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The sharpest lens I own is the cheapest!


stevem7

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Was doing some tests with my four lenses today to make sure they focused OK on a new M8.2. I saw a Cardinal pretty far and had the 75 Summarit on the M8.2. Set it to 2.5 and shot and WOWZERS, this is bang on and sharp as anything I have ever seen.

 

I processed the shot in C1 and if you want to see the full size shot to see what I mean, click the link below:

 

75summaritc1full.jpg photo - stevehuff photos at pbase.com

 

The 75 Summarit is sharper than my 50 Lux at 2.5 and my 28 cron and my 35 Lux. Sharpness isn't everything but its nice to know if I need razor sharp detail that the 75 Summarit can deliver it!

 

I focused on the Cardinal, but look at the detail in the pole in the full size image. No sharpening was done outside of C1 and the white specks you see are raindrops.

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I assume you mean center sharpness. Honestly Looking at this image it would be difficult to do direct comparisons. That little bird is a spec in the whole image. This is where it would be really good to you a canon 400 2.8 or 600 4 (or similar Nikon setup).

 

I think the concept of sharpness is irrelevant for effective photography. That being said, its great you are happy with your purchase.

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I assume you mean center sharpness. Honestly Looking at this image it would be difficult to do direct comparisons. That little bird is a spec in the whole image. This is where it would be really good to you a canon 400 2.8 or 600 4 (or similar Nikon setup).

 

.

 

When I download the original file, the bird doesn't come out well, cos its very small and taken at f/2.5 from a distance at what can only be described as really far, far away.

 

As expected the leaves on the trees area bit fuzzy due to the limited DOF at f/2.5.

 

So I don't think its a very definitive test to make any conclusions on sharpness.

 

Hey what ever happened to the easier to judge but definitely boring "brick wall test"?

 

No brick walls where you live? :D

 

Anyway the CA looks well under control from a quick look at the file.

 

Best

Rob

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The Summarit 75mm is a really excellent lens. It is not an apo lens, but at reasonable rates of enlargement -- meaning that you view the print ot whatever from a distance that is not very much smaller than the diagonal of the format, as we all spontaneously try to do in art museums etc. -- you will not see any chromatic aberration. Its build quality is also excellent.

 

I am simply incapable of understanding why some people insist on bashing this lens, and other Summarit lenses. Unless of course their motives are of a non-photographic nature.

 

The old man from the Age of the First Summarit

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Love a lot my Summarit 75... maybe its mech has not the feeling of some other Leica lenses (but take into account I'm BIASED toward chromes :)... so my Summicron 35 Asph chrome has ANYWAY "a better feel" :p); in this PC I've found a quick example of not exactly a "brick wall" ... but a sort of "brick glass"... :)

Summarit 75 NOT wide open: I think 5,6

 

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After trying many different 75 and 90's, I settled on the 75 summarit two weeks ago.. My first ever new Leica lens as I could not find a used one. Its size and weight are what I consider the max for a rangefinder system, otherwise it defeats the purpose of a light and carry everywhere kit.

Sharpness, this is what has amazed me the most about this lens as Steve stated. It is very sharp on the M8 files, even wide open.. I also recall Sean Reid putting it in front of the 75 cron in this aspect. Color rendition and bokeh will depend on personal taste but I am very pleased with them.

I don't know why they are being bashed at, but it is really the only light 90mm FF equivalenton the M8 out there, except for the Cv75 which I also found a very good lens.

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I have a 75mm Colour Heliar Japanese Cosina Voitglander which I us on my M6 and although it is passable I am not overly impressed with it but I use it so infrequently I could not justify buy a Summicron. My 35 and 50 are both Summicron and they get used 95% of the time. I take your point on sharpness and in fact I would like to try a nice older vintage lens where lack of sharpness is offset against mellowness and tone. I think too many people see sharpness as the be and end all

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If you want the 'classical look' at a reasonable price -- no collector's item -- then get a good first version (1958--74) 50mm Elmar 1:2.8. You may love the look it can give you. The lens can be collapsed without any danger on the M8, simply mount and dismount it erected, not collapsed. The best shade for this lens is the one for its modern, just discontinued avatar, the Elmar-M 1:2.8/50mm. The chrome version is no. 12549. This screw-in hood permits you to operate the aperture ring with the camera at your eye, and it may still be available from Leica.

 

The old man from the Age of the 3.5cm Elmar

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Guest flatfour

My Zeiss 50mm Planar of 1966 - but sharpness is nothing. HCB didn't produce very sharp images but he did produce superb pictures.

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I think too many people see sharpness as the be and end all

You are partly right but it depends on what kind of photographs you take. For example, I use the 75mm mainly to give a compression of urban scenes. Sharpness is important as you want to have as much details as you can. Now for portaits, sharpness is less critical and a softer look might be better.

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My Zeiss 50mm Planar of 1966 - but sharpness is nothing. HCB didn't produce very sharp images but he did produce superb pictures.

 

But he used the best lenses available in his time. I think there is a misconception that lack of sharpness was wanted in the 30's to 50's. I think it was more a result of slower lenses and films (and no digital ;) ) remember these guys worked for the best magazines at the time, i am pretty sure that had the 50mm Lux Asph been available in 1930, they would have used it.

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Well, there was still a Pictorialist hangover at that time, so many people considered very sharp pictures 'vulgar'. And if you look at books from the 1930's with what was at that time first class photogravure reproduction, you will find that even images that should have been quite sharp -- like a well-focused 5cm Elmar at f:9 -- were still reproduced slightly soft. That made life a good deal easier for the guys that did the copy work ...

 

I agree that, as I have said elsewhere, 'sharpness is the fetish of boring photographers'. But it is still better to have a sharp lens. You can make it less sharp if you want to, but a soft lens cannot be made sharper. First class glass gives you more options.

 

The old man from the Age of the 5cm Elmar

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My Zeiss 50mm Planar of 1966 - but sharpness is nothing. HCB didn't produce very sharp images but he did produce superb pictures.

 

HCB called sharpness a 'bourgeois concept'. And while I agree with Ansel Adams who once said that there is nothing worse than a sharp picture of a fuzzy idea, I'm not quite sure if a fuzzy picture of a sharp idea is always great art. Or, to put it in another way, HCB's pictures wouldn't lose much of their appeal if there was an occasional sharp one among them... :rolleyes:

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Hey guys,

 

I was just posting this to show that this lens is sharp. I agree, sharpness is not everything and I actually barely use this lens. My main lens is the 35 Lux or 28 Cron, neither of which has the look of the summarit. I use the summarit when I need sharpness and it delivers, but its not a great portrait lens as its too sharp IMO.

 

As for the image I posted, it was posted to show that I focused on the bird at 2.5, so yea the bird is in focus and insanely sharp, to the point of pixelation. But he was pretty far. I do not care if the trees are soft or blurry as this is not an image I am printing an hanging. It was to test focus of my new M8.2 and to see if the bird would be in correct focus. The thing that really amazed me was how sharp that little bird was with a lens I paid $892 for brand new!

 

I would love a 75 Lux and one day I will, but its nice to have a bit of versatility so even when I do buy a lux, I am keeping the summarit, that is for sure. It is a great lens for certain situations. Moral of the story...if you need a SHARP lens for your M8, the 75 Summarit is about the sharpest I have ever seen. It is sharper than my 28, 35, 50.

 

But I am not one who craves sharpness anyway but I know some do.

 

A couple shots taken with this 75:

 

p605715233.jpg

 

p703169328.jpg

 

p709925894.jpg

 

Great lens for the money, no doubt.

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Well, the size and weight of the summarit is perfect. One other thing is the 75 Summarit is also my smoothest focusing lens. I know the 75 Lux is a beast but it can be a magical beast and for portraits it has a magical quality. The Summarit is an all around versatile lens. Hard to beat for the money IMO.

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steve, nice pictures.

 

I like how the summarit renders pictures there.

 

"No compromises" is typical for Leica. Unfortunately some believe that cheapest are crap but they forgot that we're talking about L E I C A.

 

I was tempted by 50mm summarit under long time and still does it now :p due size weight & factor. 90mm summarit would be heck nice companion to my 90mm summicron for daylight. Nah I better forget them :)

 

I remember how I was stunned by image (inside in the church) Overgaard did take with little camera (forgot name) and Summarit 40mm.

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