I ordered the first version, then sent it back when it wouldn't mount on my M3.
Ordered the new version (Black, from 7Artisans on Amazon.) Now it's arrived, but I just moved and my basement looks like this:
I can't find my M3! It's down there somewhere.
It does appear that they tweaked the CNC machine, and the base of the lens body is cut at a slightly steeper angle, so it should clear the guard around the lens release button.
Pulled some Fujichrome out of the freezer yesterday, bought some flowers at the grocery store, and shot some focus tests on an M6, a Konica RF and a Zeiss Ikon and sent the film off to be developed and scanned.
I don't have any digital cameras at the moment that I can put a Leica mount lens on, so I'll just have to wait.
Maybe get an adapter for my Fujis.
The lens is very big and very heavy, and I have lots of 50mm lenses, so I'm thinking that after the new wears off I'll probably only use it when I want the dreamy wide open effect, or I'm shooting in really low light. That is, wide open only. But for $365, I'm glad I have it.
7Artisans makes a number of lenses, mostly manual focus in Fuji, Sony and m4/3 mounts. The 50mm f1.1 is their flagship, and i'm hoping they expand their Leica mount offering, if the big 50 goes over well. How about a (much smaller) 50mm f1.4 for $300? Or a much smaller but very good 50 1.4 for $500 or $600?
Handevision brought out a whole line of lenses that look a lot like Leica's, but they're all f2.4, and all priced around 600 or $700.
I think they'd be great if priced around $300; at $700 they're a marketing mistake.
I think 7Artisans can do better.