Advice needed on 75 mm lens

[innerimager]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I'm one of the aberrant few on this thread; I love the 75 Lux. It's the closest I can get to an 80 R lux on an M, and that's saying something.

 

All down to taste? Yes... no foisting, just saying If I had all the money in the world I'd have both the Lux and a new cron.

 

BTW--it's sharper than the Noctilux, but the bokeh is wonderful.

 

By f2-3 I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to see a difference from the 75 Lux to other 75s / 85s in print; it's pretty sharp there.

 

Aberrant perhaps Jamie, but not alone. The 75 lux is one of my favorite lenses. It lives on an M7 0.85 but comes and plays on my M9 a lot. I sold a 75 cron because I like the lux so much in fact. It's look at 1.4 is unique and beautiful, and actually quite sharp. I agree it shares the look of the pre-asph nocti, and I find it easier to nail focus than with the nocti at F1, and 75mm @ 1.4 DOF is slighly less than 50 @ F1 I believe. By F2 it's almost like the 75 cron, and by 2.8 is very much like the cron, which only has slightly closer focusing as it's advantage (0.7M for the cron, 0.8M for the lux).

[innerimager]

Here's a recent one with the 75 lux @ 1.4 with the M7 (XP2)....Peter

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Shade]

All this talk is getting me to want to buy a 75mm APO Summicron..

 

Or maybe I should just go for the 90 APO Summicron, since I have a 50 lux already anyway...

[doug_m]

Aberrant perhaps Jamie, but not alone. The 75 lux is one of my favorite lenses. It lives on an M7 0.85 but comes and plays on my M9 a lot. I sold a 75 cron because I like the lux so much in fact. It's look at 1.4 is unique and beautiful, and actually quite sharp. I agree it shares the look of the pre-asph nocti, and I find it easier to nail focus than with the nocti at F1, and 75mm @ 1.4 DOF is slighly less than 50 @ F1 I believe. By F2 it's almost like the 75 cron, and by 2.8 is very much like the cron, which only has slightly closer focusing as it's advantage (0.7M for the cron, 0.8M for the lux).

 

I find the 0.7M focusing, that the 75 cron allows for, to be a big plus. In my opinion, 0.7M vs 1 M is, practically speaking, much more than slightly closer.

[innerimager]

I find the 0.7M focusing, that the 75 cron allows for, to be a big plus. In my opinion, 0.7M vs 1 M is, practically speaking, much more than slightly closer.

 

It's not .7 vs. 1M it's .7 vs .8 cron vs lux

[doug_m]

It's not .7 vs. 1M it's .7 vs .8 cron vs lux

 

Sorry. I did not know that.

[doug_m]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

It's not .7 vs. 1M it's .7 vs .8 cron vs lux

 

 

PS. Next time I should read the whole post.

[Jose_Salcedo]

Live a little, and at least try the Lux. If it works on your body and matches your focus ability and shooting style, you'll sell the cron. If it doesn't, you'll love the cron and you can sell the lux.

 

After checking the lens again today and hammering down the price quite a bit, I took the jump and purchased the 75 Lux. The lens is brand new indeed as it has been in storage at a local Leica distributor. In the end I could not resist.

 

I may be jumping into a strange world of spherical aberrations and focus shifts, as Lars pointed above, but I am confident that I will learn a lot about photography. The 75 Cron is magnificent - optically superior on all counts, I would say as a physicist -, but it will be available for purchase in the future. At the price that I purchased the 75 Lux, I am confident that will not loose money when I sell it, if and when that happens in the future.

 

Thank you so much for your opinions and help, I much appreciated it! What a fine forum this is! I will post pictures as I learn how best to use the lens!

 

Edited> By the way, the lens focuses from 0.75m.

 

Here is a picture of the lens:

Edited April 18, 2010 by Jose_Salcedo

[innerimager]

Congratulations Jose- You'll love this lens I predict. Make sure it's adjusted well for critical focus at 1.4, if not have it adjusted, and you'll soon see for yourself! (I did not have to adjust mine). best....Peter

 

PS- Doug, no problem at all.

[jsjxyz]

COngratulation Jose,

 

for me 75 lux is more difficult to use than 50mm noct, but it is worth it. If it is too dificult in the beginning, try use 2.0 setting, it is more fogiving.

[Jose_Salcedo]

Congratulations Jose- You'll love this lens I predict. Make sure it's adjusted well for critical focus at 1.4, if not have it adjusted, and you'll soon see for yourself! (I did not have to adjust mine). best....Peter

 

PS- Doug, no problem at all.

 

Thanks Peter, I will make sure that the adjustment is correct for f/1.4 as you suggest. With the Leica plant nearby, that should be easy...

[Jose_Salcedo]

COngratulation Jose,

 

for me 75 lux is more difficult to use than 50mm noct, but it is worth it. If it is too dificult in the beginning, try use 2.0 setting, it is more fogiving.

 

Thanks, Jerry, I appreciate your advice. Much to learn, for sure...

[k-hawinkler]

Thank for the advice, Luigi. Yes I ordered the Cron asph a couple of months ago and it will arrive by the end of May, approximately, but this Lux came along unexpected in the last couple of days while I am stranded in Brussels without planes to leave, and thus my doubts and questions. I can cancel the Cron order at any time, no problem, the dealer is friendly and will sell it easily.

 

I am not familiar with the lens that you suggest but will look into it. Thanks!

 

Jose,

 

Congratulations on your new lux.

BTW, did you get back home yet?

What is the situation?

 

Good luck, K-H.

[Jose_Salcedo]

Jose,

 

Congratulations on your new lux.

BTW, did you get back home yet?

What is the situation?

 

Good luck, K-H.

 

Hi K-H, No, I am still stuck in Brussels. No flights at all today - not sure tomorrow -, all train tickets to leave town are gone until the 23rd and only rather small cars are available for rental. Managed to buy a bus ticked to leave on Wednesday afternoon, though, if planes do not fly until then... or I may get a bike and get going...

Edited> just received a sms that flights were also cancelled for tomorrow.

Edited April 18, 2010 by Jose_Salcedo

[k-hawinkler]

Hi K-H, No, I am still stuck in Brussels. No flights at all today - not sure tomorrow -, all train tickets to leave town are gone until the 23rd and only rather small cars are available for rental. Managed to buy a bus ticked to leave on Wednesday afternoon, though, if planes do not fly until then... or I may get a bike and get going...

Edited> just received a sms that flights were also cancelled for tomorrow.

 

Hi Jose,

 

Thanks for the info. Be safe.

BTW, I like your images on dpreview.

I hope you make it back home soon.

 

With best regards, K-H.

[Jose_Salcedo]

Hi Jose,

 

Thanks for the info. Be safe.

BTW, I like your images on dpreview.

I hope you make it back home soon.

 

With best regards, K-H.

 

Thanks, K-H! Best regards

[Rick]

Congratulations! You will not be disappointed by this choice.

 

First of all, this lens has fantastic optics when stopped down one stop and wide open it produces beautiful images described to be somewhere between the paintery of the Noctilux 1.0 and the scientific drawing of the 75 Summicron. This lens was designed by Dr. Mandler during the "speed wars" of the 60's and 70's and introduced with the new M4 in 1980, which had to have new frame lines and a redesigned range finder just to handle this new lens. I imagine this was quite a big deal back then when they were both announced together.

 

The lens was made at the Canadian Midland plant until 1998 and then production moved to Germany where it was made until 2005, although it was listed as in production until 2007. When interviewed, Dr. Mandler stated that this was his favorite lens. Not a lot were made and those that have them tend to keep them. It is a future collectable, but I just shoot the heck out of mine.

 

I can see that your serial number is 386xxx? This would put your lens as either the last of the Midland Canada lenses made or the beginning of the German lenses. Where is your lens made? What is the serial number?

[Jose_Salcedo]

Congratulations! You will not be disappointed by this choice..../... I can see that your serial number is 386xxx? This would put your lens as either the last of the Midland Canada lenses made or the beginning of the German lenses. Where is your lens made? What is the serial number?

 

Hi Rick,

Thanks. The product code is 11810 and the s/n is 3869910, which places this lens - I believe - as being manufactured late in 1999 in Germany. The original box, labels and documents came with the lens and are all in German, stating Germany as the country of manufacture - does not mean much, I know. It all point to the lens being one of the first made in Germany, late in 1999. Edited> The lens or the docs do not have any indication of Canada.

[neli]

hola jose

nice, would have been my choice. if you find a distributor that has one of those new stored away maybe you could let me know.

look forward to your pictures

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Jose_Salcedo]

hola jose

nice, would have been my choice. if you find a distributor that has one of those new stored away maybe you could let me know.

look forward to your pictures

 

Will do, Neli! I think that I was really lucky on this one, as was totally unexpected as I was walking on the street and went by Photo Alpha, in Brussels. Nice and experienced people, by the way, I highly recommend them.

Edited April 18, 2010 by Jose_Salcedo