it does not surprise me that folks find the 75 Lux soft wide open or that it has risen in price now that it is no longer available
given the success of the M8, I suspect Leica will release a new version of this lens & predict that it will both be a costly lens & a great success
I got my 75 Lux about 5 months prior to getting the M8, jumping on one when I saw it appear on KEH's listings
it is my most often used lens with the M8, despite the fact that I do not yet have an ir/cut filter for it (come on Leica, make me a happy man & deliver my ir/cut filters)
the lens is not svelte and even looks a tad unwieldly mounted on the M8 (but does not obscure the viewfinder,) but I find it a delight to use and very, very fine optically
wide open shooting with a fast lens at portrait distance focusing is a recipe for softness, particularly at a telephoto focal length with a RF ...I think this soft reputation of the 75 Lux unfounded from my experience with my sample ...any lens profits from stopping down a bit and mine seems to be quite sharp at f1.7
I have a Nikkor 85 f1.4, which is generally considered an outstanding fast lens, and my 75 Lux seems sharper and certainly renders bokeh as lovely ...it handles specular highlights better as well and is, of course, a good deal smaller
here is a sample from mine nearly wide open ...I believe this was taken at f1.7, but it could have been f2
some folks forget that field depth increases with focus distance ...this nose emblem from a B58 strategic bomber was taken just under infinity focusing
the sentiments are how I feel about my Lux, though the acronym on this Cold War plane gives me a shudder
a larger version can be found here
Leica M8 photographs Photo Gallery by Artichoke Vinagrette at pbase.com along with many other samples from this fine lens