Leica 50mm f/2 APO-Summicron-SL: Veiling Flare, Ghosting Flare, Ray Flare

2021-09-13 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: apochromatic, ghosting flare, Leica, Leica 50mm f/2 APO-Summicron-SL ASPH, Leica APO-Summicron, Leica APO-Summicron-SL, Leica Lenses, Leica M, Leica SL lenses, Leica SL2, Leica Summicron, Leica Summicron-SL, lens flare, veiling flare

Another flaring disaster in the APO-Summicron-SL line. The results are beautiful when the front lens element is shaded. Otherwise, they are piss-poor.

Leica 50mm f/2 APO-Summicron-SL Examples: Flare

Includes pairs of images, with and without shading the front lens element (lens hood always attached).

In my opinion, the Leica APO-Summicron-SL line needs to be recalled, with the design fixed to address the piss-poor flare performance. The ray flare with the 50/2 APO-SL looks like an outright obvious design defect, just for starters.

Severe flare with Leica 50mm f/2 APO-Summicron-SL ASPH

f5.6 @ 1/250 sec, ISO 100; 2021-09-13 09:13:13
LEICA SL2 + Leica 50mm f/2 Summicron-SL ASPH

[low-res image for bot]