Which 75mm

[rcoles]

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I have the M9 and a 35mm f/2 that I have been using for about 2-months. I still have a lot to learn, but looking ahead to getting another lens. Which 75mm would be best for a two lens kit? I photo a wide ranges of subjects: street, people, nature, landscape, urban & travel. Also, would a 35/50/90 kit be a better fit?

Thanks

Bob

[sarav]

Summicron 75 AA, right companion. Small, light, superfast focus, already amazing @ f2

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[Bo_Lorentzen]

I would suggest the cron 2.0 very nice package, incredible sharp and very small.

[AGeoJO]

I agree, the 75mm APO Summicron is one heck of a lens. Come to think of it, I couldn't think of any recent Leica lens that doesn't perform admirably, could you ? But the match of your 35mm Summicron is indeed the 75mm Summicron.

[W4Leica]

Both 75 and 90 crons are good based on my research though I do not own. Either of them will give a good match to 35 cron for street, people, and even landscape. I would choose 90 which give me a chance to acquire state of art 50 lux in the future. So my vote goes to 35/50/90. W

[innerimager]

I suppose that if I had no 75, the cron would be my choice, it is superb, has closer focus than any other longer Leica lens, is razor sharp at f2, and more. I know from having had one for awhile. I just happen to love the old 75 lux. This FL is the one I use mostly for portraits, and the 75 lux is my favorite portrait lens of any Leica or Nikon I've used. (The Nikon 105/2 DC is #2). So for me, the lux is my main 75. I got the CV 75/2.5 as a general walk around 75 and it's very, very good. At $350 or so, ridiculously good. But the 90 elmarit probably serves as my walk around lens for this range over the CV 75. This is all just to give another perspective, but I certainly think the 75 cron is one of the great lenses.

[noah_addis]

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I have both the 75 and 90mm Summicrons. I plan to sell the 75, as I prefer the focal length as well as the framelines for the 90mm. But both are great lenses and good companions to your 35mm.

 

I usually use a 21/35/90 combo these days, and it's perfect for my needs.

[jsjxyz]

Sean Reid review of 75 Summarit also excellent lens, and it is smaller than 75 cron AA without its hood.

[mikelc]

Sean Reid review of 75 Summarit also excellent lens, and it is smaller than 75 cron AA without its hood.

 

...sean also speaks favorably about the CV 75 CH which i have and is a terrific lens (as noted below)...and at it's price it would be a great buy while you decide and save for your next leica lens...

 

mike

http://www.mikecetta

[gib_robinson]

In my experience, deciding on focal lengths for any camera is a very personal decision because it's so intimately tied to how you see and what you photograph. On the other hand, a lens of any focal lens will "show you" the world in a particular way. Best strategy is probably to try out one or two lenses -- even for an hour, and see what you are drawn to use right now, keeping in mind that your preferences may well change.

 

I own a 24, 35, 50, 75, and 90. I have used them all on an M6 and an M8. I will surely use them all on an M9 (on order). The 75 'cron is currently my second favorite lens (after the 35 'cron) because it is teaching me the most -- dividing up the landscape in a way that fascinates me; and it has incredible qualities as a lens.

 

I use the 90mm more for portraits (often indoors) than for landscapes but the 75 is also a superb portrait lens as well as a wonderful landscape lens, the one I'm most likely to choose for up-close work outdoors. But that's just the way I am currently seeing things.

 

--Gib

[Alnitak]

I will add my vote for the 75AA. It's a superb compact little lens.

 

Jeff

[ashwinrao1]

Gotta say, I have had the 75 lux and cron. The lux has a classic signature. The cron is more modern, much smaller, and probably the more versatile lens (in terms of size, performance, portability).....go for the cron....

[Ecar]

My favorite 75 is the Lux for its amazing rendering wide open.

When I looked for a more versatile 75 lens, I compared the Cron and the Summarit: about 1/2 stop gap and not much difference in terms of IQ to justify the price of the Cron, to my eyes at least. So I went for the Summarit. Can't comment on the CV unfortunately, but all I've read seems to indicate it's a great performer and a true bargain.

Indeed, subscribing to Sean Reid's review site (if you haven't already), will help you make an informed decision: it's a modest investment, which repays itself many times.

[lars_bergquist]

I needed a '75 for my M8, and purchased the Summarit. This is probably the best of the Summarit line, and a remarkably good lens. Erwin Puts tested it extensively against the Summicron, and found that it is a serious competitor. If it is a 75 you want, give serious thought to it. Build quality is excellent too.

 

The CV lens, which I have also used, is decent when stopped down, but a bit weak wide open, and the mechanichal quality is no more than acceptable. It is of course extremely compact.

 

Remains to be said that I bought that Summarit as a replacement for the 90mm length. Now I have a M9 and have sold the Summarit, because I have little use for a '75 on a full format camera. 35 and 90mm is my basic kit. But all this is very personal. Maybe I should say that 'zoom thinking' does make people wary of big differences between focal lengths. They think they must have all nuances covered. But I did not work like that even with SLR cameras, and especially with a RF camera, you learn to 'put on the eyes' of the lens you have mounted, and pre-visualize the pictures accordingly, even before raising the camera to the eye. You grab the pictures that are 'grabbable'.

 

I picked up a mint 90mm Elmarit-M to go with my 35mm lenses, but the 90mm Summarit, its successor, is also excellent. But focal lengths are choices that, ultimately, cannot be made by logical analysis.

 

The old man from the Age of the 9cm Elmar

[giordano]

Which 75mm would be best for a two lens kit? I photo a wide ranges of subjects: street, people, nature, landscape, urban & travel. Also, would a 35/50/90 kit be a better fit?

 

I'd recommend 35+90 for a two-lens kit too. The 90 is (for me at least) a much more useful focal length on full-frame cameras than the 75, which is neither one thing nor another. If you go that way, don't buy the 50mm right away, wait until you're sure you need it. You may find you'll be happier in the end with 24+35+90 or some such.

 

As for which 90, you need the Summicron APO if sharpness wide open is crucial and you can afford it. Otherwise, all the 90mm designs in the last 40 years or so are more than good enough for most purposes.

[doug_m]

I think the 75 cron is a great and small lens and the fact that it focuses down to 0.7 M is a huge added plus. It has a short focus throw (making it quick and easy to focus) and "draws" very nicely. I also have bought the 90 AA cron twice and do not like it nearly as much as the 75 AA cron. I might even sell the 90 cron again which goes against the conventional wisdom of not selling Leica lenses. I have no experience with other 75s or 90s.

 

Good luck.

[Hacker]

Since you are considering the 35/50/90 kit, why not the 50mm Summilux ASPH which the 75 Cron shares the same design with? You just need a nice 90mm lens.

[rcoles]

Thanks to everyone for your help.

 

A number of folks think that a 90mm lens is a better choice. Is there any difference between a 90 or 75 for someone that wears glasses?

 

The used 90 2.8 Elmarit looks like a great buy, is that worth considering over the 90 2 AA. What do I give up other than speed?

 

Bob

[doug_m]

I wear glasses and do not find them to be much of an issue in general. However, you really should try out the 75 cron AA and various 90s before buying- if at all possible. Focusing down to 0.7 M is a big deal for me and may or not have the same appeal for you, but you have to try it out to know.

 

Also, the suggestion that you buy a 50 lux ASPH is not a bad one as this is possibly the best all around 35 mm lens ever made. But of course you would probably go to a 35/50/90 kit then and you seem to want to stay with two lenses. Finding a 50 lux ASPH will likely be difficult as well.

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[peter_n]

I use the 75/2 in a 24/35/75 kit, and a 90/2 last pre-ASPH (E55) in a 28/50/90 kit. The 75/2 is a stupendous lens.