szabokristof Posted August 31, 2017 Share #1 Posted August 31, 2017 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi All, Which fast lens do you use for portrait on the T, TL, TL2? If you have sample images please show us. What do you think about the: - Voigtlander 50mm f1.1 - Leica Noctilux f1 - Leica Noctilux f0.95 - 7artisans 50mm f1.1 - Nikkor 50mm f1.2 - Canon 50mm f0.95 Any other good, fast portrait lens which can mount with an adapter on the T, TL, TL2? Not fast, but native Leica APO-Macro-Elmarit-TL 60mm f/2.8 ASPH lens for portrait? Not fast, not prime, but what do you think the native Leica APO-Vario-Elmar-T 55-135mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH lens for portrait? Any other good, fast portrait lens which can mount with an adapter on the T, TL, TL2? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 31, 2017 Posted August 31, 2017 Hi szabokristof, Take a look here Fast portrait lens for T, TL, TL2. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Lazytiger Posted August 31, 2017 Share #2 Posted August 31, 2017 You're missing the Lux 50 ASPH. Perfect as a 75mm equivalent. Small. Very sharp wide open. Most beautiful Bokeh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted August 31, 2017 Share #3 Posted August 31, 2017 I own some 50s with M mount but on the TL my favorite lenses for portraits of my kids are either the 35/1.4TL, the 55-135 (which I find very usefull), and I have lately added the 60/2.8. The 35mm TL is not a typical portrait focal length but for my type of shooting I like it and it has a very nice drawing. If I use the TL I wat AF, so I wouldnt mess with my 50APO on the TL, even though it might work very well too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
szabokristof Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share #4 Posted August 31, 2017 I own some 50s with M mount but on the TL my favorite lenses for portraits of my kids are either the 35/1.4TL, the 55-135 (which I find very usefull), and I have lately added the 60/2.8. The 35mm TL is not a typical portrait focal length but for my type of shooting I like it and it has a very nice drawing. If I use the TL I wat AF, so I wouldnt mess with my 50APO on the TL, even though it might work very well too. Which do you prefer, the 60 f2.8 or the 55-135? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
szabokristof Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share #5 Posted August 31, 2017 Maybe the upcoming APO-SUMMICRON-SL 75 f/2 ASPH will be a good solution. What do you think? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropo54 Posted August 31, 2017 Share #6 Posted August 31, 2017 You have got many choices that are excellent. If you want autofocus the 35 1.4 TL is superb. The 60 2.8 TL is as well, but I would prefer the faster speed of the 35 1.4. The 60 2.8 tends to hunt a bit in less than optimum lighting. But, do you want a 50mm perspective or a 90mm perspective? The 75 f2 is extremely well regarded. I preferred the 90 f2 AA, but that is just me. If you are at all budget conscious, 2 great options are the Zeiss 50mm f2 planar and/or the Voigtlander 75 1.8 or 2.5 (not used either of these). The Zeiss and Voigtlander, combined will cost approximately 50% of the Leica 75 or 90. A favorite of mine (which I will never trade out) is the R80 1.4, which will give you magnificent bokeh wide open and will be very sharp when stopped down. The equivalent M lens is the 75 1.4, which will cost 2x the price of the R80 and render a similar output. Both of these will give you images that are quite similar to that of the noctilux series of lenses, at a fraction of the cost. If you like/want that look definitely opt for one of these. Then, there is the 50 summilux and summicrons. Both highly regarded. Like I said . . . all good choices for you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazytiger Posted September 1, 2017 Share #7 Posted September 1, 2017 Advertisement (gone after registration) Seconding the Lux-R 80. Just be aware that you have a special glow when used wide open, that is gone at f4. Which can be used for a beautiful effect similar to the also quite soft Nocti. Lux 50 ASPH is absolutely sharp wide open. I use this for men and 80R for females, at f2-2.8, as a general approach. Could also stop the 80 down for males, but then I also prefer the less glorifying effect of shorter angles on men. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkarusJohn Posted September 1, 2017 Share #8 Posted September 1, 2017 These are very lomg lenses to use on the TL. The 80 Summilux-R has an effective focal lenght of 120mm ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted September 1, 2017 Share #9 Posted September 1, 2017 You can use any focal lengths for portraits, but IMO 50mm (75mm equiv) is too short to be referred to as a portrait lens: it takes too much effort (which is distracting when interacting with a portrait subject) to avoid unwanted distortion. Of course, if distortion is part of the effect you are after, then 50mm is fine. I haven't had the TL2 long enough to use it for portraits (and I will continue to use the SL for most portraits), but AF options are limited to the 60mm TL and the SL lenses. I find the SL zooms manageable on the TL2, but I am always aware that they are a mismatch. The smaller upcoming 75mm SL may be the answer, but it will still be large compared to the TL2. Personally I would prefer to have a lens that is better matched in size to the TL2, so would pick the Apo-Summicron-M 75mm rather than an R equivalent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted September 1, 2017 Share #10 Posted September 1, 2017 These are very lomg lenses to use on the TL. The 80 Summilux-R has an effective focal lenght of 120mm ... Perfect for a distortion-free head and shoulders portrait! I've known someone use a 300mm lens for portraits (full frame), but that was a bit OTT. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazytiger Posted September 1, 2017 Share #11 Posted September 1, 2017 You can use any focal lengths for portraits, but IMO 50mm (75mm equiv) is too short to be referred to as a portrait lens: it takes too much effort (which is distracting when interacting with a portrait subject) to avoid unwanted distortion. Of course, if distortion is part of the effect you are after, then 50mm is fine. Perfect for a distortion-free head and shoulders portrait! I've known someone use a 300mm lens for portraits (full frame), but that was a bit OTT. Depends on how you define distortion. Long lenses "distort" by making things flat. Which generally looks flattering, but rarely characteristic. So it depends on what you're after in a portrait. 50mm (75 equiv) can be a perfect compromise between characteristic and flattering. No ugly distortion (unless you go really close that is), but not too much 2D compression either. I agree that 120mm equiv is far from "too long" and can give very nice results, especially with females. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted September 1, 2017 Share #12 Posted September 1, 2017 By distortion I mean big nearer shoulders, big noses and big nearer ears. Best avoided on men and women IMO (YMMV) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted September 1, 2017 Share #13 Posted September 1, 2017 Which do you prefer, the 60 f2.8 or the 55-135? they are both very good, with just a1/2 stop difference the 55-135 is offering much more flexibility due to its zoom function. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazytiger Posted September 1, 2017 Share #14 Posted September 1, 2017 By distortion I mean big nearer shoulders, big noses and big nearer ears. Best avoided on men and women IMO (YMMV) With 35mm yes, if you get too close. 50mm a little. With 75mm? Not for my eyes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted September 1, 2017 Share #15 Posted September 1, 2017 With 35mm yes, if you get too close. 50mm a little. With 75mm? Not for my eyes. Oh, you don't know me - I can get big shoulder syndrome with a 75mm without effort. Sure, a bit of extra skill and care can avoid it, but (again IMO) I would rather not have to worry about it - hence my preference for 90mm as a 'portrait' lens. Which is not the same as declaring that lenses shorter than 90mm cannot be used for portraits. I was simply responding to the OP's request for recommendations for a 'portrait' lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
szabokristof Posted September 4, 2017 Author Share #16 Posted September 4, 2017 Thank you for all the suggestions and the opinion. I wish I can use native AF lens for short telephoto and portrait usage on my TL2. Now the only choices are: APO-Macro-Elmarit-TL 60mm f/2.8 ASPH (Maybe a little slow, but I get a macro lens) Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (Great, but the size is HUGE for the TL2) APO-Vario-Elmar-T 55-135mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH (This would be the best, but very slow) APO-SUMMICRON-SL 75 f/2 ASPH (Maybe this will be the solution, but the size and the weight and the price is unknown yet) I use my TL2 mainly for traveling. I like to travel light, so my main lens (and now the only for the TL2) is the Summicron 23. I need a wide lens (It will be the 11-23. Not fast, but very sharp and there is no native wide alternative) and I need a tele lens. I do not want to travel more than 3 lens. Because of this I have to choose one tele lens. The 55-135 would be the best for travel because the versatility (now I biased to this direction a little bit), but it is slow. The 60mm macro is a good compromise, but maybe I will miss the longer side and not much faster than the 55-135. What do you think? Sometimes, when I not travel with the TL2 I will use it for portraits, but this usage is very rare. Not so easy decision. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwolfy Posted September 4, 2017 Share #17 Posted September 4, 2017 55-135mm is not that slow ! If you mainly do outdoor shoots during daylight it will be perfect. Only you can decided if you favor daylight versatility versus lens speed. My aim is to use my T system for traveling too so I went this way : 11-23 for ultra wide to normal (23mm is equiv to 35mm in FF) 35 f1.4 for a very fast normal lens (about 50mm in FF) which I will use only for low light or when I need a 50mm field of view. And 55-135 for portrait and long reach. I was unsure about the 23mm f2 vs the 35mm f1.4 but decided on the 35mm f1.4. I guess for traveling purpose the 35mm f1.4 may be exchanged for a 23mm f1.4 if this lens is made one day for more versatility. I think the 23 f2 should have been enough for what I do but finally I got traped again by the speed factor 11-23 is just amazing ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS Posted September 4, 2017 Share #18 Posted September 4, 2017 Will my S70mm f2.5 AF on the TL2......with the Leica SL to S adapter neil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VVJ Posted September 4, 2017 Share #19 Posted September 4, 2017 I just traveled with the 3 zooms and the 23mm, a pretty versatile combination. If purely for travel I wouldn't bother with the 35mm or the 60mm. I would buy the 11-23mm first, then the 18-56mm and at that time determine whether you really need the 55-135. I personally use the 55-135 very little even though it is a very good lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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