75MM f/1.4

[Guest stanjan0]

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Why did Leica (Canada, Germany) stop producing this lens and why is the new 75mm being produced in f/2? I thought that as time goes by Leica would produce faster lens not produce slower lens, WHY, WHY????

[ho_co]

The 75 Summilux was a Mandler design, pretty long in the tooth when it was discontinued.

 

The 75 Summicron is a Karbe design, with optical characteristics (e.g. freedom from focus shift) far better suited to the digital cameras.

[Guest stanjan0]

Howard, thanks for the info.

[adan]

Like the f/1 Noctilux, the f/1.4 75mm depended partly on glass that was fading from use and availability (and ran neck and neck with the Nocti as the heaviest and most expensive M lens) - and, as Howard says, while it was an outstanding lens for 1980 (it lays waste to the contemporary 90 f/2 non-APOs), suffers from longitudinal chromatic aberration (I've never seen focus shift, possibly because I either use f/1.4 or >f/4 and usually skip the apertures in between).

 

The Summicron APO is cleaner (especially for color), smaller, lighter - and was about 60% of the price when introduced (no longer true!)

 

So long as the digital Ms are limited to ISO 2500, I need the f/1.4 more than I need "perfection," so I prefer the Summilux (with a nice $300 135 f/4 as my small, bright-light tele).

[pico]

Why did Leica (Canada, Germany) stop producing this lens and why is the new 75mm being produced in f/2? I thought that as time goes by Leica would produce faster lens not produce slower lens, WHY, WHY????

 

Expense and size is my guess. Way too expensive to make, and too big for most Leica users (wimps is the word that comes to mind). I have no focus issues. It is sharp and contrast is excellent.

[jaapv]

I cannot believe size was an argument. The Summicron 90 AA is very similar. My guess is that the supply of glass dried up.

[Walt Calahan]

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I enjoy my 75 mm f/1.4.

[tobey bilek]

Noctilux glass elements were used which Leica glass made themselves and it had a 10 year cooling cycle. No commercial glass maker would pick up production after the glass lab closed.

 

Further the glass was simply loaded with lead and environmental people stopped it used in lens grinding.

 

I picked up a 1" cube (scrap) the Leica rep had in 1985 and it must have weighed 2 pounds. Truly dense stuff.

[pico]

Noctilux glass elements were used which Leica glass made themselves and it had a 10 year cooling cycle. [...]

 

Ten years?

 

I picked up a 1" cube (scrap) the Leica rep had in 1985 and it must have weighed 2 pounds. Truly dense stuff.

 

Then it was not leaded glass. 1 cubic inch of lead is ~6.5 ounces (~185 grams) and the amount of lead in optical glass is quite low.

[gvaliquette]

Then it was not lead. 1 cubic inch of lead is ~6.5 ounces (~185 grams).

 

Neutronium, maybe???

[Eastgreenlander]

Neutronium, maybe???

 

Perhaps that became the cryptonite of that lens

[ramosa]

And why did Leica stop producing the Elmarit 90?

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello ramosa,

 

They didn't want to be in competition w/ themselves. Other than maximum aperture the current 90mm Summicron & the 90mm Elmarit-M have a lot of performance charactaristics in common.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[adan]

And why did Leica stop producing the Elmarit 90?

 

1. The Summarit 90 f/2.5 is faster, lighter, and costs less.

 

2. The Elmarit-M 90 in its last version had the same glass/optics as the last version of the Elmarit-R for the SLR system (and thus shared expenses with the R version). Once the SLR system was kaput, the M version would have had to shoulder all the costs itself, making it even more expensive to maintain in the product line.

 

3. As Michael says, the 90 Elmarit had been surpassed optically (slightly) by the 90 Summicron APO, or the 75 APO (in the same weight/size class), so it became the odd man out. Much as the 21 and 24 Elmarits became redundant** when bracketed by faster Summiluxes and sharper Elmars.

 

**In terms of Leica's product line - anyone already owning one need not feel second-class!

[swamiji]

My understanding is that the 75 lux was created only to compete with the 85 1.4 from canikon. That was not reason enough to continue production when things became difficult with production. In the R world they produced a 80 1.4, in the M world it was the 75, but as I was told they are essentially the same lens.

 

P.S. I love mine, I have it with me daily!

[Prosophos]

I think it's a pity that Leica no longer offers this lens. I count myself as fortunate for having found a great used sample.

 

I use it quite regularly, on the M9 (and it's just fine on digital for actual image-making!):

 

Leica 75mm Summilux f/1.4 | P r o s o p h o s

 

Peter.

P r o s o p h o s | A running photo-blog of my thoughts, projects, and inspiration.