LEICA SUMMICRON M 50mm (4th)

Review and Photo example of the Fourth Generation Summicron M 50mm.

Gallery

Sample photo taken with the Leica M9.

Review

The 4th generation Summicron M 50mm was released in 1979 and is a long-lived lens with probably over 100,000 units made.
The aperture blades are eight in the usual octagonal shape, and the hood is retractable and does not have a lock.
Like the Summicron M35mm ASPH., Summilux M50mm, and APO Summicron90mm, it was available in three colors: black, silver, and titanium. The titanium and silver colors use brass barrels and are heavier than the black color, which has an aluminum barrel.

It is usually the complete M-type Summicron, and since it took this form in 1979, it will remain in the active lineup until 2024, more than 40 years ago. Other than the release of limited special features such as Safari color, there are no major changes in specifications such as lens specifications and external shape. In 2013, the APO SUMMICRON 50mm ASPH. was released with full APO specifications and aspherical lenses, but its performance and price were completely different from the regular Summicron.

I have used the M-type Summicron in the early retractable type, the one with glasses, and this fourth generation, and I have rarely had any complaints with any of them, and I feel that they are all perfect lenses. As a result, he has not acquired a second or third generation until now. I bought and sold the 4th generation silver model twice, and the focus ring on both models was light, so that seems to be the specification.

The brightness of the aperture of F2 makes it easy to determine the focus position using an M-type Leica rangefinder, and even when used casually such as taking snapshots, the focus position did not go against my intentions that much. It was an easy-to-use lens, unlike the razor-like focus of the Summilux 50mm ASPH.

Leica makes steady improvements to its long-selling products, so I think it is possible that they will make improvements such as shortening the minimum focusing distance and adopting an aspherical lens, similar to the latest version of the Summilux M released in 2023.

Specification

Items	Early type(silver)
Focal length(mm)	50
Max aperture	2
Min aperture	16
Leaf blade	8
Lens Construction	6elements in 4group
Min distance(m)	0.7
Lens length(mm)	43.5
Max diameter(mm)	53
Filter Size(mm)	39
Weight(g)	Black:240 Silver/Titan:335
Release year	1979