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APSC Portrait lens for CL


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Hello...I'm looking for a portrait lens with AF for my CL and would like to hear from you on your choice of lens. I already have a few M mount lens + not really want to carry the weight of the SL lens, this narrows down my choice to just 2 lens - the TL 60mm and the TL 55-135mm. Neither one is very fast, but I think they are adequate.

The main purpose of this lens would be for non-studio portrait. I will double-duty the 60 as a macro lens, and the long zoom as a landscape lens when opportunity arises or when I seek a diversion.

I searched this forum, flickr, etc, but didn't see discussions/samples of these lens as applicable to portrait use.

Appreciate your comment and advice. Thank you.

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Thank you both of you for your replies.

meerec: I did research the SL lens and haven't heard anything but praise for the 75. However, I plan to use the CL as my travel kit and keep things light. 

justbananas: the TL 60 is expensive for me too. I'm buying a used copy so it'll help. 

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I have the 60TL, but don't have the 55-135TL. The 60TL is my portrait lens for the CL (see here).
I also have the 90SL for portraits which is fabulous on the SL but IMO negates the advantages of the CL when used on the latter body (and it's the same size as the 75SL).

One can argue (I wouldn't) that you will get much better images by using the SL lens (the difference is small and, IMO, irrelevant to getting a good portrait), or that the extra aperture is a real advantage, but I find in portraiture that the size and weight of your equipment makes a difference: lightweight makes it easier to swing around in informal work, and subjects (esp children and amateurs) react to a large piece of black kit being swung around in their vicinity.

Edited by LocalHero1953
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LocalHero1953: Thank you! Both samples are wonderful. I went thru the decision between CL vs SL not long ago and decided that at this point, the CL would work better for me. The SL seems a wonderful camera / system that I got distracted but finally swung back to my original purpose of reducing the weight. The SL may be in my future.

Jacek.PL: Thank you for the samples. I already have the TL35 and am loving it. It's such a wonderful lens, isn't it? SL90 definitely seems like a great lens for portraiture. 

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3 hours ago, CatWorthy said:

Jacek.PL: Thank you for the samples. I already have the TL35 and am loving it. It's such a wonderful lens, isn't it? SL90 definitely seems like a great lens for portraiture. 

CatWorthy

All Leica lenses are great.

Next example:

TL60/2.8 macro

and SL90/2
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Allow me to answer from a quite opposite direction: despite kids portrait AF was never of relevance for me, but what matters with family portrait and with models too was SIZE. For the model it is a different story if you position a 90mm SL lens or a little 35/50 M-lens. The first one is a kind of intruder and the latter a cute little gem. From model‘s perspective. Do not forget the distance to model with 90mm (effective 135). In LFI master shots CL you can find one portrait I made with such small lens. 

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vor 3 Minuten schrieb PDP:

Allow me to answer from a quite opposite direction: despite kids portrait AF was never of relevance for me, but what matters with family portrait and with models too was SIZE. For the model it is a different story if you position a 90mm SL lens or a little 35/50 M-lens. The first one is a kind of intruder and the latter a cute little gem. From model‘s perspective. Do not forget the distance to model with 90mm (effective 135). In LFI master shots CL you can find one portrait I made with such small lens. 

Peruke show with an older 50 summicron

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On 8/5/2019 at 10:17 AM, justbananas said:

I’d love to hear what you think of it when you get it

justbananas: I haven't had a chance to fulling test it, but here're my first impression:

The good...build is fine, not over-build hence not heavy, but not plasticky either. Image quality is good with nice details. Produce nice colors but doesn't de-throne the 35 in this regard.

The not so good...I'm surprised to find the focusing on the slow side, slower than the 35 1.4 especially in dim light despite being a lighter lens. Sometimes it hunts a bit before settling. At minimum focuing distance or close to it, sometimes it missed the subject entirely and instead focused on the  object behind it in the background. On this point, I need to mention that I'm not a macro shooter and do not know much about it. 

I'm attaching a snapshot example for you. I took this lens out on the street today. He was playing blues with a slide guitar, and pretty good at it. The light was harsh, the background bad, and I couldn't move him. 

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!

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Change the focus to point focus. I’m sure that will effectively speed up focusing. 

All macro means is the lens can focus much much much much closer to the front of the lens. Some macro lenses produce a 1:1 image and some don’t.

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11 hours ago, justbananas said:

...

All macro means is the lens can focus much much much much closer to the front of the lens. Some macro lenses produce a 1:1 image and some don’t.

Maybe to the non-technically inclined. :)

The macro magnification range is generally defined to be 1:4 down to 1:1 in most texts on the subject. A proper macro lens is one that has been corrected to perform especially well in this range, sometimes at the expense of performance at lower magnifications. 

Of course, the marketing geeks of the world have diluted these precise definitions such that many lenses which simply can focus close are labeled Macro and the word has mostly lost its specific meaning now. I'm pretty sure, however, that when Leica labels a lens as a macro lens, they mean it per the proper definition of what macro is supposed to be, and the Leica macro lenses have always been superb performers ... all of them ... and usually at all focus distances. :D

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