Leica Showcase Canon 50mm f/1.4 LTM

New photographers in training:) Very good shots, esp f2 full size is impressive!

Mine lately wasn't used much with m43 af lenses, but it looked very nice on e-p's:) This one is on e-p2 wide open:

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Excellent shot. It looks like Canon/Nikon ltm's start to be popular with Leica MM users also as Steve Huff published a review today... I first saw Reid's reviews at LL as he was recommending the low contrast lenses for B&W shooting. His review on RD1:

Fast Lenses for the Epson R-D1
 
I ended up buying another Canon 50/1.4 in Leica Thread Mount, this time a fairly early V1. This lens was introduced to the world in 1957, same year I was born. I've picked up a number of 1957 lenses this year.

This one is optically perfect, cosmetically almost perfect. You could never tell it was 60 years old. can;t say the same about me!

wide-Open,
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Wide-Open
by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

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Wide-Open
by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

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Wide-Open
by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr
 
Wide-Open,

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Wide-Open
by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

This is a classic Planar 1-2-2-1 6-element in 4-group lens, the formulation made possible with a high-index of refraction/ low-dispersion glass pioneered by Canon. Unfortunately - that type of glass often reacts badly to oil outgassing onto the surface behind the aperture blades. This one is perfect, some were lucky. Be sure to have inspection and return privilege for this lens when buying.

The Canon 50/1.4 uses 48mm filters, like many Canon cameras and lenses of the 1950s through to the early 1980s. Not a common size, but not too hard to find on Ebay.
 
I took the Canon 50/1.4 to the Marine Museum along with the Canon 50/1.2.

Similar shots with the 1957 Canon 50/1.2 are here, pairs of shots at F1.2 then F1.4.

These are with the 50/1.4. I believe that both of these lenses were made in 1957, both have perfect glass. Pulling up the shots in Lightroom and pixel peeping: both look very close to me, the 50/1.4 is slightly sharper than the 50/1.2 used at F1.4.
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