Monochrom Saturday.

Julia Morozzi, October 2025.
This is a very communicative lass, that likes to change expression frequently and playfully, so don't miss her other attitude from this chair later today on my regular social media feed!

The Leica Summicron-M 50mm lens I bought around 2015 is a fantastic lens, not shouting its performances like many modern lenses, but dispensing its charms effortlessly and consistently in a traditional and understated way.
I shot some memorable nude pictures with this lens since 2016 on the Leica M240, photos that still amazes me today, and I never stop using it on the M240, especially during the Summer outdoor shootings.
I also tried to adapt it on the various mirrorless cameras, but it is on the M system that this lens really shines.

On the Nikon D810 I use the poorly plastic build but well performing AF Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D.
On the Mirrorless cameras I prefer using the Voigtländer Nokton 58mm f1.4 SL II, or the Nikon 55mm f2.8 AI-s Micro-Nikkor in case I need to get very close to the subject...
Lately I even fell in love with two more 50mm lenses for my mirrorless ecosystem, the Contax-Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f1.7, and the Pentax Super Takumar 50mm f1.4 M42 mount.
All 50mm are performing well, it is the easiest lens to produce after all, but each has its own character, and you can never have too many of them.

I was gradually walking away from my old digital Leica M240, that I bought in 2014, and as a consequence I was abandoning the Summicron-M 50mm, that was practically glued in front of the M240.
But now that I bought the Leica M10 Monochrom, this Summicron-M 50mm is the only lens I can use on it and get the results I need, so it has become very important for me, once more, the only lens for BW, and surely one of the best I could ever hope for.
It is one of the oldest lens in the Leica catalog still in production and has been around for many years, as a testament to how good it is even by today's standards.
I am still dreaming about the Summilux-M 50mm, but I would not be comfortable using it at f1.4 or f2.0, so it is pointless to buy it and I'm trying to remove it from my mind.
Even on the Summicron-M I avoid the widest aperture of f2.0, preferring to use it at f2.8, and with the M10 Monochrom I'm even preferring at f4.0, just because I don't have low light issues any more with this camera!
I am happy for having had the excuse to use this old and dependable friend again, and I couldn't think of a better lens I could want for this new magic BW only camera, also today's pictures are a further confirmation about how good this camera/lens combination works, giving the most natural and organic look to my images, in a single word, I think this is Art.

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