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90mm Summicron Pre-ASPH


stephengv

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My mid-80’s sample (sn 3.2 million+) was bought in virtually like-new condition in the original box from Tamarkin a few years ago. I subsequently sent it to Leica NY, had it 6-bit coded and adjusted for use on my M262.

A superb lens it floats today between both my digital and film M setups. About half the time I’m using an outfit with the 75-135mm combo instead so it’s not my exclusive tele option.

At f2, the biggest factor in how good it performs will be how well adjusted it is to your cameras rangefinder if that’s the way you primarily use it. 

For a brief period of time I had the 90mm f2 APO as well. Nice lens, but not so much better that I felt the extra investment was really worth it.

This Wednesday evening I am looking forward to shooting a guitar-playing friend during an open mic night with the M6, 90mm f2 and some Kodak P3200. Should be fun.

Edited by Gregm61
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The big v2 (left) is simply my favorite 90 ever together with the R 90/2 pre-apo but it is... big indeed. I also have a v3 (same size as the apo below) which is a bit soft at f/2 and works well for portraits while it is plenty sharp at f/2.8 and on. It has a lot of CA though but it is fixable in PP. The 90/2 apo has not this problem and is sharper at f/2 but your mother in law will hate it ;) i suspect as it shows everything on not that perfect skins. Happy snaps.:)

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I use the version III, which you are looking for.

I love this lens for its sharpness and bokeh for portraits on my film MP and the APS-C Leica CL.

 

here an example with the CL wide  open:

 

 

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Edited by maron
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These two are wide open with the v3 on M6 and T-Max3200

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A couple of images from my M262 using the 90mm f2 pre-APO..

f4..

f2 and directly into the sun..

f4..

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13 hours ago, stephengv said:

I can't find a thread discussing the 90mm Summicron pre-asph. Any users of the said lens? how does it render wide open? any issues?

 I'm particularly interested in the 1980s to 1998 version. Thank you. 

In essence, the 1980-98 90mm Summicron-M is "The Poor Man's 75mm Summilux." It shares a lot of the 75's "Look" - just less extreme.

Which is not surprising - both those lenses came out of Leitz Canada in the same year. One of the "definitive" Walter Mandler Canadian designs.

It's my personal favorite among Leica 90mm lenses (except for the tiny Tele-Elmarit-M, when ultimate compactness vs speed counts).

Bokeh is generally soft and smooth, and there can be some color aberrations (purple or greenish fringes to slightly-out-of-focus areas, at larger apertures - it is definitely not APO). The wide-open sharpness is also "smooth." Some call it "soft sharpness', but to me it is simply "kind and gentle" without being "soft-focus" - it is neither an APO, nor a Thambar. At medium apertures it is very sharp, but still a bit duller and less-contrasty than its contemporary f/2.8 brothers, or the current APO. I find the 1980 version to hold its f/2.0 sharpness better in the close range ( < 2m) than the APO.

From a different angle - the 90 Summicron at f/2.0 is sharper than the Summilux at f/1.4 - but the Summilux at f/2.0 is sharper than the Summicron at f/2.0.

Of note - its general 5-element, tele, optical design has been recycled into the 90 Summarit, just reduced a half-stop. The Summarit has more contrast and similar bokeh, but is not quite as well-built, and seems to flare more at times.

As with any f/2.0 90mm, DoF is narrow, and focusing requires care. One place the Summicron outshines the Summarit is having a longer, slower, more precise focus action (180°). Test any sample on your own camera to see how the tolerances match!

Two different mechanical versions were made (identical glass and imaging, however) - an early version that takes 49mm filters and is a bit less weight, and the much more common later version that take 55mm filters, and is the size of (but 25 grams lighter than) the 90 APO-Summicron. The early version's lens hood slides back to cover the aperture ring for compactness  when retracted (which may be good or bad, depending on your point of view - it certainly forces one to pull out the lens hood).

A sample - M9, full image and crop for detail, f/2.0, E55 Canadian version. Teacher helping Student.

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A different "bokeh" sample at min-focus distance. Also M9, f/2.0, Sunflower and Oil Well.

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11 hours ago, stephengv said:

Anyone has the 85mm Tele-Tessar? how does this compare? thanks. 

Completely different lenses - f/4 vs. f/2. Really should be compared to the Leitz/Leica 90 f/4 lenses (Elmar, Elmar-C, Macro-Elmar)

85mm will mean you get a lot more in the final picture than the M 90mm framelines predict.

Haven't used the 85 TT myself, but from experience with other Zeiss ZMs and online examples, I expect it would be crisp and clear - and deliver none of what makes the 90 Summicron special (bokeh, subject separation, low-light capability). It also seems to have the same flare problem (sun just outside the picture edge) as Leica Elmarits. Something the Summicrons generally avoid in my experience.

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I got a chrome '60s II very cheaply recently (about £300 I think) and I love it. Adan is quite right - the rendering is very similar to the 75 Summilux - but it's a fraction of the cost and, for me, rather easier to focus wide open - mine has no focus shift. It IS big, but it's not as heavy as one would expect and it's beautifully built - the collapsing hood is a minor masterpiece in itself.

On the M9 Monochrom:

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Edited by Musotographer
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On the M8

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And two more

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On the Monochrom mk1

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