots eye-pleasing portraits. The lens has great colour rendition and produces contrasty images. It is an amazing lens for Leica M you won’t regret buying, that is if you can find one.

Fujinon 5cm f/2 | Fujinon 50mm F2 LTM Lens

The Fujinon 5cm f/2 is a rare lens released in Japan, nowadays commonly known as Fujifilm or Fuji 50mm F2 lens offered in original Leica L39 screw mount with rangefinder coupling capability. This lens was supplied as a standard lens of Leotax from 1957 to 1985.

Build Quality

The Fujinon 50mm F2 LTM is a relatively large lens for its maximum aperture of f2 and it is equivalent to some f1.4 vintage lenses in terms of size. There are two production types with later models offered with a focusing lever. The lens had a black paint barrel design along with a chrome ring on top.

Image Quality

The Fujinon 5cm f/2 lens is a stellar performer, it offers high image resolution and great optical performance. There is a tendency to flare wide open at f2 but when steps down to f4 and beyond, the sharpness increases significantly and image rendering is equally pleasant.

It is uncommon for a lens produced in 1950s to flare at f2. However, when narrow down f2.8 the flare suddenly disappears and the resolution is very high. The out of focus area rendering is both natural and eye-pleasing. In addition, the contrast and colour rendition is towards the lower side with signature Fuji colours.

Fujinon 5cm F2 vs Fujinon 5cm F2.8

The Fujinon 5cm F2.8 is much smaller and lighter than the bigger brother Fujinon 5cm F2 LTM lens. It is still well constructed yet feels incredibly small in the hands, as it’s relatively compact compared to the Fujinon 5cm F2 lens.

The Fujinon 5cm F2.8 LTM lens is a step down in terms of maximum aperture but still renders very similar to the Fujinon 5cm F2 lens. When shot wide open, it’s out of focus area isn’t as creamy but very pleasing to the eyes. At aperture beyond F4, both lens produces classic image with signature Fuji colours.

Specifications

Lens Mount: Leica Thread Mount | LTM

Production Years: 1950s

Production Numbers: 5000+ units

Construction: 6 Elements / 5 Groups

Diaphragm: 10 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F2 - F22

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 43mm

Conclusion

The Fujinon 5cm F2 LTM is a rare lens that produces high resolution images with classic rendering in a fast maximum aperture at F2. It is a vintage lens design from the 1950s that offers the complete package as a classic daily lens with stellar optical performance.

Nikkor 5cm f/1.1 | Nikon 50mm F1.1 LTM Lens

Nikkor 50mm f1.1 lens was the world’s second fastest production lens since the release of Zunow 50mm f1.1. Zunow began the development for ultra fast lenses in 1953 and Nikon joined the competition a few years later in 1956.

The Nikkor 50mm F1.1 is a rare and collectible lens. It is an impressive lens that offers ultra shallow depth of field at f1.1 in reasonable size and weight.

Production Versions

1. Internal Nikon Mount (1500 units)
2. External Nikon Mount (1800 units)
3. Leica Screw Mount / LTM (200 units)

The Lens also can be modified to Leica M Mount through a professional technician, which allows it to be used on Leica M Rangefinders without the need of adapters.

Build Quality

The Nikkor 50mm F1.1 is a solidly constructed lens with different barrel design but same optics throughout its version variants. Normally, the barrel design is consisting of a black paint lens body with a chrome barrel ring on top. The lens reviewed here has been modified to Leica M mount, which displays an extra section of mount finished in matte black.

The size and weight of the lens is similar to the Voigtlander 50mm F1.1 or the Leica 50mm F1.2 Noctilux, which is not too heavy and well balanced on Leica Rangefinders. The lens is relatively compact considering it is an ultra fast lens with a maximum aperture of F1.1.

Common Issues

A) Separated Lens Element

B) Damaged Diaphragm Blades

Both issues can be fixed by a skilled technician.

Image Quality

The Nikkor 50mm F1.1 produces decent sharpness when shot wide open and offers a very shallow depth of field. At its maximum aperture of F1.1, It is sharp in the center but soft around the corners. However, the sharpness increases gradually when stepping down until it reaches peak sharpness at F8. The rendering of the lens is very similar to its little brother the Nikkor-SC 50mm F1.4  with classical Nikon rendering and signature vintage soft glow when shot wide open.

Nikon applied their lastest optical technology at the time by applying guass elements to three convex lenses. This results more glass to weaken each lens element in order to reduce the curvature of field and correct spherical aberration As a result of its symmetric optical design, the lens achieves low distortion, minimal lateral chromatic aberration and high resolving power.

Nikkor 50mm F1.1 vs Canon 50mm F0.95

The Canon 50mm f0.95 is about twice the size of Nikkor 50mm f1.1 and the Nikkor 50mm f1.1 is about half of the weight of the Canon 50mm f0.95 lens.

The Canon 50mm f0.95 was produced in greater numbers hence is much less expensive. The Nikon lens design is 9 elements in 7 groups and the Canon design is 7 elements in 5 groups. Therefore, the Canon used a newer optical design in their lenses that requires less elements allowing extra light to be transmitted.

Conclusion

The Nikkor 50mm F1.1 lens was designed more than 50 years ago and still remains a legend in the rangefinder world. As the second ultra fast lens ever produced in history and it continues to live up to modern imaging standards.

Specifications

Production Year: 1956

Construction: 9 Elements / 7 Groups

Lens Design: Optics designed by Murakami Saburo. Gauss type elements with three rare-earth lanthanum convex lenses

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.1 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 62mm

Weight: 400g

Nikkor-S.C. 5cm f/1.4 | Nikon 50mm F1.4 LTM Lens Review

See comparison with the Legendary Lens

Nikkor 5cm f/1.1 | Nikon 50mm F1.1 LTM

If you are looking for a vintage lens with classic character and don’t mind the sharpness then look no further. The Nikkor-SC 5cm f1.4 or commonly known as the Nikon 50mm F1.4 LTM lens is the perfect choice. It is compact, solid, unique and affordable at the same time.

Build Quality

The First Impression of the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 lens is that it feels incredibly solid and dense. The lens is small and compact but it is well constructed as the entire body is made of chrome brass. It is extremely high quality lens and feels balanced when mounting on Leica M rangefinders. Overall, It offers a compact and solid package.

Image Quality

The Nikkor 50mm f1.4 provides great image quality with full of character. When shot wide open, the image sharpness isn’t clinically sharp like some Leica lenses but it produces a soft glow common only to certain vintage lenses. However, it also lacks contrast and clarify like on most modern lenses.

At its minimum aperture of f1.4, the point of focus is relatively sharp and the out of focus area provides the soft vintage glow. The sharpness increases dramatically when stepping down the aperture with its peak image performance between f5.6 - f8. The lens does suffer the common issues with older lenses such as chromatic aberration and vignetting. The image quality isn’t perfect but it is unique with classic characteristics, which makes it perfect for monochrome renderings.

Specifications

Lens Mount: Leica Thread Mount | LTM

Production Years: 1950s

Construction: 7 Elements / 3 Groups

Diaphragm: 10 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.4 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 43mm

Weight: 275g

Practical Use

The Nikkor 50mm f1.4 LTM is a small, compact, lightweight and solidly built lens. It feels very balanced on Leica rangefinders and easy to carry around to everywhere. This lens is in Leica thread mount (LTM), therefore will require a LTM-to-M adapter to work properly on Leica M bodies.

The aperture ring provides a soft click when selecting the aperture unlike distinctive aperture clicks on most Leica lenses. The focusing ring does have a lock mechanism for infinity but once unlocked by pressing down the little lock button, the focusing ring feels very smooth with a long focus throw when turning.

Overall, the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 LTM Lens is intuitive to use and simple to operate once familiar with practicality of the lens. It is a vintage fast lens from the 1950s with classical rendering and yet it works perfectly on modern Leica Rangefinders.

Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 M Mount Lens

Comparison with Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux

The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 is always compared to the Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux Lens. This was the first ever ultra-fast lens that I have owned. It is a bargain compared to similar Leica offerings and often referred to as “Poorman’s Noctilux.”

Image Quality

The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 produces sharper images in comparison to the Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux with similar heavy vignetting when shot wide open. However, it is not as clinical sharp as the latest Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH lens. The Sharpness improves dramatically when stepping down to f2.8 or greater and it sharpens up across the range until diffraction sets in.

The Lens optical design employs high refractive index glass to help control spherical aberrations and various distortions for a high degree of sharpness and clarity. Additionally, the 10-blade diaphragm helps to produce a smooth bokeh quality when shot wide open.

Build Quality

The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 is a well constructed lens and solidly built. It is a heavy lens for rangefinder cameras but it’s relatively compact dimensions for an ultra-fast prime lens. It does have certain viewfinder blockage due to its dimensions.

Specifications

Lens Mount: Leica M

Production Year: 2010 - Present

Construction: 7 Elements / 6 Groups

Diaphragm: 10 Blades

Design Features:  High Refractive Index Glass

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.1 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 58mm

Weight: 428g

Practical Use

Users often consider this lens due to its low-light capabilities and its bokeh renderings. Wide open at the maximum aperture of F1.1 is suited to working in difficult lighting conditions and also affords extensive control over depth of field with selective focus techniques.

Functionally, the aperture ring is not as smooth as similar Leica lenses as it has distinctively clicks when turning the aperture. However, the focus ring feels almost as smooth as Leica lenses during practical use.

Conclusion

The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 is exceptionally fast at its maximum aperture, which helps control shallow depth of field during practical shooting and also benefits working in difficult lighting conditions. It is a bargain when compared to similar Leica alternatives and performs about 80% as well in most situations.

Leica 18mm F3.4 Super-Elmar M ASPH Lens

Leica 21mm has been the widest focal length that offered for M bodies until the 18mm came out, which is the first time in over 50 years that Leica has expanded its focal length range for their M Cameras. I have had the pleasure owning both the 18mm and Leica 21mm Super-Elmar ASPH lenses so that I can conclude both lenses feel similar yet very different in practical use.

Image Quality

The Leica 18mm F3.4 Super-Elmar ASPH is a compact lens despite its very large angle of view. It offers stellar imaging quality, vignetting and distortion are invisible with the lens in practical use.

The Leica 18mm F3.4 Super-Elmar utilizes one double sided aspherical element to reduce spherical aberrations and distortion for improved sharpness and clarity throughout the aperture range.

Build Quality

The Leica 18mm F3.4 Super-Elmar is a well built lens and feels solid in the hands. It is compact and easy to use in practice, as the aspherical element contributes to the compact form factor and the manual focusing design allows 0.7m minimum focusing distance close to the subject.

This lens is also equipped with a rectangular lens hood that contributes substantially to the compact dimensions.

Specifications  

Lens Code: 11 649

Production Year: 2009 - Present

Construction: 8 Elements / 7 Groups

Diaphragm: 9 Blades

Design Features:  One Aspherical Element with Two Aspheric Surfaces

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F3.8 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.7m

Filter Size: Optional 77mm Filter Holder

Weight: 310g

Practical Use

The Leica 18mm F3.8 Super-Elmar is a relatively small and compact wide angle lens. Although it isn't the fastest lens, its wide field of view means that it can be handheld at shutter speeds as low as 1/20 second with still subjects. Even shot wide open the lens offers an even depth of field from 0.7m to infinity, which makes it ideal for candid street photography and landscape photography.

On Leica film cameras, the 18mm can be used with outstanding results and the extremely short focal length offers fascinating new creativities in image composition.

Conclusion

The Leica 18mm F3.4 Super-Elmar ASPH excels at candid street photography, landscape and architectural photography that can be used unrestrictedly wide open as image renderings are excellent. The lens is very sharp also light to carry for everyday use, which making it the perfect wide angle lens.

Leica WATE 16-18-21mm F4 Tri-Elmar-M ASPHERICAL Lens

The Leica 16-18-21mm F4 ASPH Tri-Elmar-M also known as WATE (Wide Angel Tri Elmar) is an unique lens with special capabilities. The WATE is one of the best wide angle lens and it is Leica’s best attempt at zoom lenses which includes both the 16-18-21mm “WATE” and 28-35-50mm “MATE” lens. Those lenses are not essentially a zoom but offers capacity for three focal lengths selection within a single lens.

The Leica 16-18-21mm F4 ASPH Tri-Elmar-M has Two Aspherical Elements incorporated within the lens design which helps to reduce barrel distortion especially at the widest focal length of 16mm. The WATE lens is a stellar optical performer and can be used at close proximity with its subject due to its minimum focusing distance. The Lens performs exceedingly well in areas such as Architecture and Landscape.

Image Quality

The Leica 16-18-21mm F4 ASPH Tri-Elmar-M has amazing optical performance delivering stellar sharpness even wide open and sharpness increases arriving its peak at around f8. The lens offers superb colour rendition and excellent contrast.

There is noticeable distortion especially at its widest focal length of 16mm. However, the lens design with two aspherical elements has reduced this barrel distortion significantly to acceptable standards. The distortion reduces dramatically at selection of other two focal lengths of 18mm and 21mm. The lens exhibits minimal chromatic aberration and vignetting even at wide open. Overall, the WATE is a stellar wide angle lens at all focal lengths.

Build Quality

The Leica 16-18-21mm F4 ASPH Tri-Elmar-M is well designed and constructed.  The lens feels extremely well-built and solid in the hands. It is easy to use and has very smooth focusing and focal length adjustments. There is essentially no finder blockage from either the hood or the 67mm filter adapter when the Universal finder is used.

Specifications

Lens Code: 11 642

Production Year: 2006 - Present

Construction: 10 Elements / 7 Groups

Design Features:  Two Aspherical Elements, Floating Elements System and Internal Focusing Design

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F4 - F22

Closet Focusing Distance: 50cm

Filter Size: Optional 67mm Filter Holder

Dimensions (Diameter x Length): 54mm x 62mm

Weight: 335g

Practical Use

The Leica 16-18-21mm F4 ASPH Tri-Elmar-M is a compact and lightweight lens. The lens is one of the sharpest Leica wide angle lens and stellar performer at all three focal lengths. During practical use, the lens feel very balanced when mounting on Leica M cameras. It can be used with the Leica universal finder which offers all tri-focal viewfinder coverage and there is essentially no viewfinder blockage. Alternatively, Leica electronic viewfinder or Liveview function can be utilised on newer Leica M digital cameras.

Conclusion

The Leica 16-18-21mm F4 ASPH Tri-Elmar-M lens is configured for ultra-wide photography with an M-mount rangefinder camera. The lens is compact, sharp, contrasty, rangefinder-coupled and unique.

It is the perfect travel companion packing all three focal lengths into a single lens and with its unique application shines in Landscape, Architecture and B&W Photography.

Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH Lens

The Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH is the first of its kind lens offers ultra fast aperture of f1.4 at wide focal length of 21mm. The lens is a versatile performer and at its full aperture offers extremely shallow depth of field. It also incorporates a series of anomalous partial dispersion glass elements, and one aspherical element to help to control color fringing and various aberrations for improved clarity and sharpness. A floating elements system is used for maintained image quality throughout the focusing range to ensure maximum performance.

Comparison

I have had the pleasure of owning both the Leica 21mm F3.4 Super-elmar ASPH and Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH.

Although the Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux is a much larger and heavier lens, it offers much more depth-of-field when shooting subjects at closer distance. It is a Lengendary Leica wide angle lens and unique due to its large aperture and capability to shoot in low light.

Image Quality

The Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH lens offers very sharp images with distinct Leica colours. The contrast and colour rendition is excellent towards saturated side. The lens exhibits minimum distortion, chromatic aberration and vignetting due to its lens design. 

When shooting closer subjects at its widest aperture, the Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux offers great separation of the subject from its background and produces pleasant and smooth bokeh.

Build Quality

The Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH is a large and heavy lens due to been a ultra-fast wide angle requires to carry a large portion of glass. The lens specifications is stated below and when mounting the lens on Leica M Camera bodies, it can feel front-heavy due to its size and weight.

However, the lens is extremely well-built to Leica highest build quality and feels solid during practical use on hands. The aperture ring clicks in place firmly and the focus ring is very smooth when turning. Overall, it is one of the highest quality wide angle lens you can get from Leica.

Specifications 

Lens Code: 11 647

Production Year: 2008 - Present

Construction: 10 Elements / 8 Groups

Design Features:  1 Aspherical Element, 5 Low Dispersion Elements and 1 Floating Elements System

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.4 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.7m

Filter Size: Series VIII Filter in Lens Hood

Dimensions (Diameter x Length): 70mm x 66mm

Weight: 580g

Viewfinder Options

• Leica 21mm Plastic Finders
• Leica 21mm Metal Finders
• Voigtlander 21mm Finder
• Zeiss ZI 21mm Finder
• Contax 21mm Finder

Conclusion

The Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH is a wide-angle prime features a bright and fast maximum aperture to benefit working in low-light conditions and for greater control over depth of field. The lens design and construction overall contribute to maximum performance and offers unique Leica rendering.

Leica MP Collection Guide

Leica MP stands for “Mechanical Perfection” which marks the pinnacle of Leica film cameras. Leica MP is a personal favourite film camera and I have had the pleasure of owning all sorts of variants Leica MP cameras including Leica MP Black Paint, Leica MP Matte Chrome a la carte, Leica MP-6, Leica MP3 LHSA, Leica MP Anthracite and other Limited Editions.

Read below for the Most well-known and Rare collectible Leica MP Editions:

Leica MP

Ongoing Production

The Leica MP with its perfection craftsmanship incorporating cosmetic features of the M3 including the advance and rewind levers combined with the modern conveniences of the M6 such as TTL metering, shutter speed dial, film loading and motor interface. This combination created the most mechanical perfected film camera ever by Leica hence named the “Leica MP.”

Leica MP-3 LHSA

Limited to 1000 Pieces (Worldwide)

Leica MP-3 was produced for LHSA (Leica Historical Society of America) back in 2005. The Leica MP-3 retains that Classic M3 look incorporating the convience of a Leics MP body, this combination is what is making it highly desirable. Leica produced 1000 sets of the MP-3 including 500 in chrome and 500 in black paint. All of the sets came in a very nice presentation box, with the camera, Leicavit winder (classic style) and a special edition 50mm Summilux APSH Lens.

The Leica MP3s are a close reproduction of the original Leica MP from the 1950s and 1960s. Only the front battery cover and the back adjusting dial for film speed indicate that the MP3 body is based upon the M6. The MP3 has the raised viewfinder window frame, extended eye bolts (for attaching the strap), and an external frame counter.

Leica MP-6

Limited to 250 Pieces (Japan)

The Leica MP6 was the Prototype Leica MP made exclusive for the Japan Market and only 250 units made out of the factory, making it extremely rare and collectible.

The MP-6 was basically the same as a regular MP, but it comes with the classic vulcanite leather found on the older Leica cameras, a Leica Camera AG Germany engraving on the top plate and on some of the later models an M6 iso selector. These simple cosmetic differences may not sounds like much, but they really make a difference and are instantly noticeable. They set the camera apart from the regular MP.

Leica MP Hammertone LHSA

Limited to 1000 Pieces (Worldwide)

The Leica MP Grey Hammertone LHSA is the 35th Anniversary model for the establishment of the Leica Historical Society of America.

The Camera incorporating a distinctly rare and unique grey hammertone finish, appers to be struck by a hammer. The Leica MP Hammertone Kit includes a Summicron-M 2/35 ASPH lens with the retro look of the 1950s and a Leicavit-M Rapidwinder.

Leica MP Anthracite

Limited to 600 Pieces (Worldwide)

The Highly Exclusive Special Edition Model was designed especially for the Japanese market and only limited to 600 pieces. Its lacquering is entirely hand-applied with Anthracite, and is resistant to abrasion. Anthracite came from Greek word, literally means "a type of coal", from Anthrax. It is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high lustre. It has the highest carbon count and contains the fewest impurities of all coals, despite its lower calorific content.

Leica MP Edition Hermès

Limited to 500 Pieces (Worldwide)

The elegant LEICA MP Hermès Camera, known as the “Edition Hermès” is a special edition of 500 silver-chrome Leica MP cameras covered with exquisite Barenia calfskin supplied by the famed Parisian high-fashion house Hermès.

Leica MP Olive

Limited to 100 Pieces (Japan)

Leica MP Olive Set which was released to commemorating the opening of the Leica Kyoto store.

Leica MP olive set combines a Leica MP analog film camera with a 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M in silver finish and a cognac color strap. The body and the top and blase plate are made with a olive-colored finish. All operating parts are finished in silver chrome. The set is limited to 100 sets worldwide.

Leica MP Blue Satin

Limited to 10 Pieces (Germany)

Leica Camera AG specifically the Leica Store Berlin will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a very special Limited edition Leica MP Camera, which limited to only 10 units worldwide.

 "The camera housing with all controls as well as the complete version of the Summilux-M 1.4 50mm ASPH. Are neither lacquered nor chromium-plated, but are treated with blue lacquer. Blue Stain (german: "Blaubeize") is an intermediate step in production and stretches as the carrier surface for a later painting. Instead of the varnish we sealed the blue stain two times. This gives the combination a unique look which, on the one hand, subtly underscores the tool character, but on the other hand it also gives a subtle elegance. Each of the 10 cameras has a slightly different "pickling" and is absolutely individual."

Finishing off the camera is a housing cover made of soft grey cowhide and the black frame counter has red engravings. Each one also comes in a special edition box with neck strap.

Leica MP Titanium 

Limited to 150 Pieces (Japan)

The Leica MP Titanium (0.72) camera was introduced in April 2007 to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the opening of Leica Store Ginza in Tokyo, Japan. It was produced exclusively for the Japanese market and limited to only 150 pieces, which was never made available for sale anywhere other than the Ginza store in Japan.

All exterior metal parts and fittings are made of titanium, similar to the Leica M7 Titanium and the Leica M9 Titan. The camera weighs approximately 90 grams less than a regular MP. Even the special body cap is made from titanium, as is the ISO selector disc on the back of the camera. Titanium is a strong and lightweight metal which is also corrosion resistant, so this camera is very well protected. Unfortunately titanium is a very difficult metal to work with, as it has a very high melting point temperature making it an expensive metal to use in mass production. The Leica MP Titanium is one of the rarest and most beautiful modern M cameras that Leica has ever produced.

Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux-M Lens Review

Compared with Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH Lens

The Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux lens is a “Legend” among the Leica world and is renowned for its “Magical” qualities. It is not as clinical sharp as the latest Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux Asph lens but it’s unique rendering is what separate this lens from all other Leica lenses and remains special in today.

Image Quality

The Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux lens has the most unique rendering out of all the Noctilux. It produces “magical” glow with its smooth bokeh and unique out of focus background. The lens is not too clinically sharp like the newer aspherical version but its sufficient sharpness combined with smooth rendering making it the preferable lens for Portraits.

It’s colour rendition is towards natural and classical side with just enough amount of contrast and saturation. The lens does produce purple fringing and vignetting when wide open. Although It is not perfect lens but certainly one of the lenses with the most character.

Build Quality

The Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux lens is produced to very high Leica standards. It is a very solidly built lens but not as solid as latest Noctilux aspherical version. However, it weights less than the newer version and feels more compact size in the hands when mounted onto Leica M Cameras.

Specifications (Lens Reviewed)

Lens Code: 11 822

Production Year: 1993 - 2008

Construction: 7 Elements / 6 Groups

Diaphragm:  10 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 60mm

Weight: 630g

Practical Use

The Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux lens shines at night with its ultra low light capturing ability when wide open aperture at F1. In comparison, the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH is even more capable at low-light situations with its ability to capturing 11% more light at F0.95 than F1.

The lens is “magical” at shooting stationary subjects especially people portraits or objects. However, it does have a Long Focus throw which can undermine its street capturing abilities especially of moving subjects.

Conclusion

The Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux-M is the only F1 lens for 35mm photography manufactured by Leica. It’s almost “magical” rendering and amazing low-light capability is due to its extraordinary optical performance.

The Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux-M produces smooth out-of-focus area with outstanding colour rendition. This ultra-fast lens is capable of absorbing all surrounding light and output the most amazing bokeh you will ever see. All those things together is what making this legendary lens so unique and special.

Noctilux Versions

Leica 50mm F1.2 Noctilux 

The world's first production aspherical camera lens, with two hand-ground aspherical surfaces.

Lens Code  11 820

Production Year  1966 - 1975

Filter Size   Series VIII Filters

Weight   515g

Leica 50mm F1 Noctilux-M

There are 3 cosmetic versions of this lens. They all have the same optics with minimum focusing distance of one metre.

First version

Lens Code  11 821

Production Year   1976 - 1983

Filter Size   58mm

Weight   580g

Second version

Lens Code  11 821

Production Year   1983 - 1993

Filter Size   60mm

Weight   580g

Third version (Lens Reviewed)

Lens Code  11 822

Production Year   1993 - 2008

Filter Size   60mm

Weight   630g

Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH M Lens 

Lens Code  11 602

Production Year   2008 - Present

Filter Size   60mm

Weight   700g

Hasselblad 110mm F2.0 Planar T* Lens Review

I would like to share my recent experiences with a legendary Hasselblad 110mm F2.0 Planar lens. I am a big fan of super shallow depth of field and bokehlicious images, I believe with the correct use of aperture that one can enhance the subject of the photo. The Hasselblad medium format film camera has been my companion for quite some time now, it is the "perfect" MF camera for me and part of this is due to the superb qualities of those Carl Zeiss lenses. After owning and shooting with a variety of these lenses, there is always a lens in back of my mind. 

The Hasselblad 110mm F2.0 Planar lens is indeed a "dream" lens, just like the noctilux of Leica which outputs incredible bokeh and unique characteristics. I have been searching lens on the internet for quite awhile since there are not too many of them available at once. There are basically two versions of the lens: the F and FE models of the lens. The F lens can only be used on focal plane Hasselblad bodies with builtin camera shutter and the FE version has some electronic parts specially designed for FE series Hasselblad bodies such as the 203FE, which demands a higher price tag for its more modern electronics. My lovely 2000 FC/M camera that I did my street photography work with has broken down due to focal plane failure so I upgraded to a more recent model, the 201F with a cloth focal plane shutter rather than fragile titanium ones in the 2000FC/M. It is the perfect match with the Hasselblad 110mm F2 lens and this combination works like a charm. 

The first thing you notice when you are holding the lens is quite heavy, coming at 750 grams, which is significantly heavier than my Hasselblad 100mm F3.5 C lens. The F version of this lens were produced between 1991&1998 and the construction consists of 7 elements/5 groups with the aperture ranges from an insane F2 to F16 in 1/2 stop increments. Keep in mind that F2 in the Medium Format world is approximately similar to F1 in the 35mm format, which produces incredibly shallow paperthin DOF. In practical use, the lens at the start was very challenging to use, especially for living subjects on the streets that I like to photograph but once you get used to it then everything becomes easier. Just as a side note, I would recommend for Hasselblad users to change their focusing screen to either Matte or Matte D with increased brightness/clarity when working with this lens, which helps significantly in practical use. The filter size for this particular lens is in bayonet mount (Bay 70) and I would recommend the 77mm UV size adapter since this is a much affordable option. 

The performance of the Hasselblad 110mm F2.0 Planar lens is truly remarkable, it deserves to wear the crown of superfast lenses in the Medium Format world. The rendering is typical Zeiss with tendency to the warm side with vivid colours and the out of focus areas are pleasing to the eye with smooth bokeh. The images coming out of this lens are very sharp, probably not as sharp as the Hasselblad 100mm F3.5 lens since that one is the sharpest but the 110mm lens possesses very unique and special characteristics. If you like superfast lenses and looking for an unique lens in the medium format world then the Hasselblad 110mm lens cannot be missed.

My Flickr Set: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jerrybay/sets/72157632109503805/ 

Canon 50mm F0.95 “Dream lens” Review

Japancamerahunter 

I have done a review on the more accessible and affordable Canon 50mm F1.2 LTM lens. The Canon 50mm F0.95 also known as the “Dream Lens” was designed to replace the Canon 50mm F1.2 to become the fastest lens and offers superior optics.

The Canon 50mm F0.95 lens was made back in 1960s and 1970s for the Canon 7/7s Rangefinder and it held the crown for the fastest production lens in the world at the time.

Rendering

The “Dream Lens” is famous for its out-of-focus rendering that offers smooth bokeh and extremely shallow depth of field, which combines to produce the “Dreamy” effects.

Image Quality

The Lens offers great sharpness that is not clinical. It produces “magical” soft glow with smooth out-of-focus areas and extremely shallow depth of field at its maximum aperture of f0.95.

The lens has classic rendering with natural colours and great contrasts. It is excellent for portraits with its glowing effect and becomes very sharp when stepping down the aperture like every other Leica lenses.

This lens has minimum flare and chromatic aberration but it does have some vignetting. 

Build Quality

The lens is very solidly built with full metal construction. The weight of the lens is towards the heavy side with similar weight to the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux. However, the lens feels more compact in the hands due to the build construction consists of shorter length and larger diameter.

The focus ring feels very smooth when turning and the aperture ring clicks in place very nicely. It is a well-made lens overall.

Lens Specifications

Construction: 7 Elements / 5 Groups

Diaphragm: 10 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F0.95 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 72mm

Weight: 605g

Production Versions

•  Standard Canon 50mm F0.95 Lens: Approximately 20000 units were produced. However, significantly less number of units remained today.

• Cinematic Canon 50mm F0.95 “TV” Lens: Around 7000 units of “TV” version were made hence making this the even rarer lens. This version offers a different coating to create slightly cinematic renderings.

Lens Conversion

The Lens was originally designed for the Canon Rangefinders. However, if you find a clean copy of the lens without any optical issues then it is worthwhile to convert into M mount.

It is recommended this conversion process to be done through an experienced and highly skilled technician. This way the converted lens is likely to offer perfect rangefinder coupling and enjoyable experience on Leica M cameras.

For Conversion and Customisation, Please read my article on Camera Customisation.

Conclusion

The Canon 50mm F0.95 “Dream Lens” offers great userability and extremely shallow depth of field. If you are looking for a lens that has unique rendering with “dreamy and glowing” bokeh effects and don’t mind the size or weight then this will be the perfect lens for you.

Leica Monochrome + Canon 50mm F0.95

Street Shot @F2 

Leica Monochrome + Canon 50mm F0.95  

Street Shot @F2

Leica Monochrome + Canon 50mm F0.95  

Street Shot @F2

Camera Gear Customisation - The Dream Lens

Japancamerahunter ©

 

 

Canon 50mm F0.95

 "The Dream Lens"

 

Recently I have acquired this mint condition Canon 50mm F0.95 lens and decided to customise it to match my Leica Monochrome. The Monochrome is a special paint camera with Matte Black colour coating and my personal preference has always been stealthy and low-key. Since decided to paint the Canon 50mm F0.95 "Dream Lens" in Matte Black to match with the Monochrome camera body then I reached towards the help from Bellamy Hunt known as the "Japancamerahunter", who is an expert in camera gear customisation and see the result that we have produced.

Japancamerahunter ©

Japancamerahunter ©

The Mijonju Show Demostrates The "Stealth Mode" Canon 50mm F0.95 Dream Lens in The Video Below:

In the Past, I have obtained several of my unique collections from the Japancamerahunter and strongly recommends everyone to check out his customisation service in the link below:

Camera Gear Customisation - Japan Camera Hunter