75mm ??? Voigtlander 75mm 1.8 or 2.5, Leica Summarit 2.4 or 2.5, etc.

[colonel]

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Its hard to believe I have never had a 75mm lens before .....

 

I want one now as a mild telephoto street lens for even tighter and more claustrophobic pics then I obtain from my 50mm

 

The question is which one !!!

 

I don't want to spend a tonne, otherwise I would jump on a 75mm f1.4 or f2 APO

 

I also want reasonably not too heavy

 

My summary from reading alone is:

 

1. Voigtlander 75mm f1.8: Low contrast. Unsharp but flattering f2 and below. f2.8 and above very sharp with sides sharp at f8

 

2. Voigtlander 75 f2.5: Medium sharp from go. Lowish contrast. Small and light.

 

3. Summarit 2.4 & 2.5: Very sharp. High contrast. Light

 

I keep bouncing between voigt 1.8 and Summarit 2.5 ..

 

Does anyone have, or has had both, and can comment on final keeper !! (trying to avoid my normal procedure of flipping every lens on the market until I decide!!!)

 

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[jip]

I vouch for any of the Summarit 2.4 lenses. They are all stunning! 

 

The 2.5 I've never liked, they always felt flimsy and not up to Leica standards. The 2.4 series does feel more robust. 

[colonel]

Interesting

 

I vouch for any of the Summarit 2.4 lenses. They are all stunning!

 

The 2.5 I've never liked, they always felt flimsy and not up to Leica standards. The 2.4 series does feel more robust.

 

Basically I can get a Summarit 2.5 for 49% more then the Voigt 1.8 and a Summarit 2.4 for 89% more

 

If the voigt was the same weight as the Summarit I would have already bought it, as I can correct contrast post photo. Although the idea that the Voigtlander is two lenses in one is very appealing (flattering portrait below 2.8)

 

The weight difference is one thing making me hang on - perhaps the difference will be negligible ....

Edited January 17, 2018 by colonel

[TomB_tx]

I have the Voigtlander 2.5 as my only 75 lens, but I have the 35, 50, & 90 Summarit 2.5s. I think the Voigtlander images are easily comparable - at least for the sample I have. Of course it is LTM and needs an adapter.

[lct]

I have no experience with CV 75mm lenses but my Summarit 75/2.5 is one of those very few lenses making me believe that it is almost perfect... Sharp at all apertures, negligible vignetting, flare, distortion and CA, it shows no flaw whatsoever on my M240, M8.2, CL, Fuji X-E2 and Sony A7s mod bodies. Only con is its 0.9m MFD but the Summarit 75/2.4 fixes that. Remains the lack of buit-in hood but the only Leica 75's having one are Summilux 75/1.4 v2 & v3 and Summicron 90/2 apo which are more bulky and more expensive as you know. BTW new in box 75/2.5 copies are still sold for less than 1000 EUR by pro dealers on e**y. I have one of these, with full Leica guaranty, and contrary to what jip wrote above, my copy doesn't feel flimsy at all and looks really up to the Leica standards. More so than my Summicron 75/2 apo which focusing action doesn't feel as smooth as that of my Summarit i must say.

[01af]

Another vote for the marvellous Summarit-M 75 mm! Despite the difference in the nominal speeds, the 75/2.5 and 75/2.4 are the same lens, optically. The only difference is the minumum focus distances (0.9 m vs 0.7 m).

 

I cannot recommend the Apo-Summicron-M 75 mm Asph. It has an exceptionally even sharpness from center to edge, a creamy bokeh, and virtually no vignetting. But it is almost impossible to focus accurately at portrait distance, it flares badly even in mild back-light situations, and the ridiculous hood, while convenient, is next to useless. At full aperture, the Summarit is even sharper in the frame's center than the Apo-Summicron at f/2.4 but the Apo-Summicron's field is more even—i. e. less fall-off towards the edges. So it's hard to tell which one is 'the better lens' in terms of sharpness ... both are better, each in its way ;-) The Summarit, however, clearly is the better lens in terms of handling, usability, value for money, and flare.

 

With Summarit, Apo-Summicron, and Summilux (and soon, Noctilux) to choose from, it never occurred to me to look deeper into the Voigtländer offerings.

[LucisPictor]

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I would defend my CV 2.5/75 in any fight.

Never had any problems. Sharp and contrasty enough for all my needs. Nicely sized and not too expensive. For me, it's close to perfect.

[mdemeyer]

Have to agree on the CV 2.5. I love mine for portraits and I think I paid $250 for a copy is nicely brassed but had perfect optics. Tiny as well. It’s better, in my experience, as a close-in lens, though. I’ve never been quite satisfied with the performance at infinity for landscapes, even at F5.6. Not bad, but I always feel like I’d like a bit more bite there.

Edited January 17, 2018 by mdemeyer

[oldwino]

I was disappointed in the copy of the CV 75/2.5 I tried. Just “blah”wide open. The 75 Summarit is much better at all apertures.

[Gregm61]

I own a couple different 75's.

 

If cheap is the priority, Voigtlander is the only way to go. I have the 75mm f1.8 VM. Nice lens.

 

If you like having lenses that auto connect to the camera via the 6 bit coding (non-coded lenses like the above CV and having to remember to manually set the "right" lens is a royal PITA) Leica is your choice pool.

 

I also have the APO Summicron and it is a love/hate affair. Sharp as a tack when focused accurately, but can be a frustrating experience as the focus throw is so short, it just takes being off a hair for focus to not be right, and it's easy to be off even if the lens and camera and accurately calibrated. Regarding distant subjects, one cannot just set the APO Summicron to infinity if you are shooting a subject where you think it's far enough away that the infinity setting should cover it. I often wind up with landscapes out of focus because the two rangefinder images actually come together JUST short of infinity, and I mean a tiny, macro amount short of infinity, and the Summicron is a relatively heavy/dense lens for its' size. Good to help steady the camera and not heavy compared to a 70-200mm f2.8 for sure, but if the idea is to keep the weight moderate, the 75/2.4 Summarit is the better call. I also would prefer the longer, screw-in hood of the 75mm f2.4 Summarit. I'm no filter user and the retractable, shorter hood of the APO Summicron is less than optimal.

 

I have often considered picking up the 75mm f2.4 Summarit due to everything positive you read about it anywhere you care to look for reviews/overviews.

 

If it were me buying my first 75 today knowing what I know now, the 75mm f2.4 would be the choice 10 times out of 10. I may just do that anyway as the 75 is one-third of my every day outfit along with the 35mm f1.4 and 21mm f3.4.

Edited January 17, 2018 by Gregm61

[garysamson]

I have the 75mm f1.8 Voigtlander lens and it is heavy but I would not describe it as a low contrast lens. It has a lovely rendering wide open for portraits and by f5.6 very sharp. There is some chromatic aberration that is easily corrected in Lightroom. I like the speed of this lens when light levels are low and if you are making portraits it's a good choice for the price point.

[lucerne]

I'm currently touring Kerala with an M10 + the Leica Summarit 75/f2.5. I ignore all forum observations about poor construction. I've had no problems using it throughout Asia in the past 4 years. It's great value, very sharp, relatively light, and a stellar performer. I don't use a lens shade and despite this region being very hot and bright, I get no flare.

[Lukas F.]

Another vote for the marvellous Summarit-M 75 mm! Despite the difference in the nominal speeds, the 75/2.5 and 75/2.4 are the same lens, optically. The only difference is the minumum focus distances (0.9 m vs 0.7 m).

IIRC another difference is that the previous generation of the Summarits takes 39mm filters, while the current generation (i.e. the one with 2.4 as maximum apterture) takes 46mm filters. However, that might not be relevant for colonel anyway.

[a.noctilux]

IIRC another difference is that the previous generation of the Summarits takes 39mm filters, while the current generation (i.e. the one with 2.4 as maximum apterture) takes 46mm filters. However, that might not be relevant for colonel anyway.

 

The first generation Summarit-M (f/2.5) only 35mm and 50mm take E39 filters.

The other long 75mm and 90mm take E46 filters.

 

See Wiki, here for details of 2.5/75mm : https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/75mm_f/2.5_Summarit-M

more ...

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/images/9/96/Summarit-M_75_en.pdf

 

...

While new generation f/2.4 Summarit-M, all four types take E46 filters.

Edited January 18, 2018 by a.noctilux

[Archiver]

I have the Summarit 2.5 and the Voigtlander 2.5.  The CV is lighter and slightly shorter than the Summarit and is honestly excellent.  It's sharp, has decent contrast, and the extra grams can mean something if you're toting gear for the whole day.

 

Having said that, I think the Summarit 2.5 has better image quality, particularly in the bokeh.  Summarit bokeh is really smooth and gentle, moreso than the CV 2.5.  I have no problem with the build quality of the Summarit 2.5, either.  I hardly use my CV 2/5 now that I have the Summarit.  Some of this may be placebo/cognitive dissonance, though. 

 

It's funny that you bring up this topic because today I'm looking at the CV f1.8 as a faster alternative to the Summarit 2.5.  In the future, I'd like to be able to shoot at 75mm in lower light situations, possibly with a 25/50/75 kit.  I've already settled on the 25mm Biogon, 50mm C Sonnar, now just tossing up between the Summarit and the CV 1.8.

[Raid Amin]

I like using my Summilux 75/1.4. It is an awesome lens. It is my only 75mm lens. With other cameras, I like using a Zeiss Planar 85/1.4 and a Canon 85/1.2L.

I have no experience with the other 75mm lenses mentioned here.

[derleicaman]

Had the 75 Summilux years ago and regret selling it. I had one recently that I sold for a friend, and it reminded me while playing with it, that it is a heavy lens and not the easiest to get sharp focus with. It really needs to be optimized to the camera for best results.

 

I own the CV 75/2.5 and the Summarit 2.5. Absolutely nothing wrong with the CV lens. It performs well and is certainly a bargain. However, a new Summarit came up on ebay about two years ago and I picked it up for under $ 800! Brand new! This lens is simply stellar. One of the best lenses I have and I take it with me all the time. It seems there are no such bargains currently. They seem to be going for around $ 1,200 new these days, but that is still a huge bargain.

Edited January 18, 2018 by derleicaman

[Ko.Fe.]

Telephoto street ... it commands lightweight, small size and aperture doesn't need to be fast.  IMO.

HCB telephoto street was 90mm. 90mm collapsible Elmar-M is sufficient. Even on digital. Even at F4. IMO. And it is compact then collapsed and both caps are on. 

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[spydrxx]

I've been impressed with the CV 2.5. I picked up a used copy for under $300 which has proven itself many times over. I've had no issues with my copy and I like its compactness as well as its rendering. I rarely shoot wide open (where it is definitely lower contrast), but closed a notch, it has nice contrast and is quite sharp centrally. I've recently been using it also on my m4/3 body where it has also shone, especially in B&W shots.

[adan]

I cannot recommend the Apo-Summicron-M 75 mm Asph. ...... At full aperture, the Summarit is even sharper in the frame's center than the Apo-Summicron at f/2.4 but the Apo-Summicron's field is more even—i. e. less fall-off towards the edges. So it's hard to tell which one is 'the better lens' in terms of sharpness ... both are better, each in its way ;-) The Summarit, however, clearly is the better lens in terms of handling, usability, value for money, and flare.

 

Oddly, I was just comparing a 75 f/2 with my 75 f/2.4 - and it was the APO-Summicron that went rather blurry and streaky at the edges of the pictures. But we know the Summicron's FLE is prone to getting out of whack, so I'll put it down to sample variation.

 

Anyway, another vote for the Summarit. An almost flawless lens - the barest touch of red fringing from long. CA wide-open (irrelevant in B&W). I favor the f/2.4 for the tight framing to 0.7 meters, but the f/2.5 is the exact same lens otherwise in terms of imaging.

 

I don't do a lot of "street" photography, but here are a couple that sort of qualify,  with the Summarit 75 (2.4, then 2.5) - nice people lens:

 

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  Edited January 18, 2018 by adan