75mm Summilux, Summarit and Summicrons

[MarkP]

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No, but I recall in a forum discussion concerning the merits of the 75 Summarit and 75 CV f/2.5, a few users who had shot both found the CV clearly inferior, though that may have been caused by sample variation.

 

I have the 2.5/75 CV and the 2.0/75 Summicron. The CV is indeed a vastly 'inferior' lens in all aspects of IQ. Having said that the CV still gets some use where the IQ is less important - very compact and a joy to use.

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[algrove]

I have the 2.5/75 CV and the 2.0/75 Summicron. The CV is indeed a vastly 'inferior' lens in all aspects of IQ. Having said that the CV still gets some use where the IQ is less important - very compact and a joy to use.

 

Do you use this CV 75/2.5 lens for portraits? If not, exactly for what type of scenes? Thanks. I handled a 75 Summarit today, but not on my camera which is corrected for my vision impairments. It's cost is about double+ the CV price and am trying to see which of these two might work mostly for portraits.

[darylgo]

Do you use this CV 75/2.5 lens for portraits? If not, exactly for what type of scenes? Thanks. I handled a 75 Summarit today, but not on my camera which is corrected for my vision impairments. It's cost is about double+ the CV price and am trying to see which of these two might work mostly for portraits.

 

Reid of Reid Reviews did an exhaustive comparison between the CV 75/1.8 , 75/2.5 and Leica 75/2 , 75/2.5. He hits every nuance pretty well in these reviews and certainly has no bias against the CV lenses.

[pico]

Do you use this CV 75/2.5 lens for portraits? If not, exactly for what type of scenes? Thanks. I handled a 75 Summarit today, but not on my camera which is corrected for my vision impairments. It's cost is about double+ the CV price and am trying to see which of these two might work mostly for portraits.

 

When confronted with the same issue, I ask myself when comparing price, "Is lens X really twice as good as lens Z?" and the answer is always, "No." In fact, the APO lenses leave me cold.

[MarkP]

Algrove,

 

I bought the 2.5/75 CV with adapter new for ~$350 on ePay (I did not want the new faster CV) whilst waiting for my 75 Summicron APO (~7 months) so it initially had a lot of use, but less since I received the Summicron. Although I subsequently put the CV up for sale on commission with my local dealer I then then took it back as it was worth so little it really wasn't worth selling .

 

Compared with the Summicron the CV is very light and small, easy to focus, and renders very gently with softer images and coloring. Although I think the IQ of the CV really doesn't compare with the Summicron, it is only 1/10 the price but by no means only 1/10 the performance. Reid reviews discusses this lens quite fondly.

 

Specifically, to answer your question if I was only going to have one 75 choosing between the 2.5/75 CV and the Summarit I'd take the Summarit. However, if you're asking about the 1.9/75 CV I have no experience with it.

 

I use it with a number of lighter/cheaper lenses when I want a more compact lens/kit, am less concerned about sharp IQ (quite soft for portraits), or in particular if I'm concerned for my lenses such as if I'm roughing it or can't always ensure the equipment will be secure.

 

Also, I mainly use focal lengths in the range of 21 to 50mm, less so 75 and 90mm, so it is a nice light lens to travel with if I occasionally want to use a 75mm lens. I think here it has a nice 'old-world' signature to it. Perfect for Paris...

 

M9 2.5/75 CV Color-Heliar

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[40mm f/2]

I had the Summilux and I really liked 75mm. But it was too heavy to hang around my neck all day - so I replaced it with a Macro-Elmar 90mm. I want to get back to that focal length as 75mm works better for me as RF lens - the Macro-Elmar will live now on my NEX-7 (+/- some extension rings).

I was reading a lot about these 3 (5) lenses and I would presently tend towards the Summarit (weight, price & even available) except I have very little idea about its close up performance:

Summarit 0.9m, Summilux and cron 0.7m. But what about optical quality at these distances? The Summilux was quite good at f>5.6.

[nibbler]

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So the question as posed:

 

"I would rather just own the Summilux by it's self though. So my question to you is do you think I will see much more sharpness with a Summarit or Summicron at f5.6-11? I'm guessing not? Any other experiences or comparisons with the lenses?"

 

The answer is no. You will not see more sharpness at f5.6-11.

 

I have only borrowed the Summicron, but from what I see it is incredible. For character (life, beauty), especially at large apertures just stay with the Summilux. The only advantage with the others is size.

 

The grass is not greener on the other side. Are you unhappy with your 75? No? Then just go and shoot.

[algrove]

When confronted with the same issue, I ask myself when comparing price, "Is lens X really twice as good as lens Z?" and the answer is always, "No." In fact, the APO lenses leave me cold.

 

And I thought it was incredibly hot there?

[algrove]

I know of a 75/2.0 that will be coming up for sale perhaps in August. It has hardly been used and still has the warranty in effect. Trouble is even at a used price it will be much more than a new Summarit 75/2.5. But then again, almost new for almost 1k less than new and well taken care of might be worth it as I hear it IS the 75 to own, unless a 75/1.4 is in the cards.