Leica 50mm f/2 APO-Summicron-M ASPH to Rise in Price by $900?
The Leica 50mm f/2 APO-Summicron-M ASPH is apparently set to rise in price by a whopping $900 on July 1st.
Leica pricing is a rarefied world which seems to be increasingly driven by collectors (works of art of a sort), but as Leica’s best M lens, Leica M fans who wish to make images with a 50mm might one to order one at the old price before it goes up.
On the other hand, the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon is half the price, at least as good, a stop faster (no mean feat), and definitely better in some respects.
But given its diminutive size and f/2 speed, the 50/2 APO is quite an optical achievement.
Were I to own just two Leica-brand M lenses, the 50/2 APO would be first choice, then the Leica 24mm f/3.8 Elmar-M ASPH. A nice pairing given the focal length difference, and extremely compact. Still, Leica’s M Typ 240 seems badly in need of forward progress (sensor resolution and EVF and speed of operation and reliability).