etienne_werner Posted March 17, 2007 Share #1 Posted March 17, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all, Tomorrow I am expected to pickup a used 2.0/90mm Summicron-M (not asp). Anyone of you have any working knowledge of this lens? Is it any good at full opening. Want to use it for portraits and perhaps some landscapes. Understand that Puts review finds the Aspherical one better. I believe he even finds the elmarit better than the cron. Anyone any thoughts? regards, Etienne Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 17, 2007 Posted March 17, 2007 Hi etienne_werner, Take a look here need advise 2.0/90mm Summicron-M. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
chrism Posted March 17, 2007 Share #2 Posted March 17, 2007 I have the non-ASPH Summicron 90 and really like it. Sharper and better contrast than the Macro Elmar M 90, so the latter is kept for use with the macro adaptor. It is quite big and a bit heavy once it is mounted though. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnoldkramer Posted March 18, 2007 Share #3 Posted March 18, 2007 I have an older 90mm Summicron (Canada) #2751551. I wish it were a bit sharper than it is, but it is still useful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterv Posted March 18, 2007 Share #4 Posted March 18, 2007 Etienne, I bought the lens second hand (marktplaats) a few months ago for my M8. It's, in my opinion, a beautiful lens. Very sharp with nice bokeh. I find that perhaps it is a bit long as a portrait lens; the effective 120 mm makes that you have to move away from your subject more than I was used to in FF. There's also the shallow DOF so you need the magnifier to make sure focus is on the eyes... All in all I'm very happy with this, now that I am learning the work with it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_dykstra Posted March 18, 2007 Share #5 Posted March 18, 2007 I had this lens for a number of years and took thousands of pro portraits with it. It is two lenses in one - soft and flattering when used wide open and plenty sharp enough at f4 and especially 5.6. It was also the most gorgeous feeling M lens I've ever had (lovely smooth action to the focus and aperture rings), though I don't know if that was unique to the particular one I had - it might be a trait for the whole series. If you are getting this at a fair price and are not looking for the extra sharpness wide open of the Asph model, then buy it and enjoy. If you change your mind, you can sell it on without much loss. Rick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Ross Posted March 18, 2007 Share #6 Posted March 18, 2007 I've had a Canadian 90/2 version 3 since 1984 and I think Rick's description is right on. I have used it with the M8 and found it quite useful and not that hard to accurately focus, without the magnifier. I do have a diopter on the viewfinder, though. There were a lot of versions of this lens made. Which one are you getting? Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakley Posted March 18, 2007 Share #7 Posted March 18, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have the non-ASPH Summicron 90 and really like it. Sharper and better contrast than the Macro Elmar M 90, so the latter is kept for use with the macro adaptor. It is quite big and a bit heavy once it is mounted though. Chris Really? The 90/4 Macro-Elmar is the sharpest Leica lens I own - sharper, for example, than the 75/2 Summicron ASPH and the 35/1.4 Summilux ASPH. It's so brutally sharp that even I (who routinely photograph 20-year-old women the way most portraitists shoot 70-year-old men) stopped using it for photos of women, because it just showed too much fine detail. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted March 18, 2007 Share #8 Posted March 18, 2007 Nothing is sharper than the 75cron, maybe the 28cron, but that's a whole different range. Even wide open, the 75cron is brutally sharp, and stopped down to an f4 it definitely is hands down sharper than anything throughout the whole distance range. And I also own a 50lux aspherical. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grober Posted March 18, 2007 Share #9 Posted March 18, 2007 I had the 90mm APO-Summicron but the 75 'Cron seems better (to me) on the M8 when photographing people. (Heck, I'm learning new uses for my 50mm lenses too: on the M8, the 67mm effective field of view is useful when photographing a couple or small family.) Don't get too sharp when shooting portraits or you'll spend extra time in front of the screen softening the final image. Also, invest in a Zeiss Softar filter and learn how to use it. There are other softening filters you could use but the Zeiss Softar is head and shoulders above the rest. It works in a unique way and, IMHO, is worth its higher price. -g Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted March 18, 2007 Share #10 Posted March 18, 2007 Etienne: Others have touched accurately on some aspects of the 90 pre-ASPH/APO cron. Very nice Bokeh at f/2 (for backgrounds - foregrounds show some bright-ring effects). Smooth operation, as mentioned. The image is a bit "loose" at f/2, but it kind of depends on the subject matter. Some things (e.g. eyes) can APPEAR very sharp at f/2 because it handles edges well - the pupil and all those radial lines in the iris e.g. - even though it is a bit soft with textures. Which is why it does do nicely as a portrait lens without really being "soft-focus" in the classic Hollywood filtration sense. Less-than-perfect skin gets smoothed, while eyes/eyelashed keep a crisp look. It does show a fair amount of chromatic aberrations - purple or green edges to bright highlights (car chrome, e.g.), and also to the edges of the blur circles in OOF areas, especially in front of the main subject - definitely NOT APO like its successor. Just something to be aware of in color work. The Leica f/2.8 90s of any generation will be sharper at f/2.8-f/4 - but it does become quite sharp at 5.6 and below, as mentioned. As a Mandler design from the Canadian works, contemporary with the 21 f/2.8 non-ASPH and 28 f/2.8 pre-Solms, it has the same somewhat yellower/greener color than the Solms designs - something I find very attractive in digital, just as I did with Velvia and other slide films. I have one. I use it if I need f/2 for either blur or low light. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
etienne_werner Posted March 18, 2007 Author Share #11 Posted March 18, 2007 Thanks all for the replies and advise. To be sure this lens will not be my primary portrait lens. I intend to get a 75mm asap. If have tested a friends 75 voigtlander last week and was very pleasantly surprised. I was sure that I wanted the Leica 75mm f2 but that would mean having to wait for the funds to become available. So for the short term I think the VC 75mm will do. As far as the Summicron 90mm is concerned and not the Asph one, I remember reading (I believe it was Sean) that with digital cameras, non-asph lenses can work to your advantage. I'm not sure that I am paraphrase this correctly, so this is my interpretation: The Asph lenses having more contrast, which works very well with film, may have the disadvantage when it comes to DR with the digital cameras. I'm not sure from which specific generation the 2.0/90mm Summicron-M is but the ser.# is 3473916 and according to the seller it is in very good condition. The price is Euro 780. I will test the lens on the M8 before buying it, as I have seen a number of lenses (including my 50mm nokton) just not focus correctly. Well thanks again, Kind regards, Etienne Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrism Posted March 18, 2007 Share #12 Posted March 18, 2007 From the serial it was built in 1988, and is one of the third type of Summicron 90's. It should have a built in hood, and, again from the serial, a 55mm filter thread rather than the earlier 49mm. Same as mine! Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted March 18, 2007 Share #13 Posted March 18, 2007 Etienne, keep it. Use it. Love it. Just be aware that it is a bit susceptible to flare and glare in backlit and high contrast situations (that hood is really ridiculous). And that C/V 75 is a really good lens and actually pocketable. My street combo is 28 + 75, and 35 + 90 for general country use. To my mind, 35 mm on the digital format is more useable than a standard "50 mm" on film – 47 mm equivalent as against 52. The old man from the Age of Folding Cameras Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted March 18, 2007 Share #14 Posted March 18, 2007 The price of 780 Euro might be a bit steep for this lens unles it includes VAT. You may want to do a search on Ebay to get an idea of the selling prices. The M8 has driven lens prices up quite a bit lately and the price may be fair. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark D Posted March 18, 2007 Share #15 Posted March 18, 2007 This is a M8 JPEG with no adjustments except reduced in size. Lens is a 90mm 2.0. PS this is the first time I have tried to attach an image so it might not work Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/19097-need-advise-2090mm-summicron-m/?do=findComment&comment=204940'>More sharing options...
norm_snyder Posted March 18, 2007 Share #16 Posted March 18, 2007 Eitenne-- I have used the 90 Summicron for some years, first on the M2/M6 and now the M8. While I, too, find it a bit long for portraits, it has been very useful for stage/club photography. The attached was shot at approx f2.4, and it did to the background just what I would hope. That said, I may be ordering the 75 on my 30% off from Leica, as the 100mm [approximate] equivalent on the M8 will possibly work better for me. I would echo others' suggestion to consider the Canadian Summicron, but also suggestion to check prices as they have come down a bit recently in the States [currently 650-700 US], and I suspect on the continent, as well. --Norm Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/19097-need-advise-2090mm-summicron-m/?do=findComment&comment=204988'>More sharing options...
etienne_werner Posted March 18, 2007 Author Share #17 Posted March 18, 2007 Well Just got back from testing and buying the Summicron 90mm. It is a Canadian buildt lens. It feels great but is very difficult to focus properly. My eye sight is in need of the 1.25 X magnifier. When I do get it in focus, it is very sharp. I haven't had any flares yet. As far as the price is concerned.... Yes I probably paid to much. I had already talk the price down from 850 to 780 euro's and after reading here that it might still be to much, I intended to negotiate it further. Well at least that was the idea. When I found out that the photographer selling the lens was working as a navy photographer (covering Afghanistan and Iraq) with whom my agency has many dealings, I just left the price as agreed before. Here is a picture which I made with the new lens at the beach. As you can see there is quite a heavy storm. Thanks all for the great advise. Kind regards, Etienne Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/19097-need-advise-2090mm-summicron-m/?do=findComment&comment=205152'>More sharing options...
etienne_werner Posted March 18, 2007 Author Share #18 Posted March 18, 2007 Eitenne-- I have used the 90 Summicron for some years, first on the M2/M6 and now the M8. While I, too, find it a bit long for portraits, it has been very useful for stage/club photography. The attached was shot at approx f2.4, and it did to the background just what I would hope. That said, I may be ordering the 75 on my 30% off from Leica, as the 100mm [approximate] equivalent on the M8 will possibly work better for me. I would echo others' suggestion to consider the Canadian Summicron, but also suggestion to check prices as they have come down a bit recently in the States [currently 650-700 US], and I suspect on the continent, as well. --Norm Norman, That is a very nice and moody picture. It must have been hell focusing in that light? kind regards, Etienne Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
norm_snyder Posted March 19, 2007 Share #19 Posted March 19, 2007 Thanks Etienne-- I really liike the beach/storm/lighthouse photo. There is something about the shore--makes for great photo opportunities [maybe because there is so much less background clutter]. As for the photo--yes, it is sometimes hard to focus. I tend to use the edge of the focusing rectangle as a split image rangefinder, rather than using to coincidence of the two images inside the rangefinder patch, when I'm shooting in low light. In this case, I rotated the camera slightly, and focused on the bridge of the singer's nose. I still get some misses [maybe more often than when my eyes were younger] and suppose I'll have to order the 1.25x finder magnifier. Enjoy the lens. It really is a dual character optic, as others have noted. It's great for portraits and stopped down a couple of stops, very sharp. Regards, Norm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
l.ceva Posted March 19, 2007 Share #20 Posted March 19, 2007 I have this lens and it works perfectly on my M8. It is a bit heavy but in my opinion this helps balancing the camera in my hands! ciao Lorenzo http://www.lorenzocevavalla.it Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/19097-need-advise-2090mm-summicron-m/?do=findComment&comment=205632'>More sharing options...
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