Paul J Posted January 28, 2012 Share #1 Â Posted January 28, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi there, Â Sorry to ask such a question, but I'd rather ask the people here who have the experience than find out for myself! Â How will a Leica Summicron M 90mm f2.0 - E55 version stack up against the current 90mm summicron asph lens when mounted on an M9? Â Thanks in advance Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 Hi Paul J, Take a look here 90mm Summicron question. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Paul J Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share #2  Posted January 28, 2012 Also, another question - What would you choose and why?  75mm summilux or 90mm summicron  Question is in relation to taking portraits.  Sorry if it's an ambiguous question, but it is intentional just to get as much practical info as possible. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
budrichard Posted January 28, 2012 Share #3 Â Posted January 28, 2012 I can only give you K64 and M7 comparison. My Canadian Chrome Summicron and My ASPH Summicron at f2.0 show no difference under 5x Leica magnification that I can discern. As to what to choose, I choose a 75mm ASPH versus either of my 90mm Summicrons. Very rarely are the 90mm used anymore by me. The 75mm ASPH is easier to work with for portraits and very sharp, I don't have a 75 Lux but from all reports its not in the same league as any ASPH Leica lens.-Dick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share #4  Posted January 28, 2012 I can only give you K64 and M7 comparison.My Canadian Chrome Summicron and My ASPH Summicron at f2.0 show no difference under 5x Leica magnification that I can discern. As to what to choose, I choose a 75mm ASPH versus either of my 90mm Summicrons. Very rarely are the 90mm used anymore by me. The 75mm ASPH is easier to work with for portraits and very sharp, I don't have a 75 Lux but from all reports its not in the same league as any ASPH Leica lens.-Dick  Thanks Dick,  Have you ever found the 75mm too wide at all for tighter portraits? How do you find the barrel distortion in this regard? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylek Posted January 28, 2012 Share #5 Â Posted January 28, 2012 the 90mm close focus distance is at 1m and the 75 is at 0.7m so i got more of less the same image there. For me, i have more problem focusing with the 90 and i like the smaller size and feel of the 75mm f/2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted January 28, 2012 Share #6  Posted January 28, 2012 I don't have a 75 Lux but from all reports its not in the same league as any ASPH Leica lens.-Dick  Depends on what you are looking for. I own and use several ASPH lenses. If I had to sell them, most of them would go before the Summilux 75. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted January 28, 2012 Share #7  Posted January 28, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi there, Sorry to ask such a question, but I'd rather ask the people here who have the experience than find out for myself!  How will a Leica Summicron M 90mm f2.0 - E55 version stack up against the current 90mm summicron asph lens when mounted on an M9?  Thanks in advance  Wide open, the pre-ASPH is gentler, less clinically sharp than the latest version. This is why I prefer it for close-up portraits. From f/4.5 onwards, it's very difficult to tell them apart. Although I know this is not what you asked, I'd also look at the Summarits (75 and 90). You may be surprised by how good they are. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted January 28, 2012 Share #8  Posted January 28, 2012 Hi there, Sorry to ask such a question, but I'd rather ask the people here who have the experience than find out for myself!  How will a Leica Summicron M 90mm f2.0 - E55 version stack up against the current 90mm summicron asph lens when mounted on an M9?  Thanks in advance  I own both. Started with the pre ASPH #11136 because it was designed by Mandler and being an old film guy from 40 years ago I liked the look it gave me on digital versus what I remember from my Kodachrome days.  Then I had a chance to get the new one and I must say I like and welcome its sharpness at certain times, especially critical landscapes. Also, I do appreciate its sharpness during long exposure night shots.  I will not get into the 75mm argument since that was not your question, I believe. But, I will say that considering the Elmarit-M 90 is another viable option to your question unless 2.8 is not sufficient. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted January 28, 2012 Share #9 Â Posted January 28, 2012 I had the 90 APO-ASPH and sold it. I like the pre-ASPH better. From f/2.8 you'd have to be testing the lens purposely to see any difference, so it all boils down to what you're after at f/2. If you want razor-sharp micro-fine from corner to corner, get the APO (and hope it's one that focuses properly on the M9). If you want a more flattering portrait rendition wide open, then the pre-ASPH will suit you better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted January 28, 2012 Share #10 Â Posted January 28, 2012 I had the 90 APO-ASPH and sold it. I like the pre-ASPH better. From f/2.8 you'd have to be testing the lens purposely to see any difference, so it all boils down to what you're after at f/2. If you want razor-sharp micro-fine from corner to corner, get the APO (and hope it's one that focuses properly on the M9). If you want a more flattering portrait rendition wide open, then the pre-ASPH will suit you better. Â Agree, but many times I am convinced that many people wearing glasses get low hit rates because of their eyesight. I cannot say enough about the Walter eye piece since it eliminated my even minor astigmatism and heightened my keeper rate. I do not have any affiliation with Walter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted January 28, 2012 Share #11 Â Posted January 28, 2012 1. E55 (post 1980) 90 non APO lens is lower contrast and slightly more cyan in coloring than the APO-Summicron. At f/2 the APO produces noticeably harder edges. Â At smaller apertures, detail is not that different, but the contrast is still in play - on a gray day, the non APO can look muddy compared to the APO, and on a sunny day (or other contrasty situation) the non-APO can produce richer and smoother colors/tones than the contrastier APO. Â The non-APO is clearly non-APO(chromatic) - lots of purple and green fringes to hard highlights or out-of-focus shapes, more so the larger the aperture used. Â 2. Regarding choosing the 75 f/1.4 over the 90 - I ultimately ended up with the 75 because I need f/1.4, and because that 75 frames tighter than the 90 (not just a question of focusing closer, but also the lens extension required for the close focusing - things are bigger with the 75 at .72m than with the 90 at .95m - note that most lenses focus a tad closer than the last distance actually engraved on the lens). Â 75 f/1.4 focuses to 1/8th life-size, 90mm to 1/9th life-size. Â Additionally, the 75 is slightly easier to focus than the 90 wide-open (practical experience, not from DoF charts). And is slightly sharper at f/2 and 2.8 - per my own experience and E. Puts' Lens Compendium. Â The 75 Summilux does not have any barrel distortion - it has the opposite, slight pincushion distortion (about 0.3%). But if you mean things like slightly emphasized noses due to shooting from a closer distance, that really depends on the specific face. Some people "look better" with a 75, some with a 90, and some with a 135. Â Personally, when I shoot portraits, it is for me and my audience, not to curry favor with the subject. So I like the "up-close-and-personal" effect of the 75. Â Other than those points, the 90 n-APOE55f2 (to keep it short) and the 75 Summilux have very similar looks, appropriate for "gentle" portraits without the haze of a Softar filter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted January 28, 2012 Share #12  Posted January 28, 2012 75 1.4 has no significant distortion. It is an older design that will not reach critical sharpness until about 2.5. I shook in my boots the first time I used it outside at F8. I had never seen a lens that sharp. F 1.4 does not impress me. F 2 is ok. Distance seems not to matter.  90 2.0 pre ASPH goes a little soft under 6 feet. Leica had that in the literature at the time and stopping down does not resolve it. I think it adds to portraits not being critically sharp. I keep mine for that reason. Portraits are beautiful at any stop. Your 90 will be the same and many of the 90`s are that way. Visoflex lenses will be fine   3/4 body shots can be a 75 or 90. Your pick on an M9. Face shots should be 90. They are best done from 5 feet and you could crop a 75 image. Moving in too close causes perspective distortion like noses to large. Perspective depends on where you stand and has nothing to do with focal length.  75 1.4 is a pretty heavy lens which I use on my M8 as a 100 mm equivalent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
budrichard Posted January 29, 2012 Share #13 Â Posted January 29, 2012 "Have you ever found the 75mm too wide at all for tighter portraits? How do you find the barrel distortion in this regard?" Â The 75mm Summicron is just right for a full face closeup. The level of detail that it puts down on film is amazing and that's what i want in a portrait or short tele lens. The only time I even think of using a 90mm is for occasions when I know I can't get close enough and I need the quiet attributes of the M. Anything longer these days is a Nikon SLR with 135mm, 300mm, 400mm and 500mm. And as I previously Posted, under 5x Leica magnification, you can't tell the Summicron's apart, distortion, bokeh or whatever qualities you want to ascribed to these lenses. Since you have an M9, take yourself down to some dealers and actually shoot with the mentioned lenses, you can tell instantly which ones you like and why. All my testing was done with K64 with a Leica 5x magnifier on a Normlicht light box by myself, so I know what goes on with the lenses I actually use to actually take photographs.-Dick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share #14 Â Posted January 29, 2012 Thanks to everyone for the amazing wealth of info. You've given me a lot to think about but my heart is leading me to the 75 Summilux I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted January 29, 2012 Share #15 Â Posted January 29, 2012 Have you used a 75 Summilux? If not I strongly advise trying it before buying it, or at the very least be sure you can return it within a trial period with no penalty. Â I owned the lens twice. Optically it's everything people say. But I found it to be an ergonomic nightmare which inhibited me from getting many of the shots I wanted. Issues were: a very long focus travel (and stiff...both copies) which made for more precise focusing perhaps, but at the same time made quick focusing difficult to impossible for me. And even with the hood retracted, the lens blocked about a quarter of the viewfinder frame (with the hood extended, perhaps a third). Much as I loved the image rendition of the lens, I just couldn't get on with its handling. YMMV as they say. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted January 29, 2012 Share #16  Posted January 29, 2012 I can only give you K64 and M7 comparison.My Canadian Chrome Summicron and My ASPH Summicron at f2.0 show no difference under 5x Leica magnification that I can discern. As to what to choose, I choose a 75mm ASPH versus either of my 90mm Summicrons. Very rarely are the 90mm used anymore by me. The 75mm ASPH is easier to work with for portraits and very sharp, I don't have a 75 Lux but from all reports its not in the same league as any ASPH Leica lens.-Dick  That's just not true. The M75 Summilux & the R80 Summilux are 2 of the best lenses in the whole lineup of Leica glass. They both render impossible beauty in their bokeh and the color rendered is to die for. The 80 Summilux is my all time favorite Leica lens. It's just simply the best lens I have ever used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted January 30, 2012 Share #17 Â Posted January 30, 2012 That's just not true. The M75 Summilux & the R80 Summilux are 2 of the best lenses in the whole lineup of Leica glass. They both render impossible beauty in their bokeh and the color rendered is to die for. The 80 Summilux is my all time favorite Leica lens. It's just simply the best lens I have ever used. Â While 'best' might be subjective, I do have to say that the 75 Summilux is a great lens. It is lacking a bit in terms of handling (the aforementioned long and stiff focus throw), but it's a beautiful lens. A nice old school look wide from f/1.4 - f/2, which is great for portraits, and super sharp by f/4 and above. That's not to say f/2.8 isn't bad; it's not. Some of my favorite pictures from the year that I've owned it have come from this lens. Â If this lens's focusing was a bit more user friendly, I'd probably sell my 50 Summilux ASPH. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted January 30, 2012 Share #18 Â Posted January 30, 2012 I've not used a 75 Summilux but I have used the 75 Summicron, and also the v.3 E55 90 Summicron and ASPH versions. My preference is for the look of the earlier Leica lenses, so while I have a number of modern ASPH lenses I don't use them all that much except for the 35. Given that preference I would choose the E55 90 pre-ASPH over all my other lenses longer than 50. I just really like the way it looks wide-open or near it. I'm told the rendering is close to that of the 75 Summilux, whether that is true or not I don't know. The E55 is pretty sharp once you stop it down. Â Once I got the E55 I sold the 90 ASPH; I thought that lens wasn't great with close-up subjects. The 75 length to me is closer in feel to a 50 so I prefer a 90 for portraits and I've used a few of them. I still have a thin Tele-Elmarit and have used two Konica Hexanon 90/2.8 lenses and a Nikkor 85/2. The E55 is the best long lens I've used so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eukraina Posted December 21, 2012 Share #19 Â Posted December 21, 2012 I had the 90 APO-ASPH and sold it. If you want razor-sharp micro-fine from corner to corner, get the APO (and hope it's one that focuses properly on the M9). My 90 APO-ASPH focuses PERFECT on my M9. I use 1.4x. + Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeicaPassion Posted December 23, 2012 Share #20 Â Posted December 23, 2012 My 90 APO-ASPH focuses PERFECT on my M9. I use 1.4x. Â Can you see the entire 90mm image in the viewfinder with the 1.4x? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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