The Summilux-R 50mm 1.4 was produced for the now discontinued Leica R line of SLR cameras. Developed by Heinz Marquardt in 1967, the Summilux-R had a very long production run, ranging from 1970 to 2009. In total over 35,000 copies of the Summilux 50 were manufactured for the Leica R cameras.
The Summilux-R is a superb 50mm prime lens, offering sharpness, top built quality, excellent contrast, nice colours and versatility. Flare and coma are almost completely eliminated.
The Leica R mount can easily be adapted for many different cameras, making the 50 Summilux-R a favorite for photographers and videographers alike.
The 50mm Summilux is a really good 50mm prime lens. This lens is very sharp and the image quality you obtain is very good at all aperture settings. The Summilux is one of those lenses that will deliver a decent picture with almost any setting. Wide open you obtain a nice shallow backdrop and a lot of sharpness on your subject, especially in the center. The Summilux is not only sharp it also offers a lot of contrast, making for images that are clear and full of details. When you close the aperture, more and more details emerge. I would argue that the sharpness is almost on par with modern lenses, at least once you close the aperture a bit. The Summilux is both good for portraiture and landscape photography.