We start with a brief comparison of the two classics.
A lot of our customers spend hours trying to decide between the two:
A lot of our customers spend hours trying to decide between the two:
We used the lenses on the same camera (Leica M typ 240) with the same settings. Raw files were developed in Adobe Lightroom without any sharpening or other alterations.
First the centre of the frame:
First the centre of the frame:
The SUMMILUX seems to have an edge here, the images seem sharper and more contrasty. Although there is not much between them.
Now let's have a look at the edge of the frame:
Now let's have a look at the edge of the frame:
It looks like the edges of shots taken at full aperture are much sharper from the SUMMICRON. Even if the SUMMILUX is stopped down to f2 it is still not as sharp as it's cheaper cousin. However when you stop both lenses down to f4 the faster lens looks much better.
Our winner:
Leica 50mm f1.4 SUMMILUX-M ASPH.
Although it can be soft around the edges when shooting at the widest aperture it is capable of producing better more detailed images when stopped down. It is also very nice to have that extra aperture for when you need it in low light.
Our winner:
Leica 50mm f1.4 SUMMILUX-M ASPH.
Although it can be soft around the edges when shooting at the widest aperture it is capable of producing better more detailed images when stopped down. It is also very nice to have that extra aperture for when you need it in low light.