This is my favourite Peter. Really lovely image with the colours, background/setting, that lens (seriously thinking about buying the 50 lux ASPH again).
And of course…that smile!
Thanks Andrew. The smile is nice because it was captured candidly… she had just picked up her board and was simply beaming as she turned around.
As for that 50 lux ASPH. A long time ago (2008), I wrote that this lens was “too perfect”. After years of using it, I have to amend my opinion: it is simply… “perfect”.
—Peter.
Nice shot, and I love the bokeh. It’s amazing what such a small lens can do, given that it has to cover that image circle. I think the Otus is nicer but it’s more expensive and much bigger. If you want amazing sharpness, nice bokeh and a wide aperture, you have to have a big lens. There’s no getting around that.
You are incorrect about the Otus. I’ve shot with it.
LensRentals testing supports my view:
…at least, for sharpness. And the delicate rendering of the Summilux ASPH trumps the brutal Otus. Once you throw size differences into the equation, you must conclude that the 50/1.4 ASPH is in a class of its own. I prefer its rendering to the 50 APO Summicron too…
Ah, I think I made the mistake of posting URLs. Okay, here is my brief response: I respect numbers but I trust my eyes. Search for “Most Adorable 50s – Zeiss Otus & Sonnar, Leica Noctilux & Summilux, SLR Magic HyperPrime – Chart Test” and compare the Otus to the Summilux.
If the samples of each were reasonably normal, then it’s clear just how good the Otus is (and how big a lens has to be to be that good). The Summilux is an achievement, however, given how small it is and given its image circle.
I concur Peter. For a fast lens I dont think anything beats it taking size, price and quality into account in the focal length.
Prosophos 
This is my favourite Peter. Really lovely image with the colours, background/setting, that lens (seriously thinking about buying the 50 lux ASPH again).
And of course…that smile!
Thanks Andrew. The smile is nice because it was captured candidly… she had just picked up her board and was simply beaming as she turned around.
As for that 50 lux ASPH. A long time ago (2008), I wrote that this lens was “too perfect”. After years of using it, I have to amend my opinion: it is simply… “perfect”.
—Peter.
Nice shot, and I love the bokeh. It’s amazing what such a small lens can do, given that it has to cover that image circle. I think the Otus is nicer but it’s more expensive and much bigger. If you want amazing sharpness, nice bokeh and a wide aperture, you have to have a big lens. There’s no getting around that.
You are incorrect about the Otus. I’ve shot with it.
LensRentals testing supports my view:
…at least, for sharpness. And the delicate rendering of the Summilux ASPH trumps the brutal Otus. Once you throw size differences into the equation, you must conclude that the 50/1.4 ASPH is in a class of its own. I prefer its rendering to the 50 APO Summicron too…
Ah, I think I made the mistake of posting URLs. Okay, here is my brief response: I respect numbers but I trust my eyes. Search for “Most Adorable 50s – Zeiss Otus & Sonnar, Leica Noctilux & Summilux, SLR Magic HyperPrime – Chart Test” and compare the Otus to the Summilux.
If the samples of each were reasonably normal, then it’s clear just how good the Otus is (and how big a lens has to be to be that good). The Summilux is an achievement, however, given how small it is and given its image circle.
I concur Peter. For a fast lens I dont think anything beats it taking size, price and quality into account in the focal length.