75 or 90apo

[MarkP]

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Hi All!

I have the M 50 Apo and SL 24-90/ f2.8-4.0 with SL 601. I intend to get M/SL Apo 90 f2 or M/SL 75 f2 for portrait!

Please advice your idea?

Have a nice day!

Thanks!

 

 

I would recommend the 90 in this situation as it will be more versatile with the 50. The 75 APO-Summicron is a fabulous lens but you already have the APO-50 as your only prime lens. I think that 50 and 75 are just too close if these are your only prime lenses. 

 

There is no doubt that both focal lengths are suitable for 'portraits' but it does depend on how you define that for your photogrpahy.

 

However, why don't you spend some time using the 24-90 only at 75 and 90 for some portraits to see what suits you better? 

[lct]

[...] I have the M 50 Apo and SL 24-90/ f2.8-4.0 with SL 601. I intend to get M/SL Apo 90 f2 or M/SL 75 f2 for portrait!

Please advice your idea? [...]

 

Great lenses for sharp portraits but the not so young ladies around you could well find them cruel. For softer results better contenders would be Summilux 75/1.4 and Summicron 90/2 v3. Those are second hand lenses though and given the thin DoF at full aperture some lens and/or rangefinder calibration could be due. Re the Summicron 75/2 beware that due to its floating elements its focusing action may not the smoother one, at least on my copy. I would test it in person before ordering it personally. BTW the Summarit 75/2.5 (no experience with 75/2.4) has not this problem and is at least as good as the 75/2 otherwise. It is also smaller and lighter but its minimum focus distance is 0.9 metre (0.7m for 75/2 & 75/2.4). 

Edited January 9, 2017 by lct

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[phongph]

Hi MarkP and Lct!

Many thanks for your advice!

Have a good day!

[MarkP]

You're welcome. And I agree with ICT's comments about the 75 and 90 Summicrons being less flattering for some portraiture.

[anickpick]

I prefer the 75 Apo over the 90 Apo due to the better IQ at closer focus distances.

Both lenses have a beautiful rendering and colors.

Both lenses need to be perfectly calibrated to your M. Both are a dream on the SL.

[otho]

Difference between APO 75 & 90 is 70 gram and APO 75 is slightly shorter. It may be an important factor during long walking & travel. APO 75 for me is better balanced with camera body than APO 90. IMHO, APO 75 is more versatile, especially in pair with 35mm lens. In my personal photo preference, APO 90 usually - not always, of course - need a companion of two other lenses, e.g. 21 & 50mm.

Summarit 75 & 90 are good option too.

Edited January 10, 2017 by otho

[dunhoy]

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The 90 Elmarit-M is also very good (as is the 75 Summicron) - either will do great portraits - and you can always use your feet to get closer or wider - both can be tricky to nail focus

[MarkP]

All you will ever need is a 35 and 90, the rest are just for convenience

Speak for yourself.

 

28 and 50 for me (and I know I'm speaking for a number of others here).

 

:-)

[Mark T]

Back to 75 vs 90 summicrons; there is only 4 degrees field of view difference between the two lenses horizontally. That is not much. However, the closer focus of the 75 mm and related greater magnification is significantly different. As noted, the 75 mm is also smaller and lighter. It is a newer design with a floating element that improves close focus image quality. In my mind, there is no contest. The 75 mm is easier to carry, more versatile and provides a technically "better" image quailty in more circumstances (i.e. near-far).

 

However, I will acknowledge that the 90 mm has better frame lines and aguably has an advantage if you are shooting at infinity/long distances and are therefore using the extra reach. Although one may be better served by a 135 mm lens if that is the case?

 

Focus issues with all these lenses are overstated. It might take a little practise to get used to the handling, or the framelines but you get used to it. As ever, the limitation is the user, not the lens.

 

I also wanted to make a comment about the 75 mm Summilux which ALWAYS seems to come up when someone mentions the 75 mm Summicron. This is a significantly larger lens that was only ever intended for fairly specialist use. It's not something you'd want to carry a long way, or go travelling with. It was never particularly popular while it was in production but seems to have become so since Steve Huff said "I like it". I can't help but think that if you want to buy a lens for it's faults you could buy a Lomo or any of a variety of old lenses that cost a lot less. I never understand why peole bang on about buying leica because they want "the best lenses" and then they buy expensive old lenses and carry on about some sort of "unique glow", as if only leica can produce optical abberations. Or they buy Leica for the small size and then carry beast lenses like the 75 mm Summilux around (along with 4 other lenses), when they go out to shoot "street". 

 

Phew, sorry. Rant over...

Edited January 16, 2017 by Mark T

[lct]

Well oldies like yours truly did use mainly 90mm (besides 135mm) M lenses in the past for the simple reason that 75mm lenses did not exist yet and we had no 75mm frame lines before the M4-P. 75mm lenses appeared only with the 75/1.4 and i'm not sure if Mr Huff was born yet. Great lens that i've acquired only recently and that i use the same way as another favorite of mine, the Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph, i.e. for its character at f/1.4 that i've never found elsewhere so far, even at Lomo's . Now it is a bulky lens indeed but less so than the great Summicron 90/2 v2. Bigger is not always better but for soft portraits i don't know where to find a better lens than the 75/1.4 as far as short telephotos are concerned. Even the 90/2 v3 that i use also for this purpose is sharper at f/2 than the 75/1.4 at f/1.4. I have no experience with the R 80/1.4 though but it is another bulky lens anyway.

[NB23]

Well oldies like yours truly did use mainly 90mm (besides 135mm) M lenses in the past for the simple reason that 75mm lenses did not exist yet and we had no 75mm frame lines before the M4-P. 75mm lenses appeared only with the 75/1.4 and i'm not sure if Mr Huff was born yet. Great lens that i've acquired only recently and that i use the same way as another favorite of mine, the Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph, i.e. for its character at f/1.4 that i've never found elsewhere so far, even at Lomo's . Now it is a bulky lens indeed but less so than the great Summicron 90/2 v2. Bigger is not always better but for soft portraits i don't know where to find a better lens than the 75/1.4 as far as short telephotos are concerned. Even the 90/2 v3 that i use also for this purpose is sharper at f/2 than the 75/1.4 at f/1.4. I have no experience with the R 80/1.4 though but it is another bulky lens anyway.

Oh yes, huff was present and in contact with his present self through his spirit box. No doubt.

 

Regarding the 75 vs 90, it's a pity that the 75 framelines are so bad.

[lct]

I would have preferred 28/75 & 50/90 framelines by far but such a choice was not available for the M4-P due to 35/135 already paired in previous bodies. 28/50 & 75/90 would have been worse i guess, especially the latter. Remained 28/90 & 50/75 we still have now. As a 50mm lover i feel somewhat bothered by the 75mm framelines but 75mm lovers don't think alike most probably.