New: Leica Summilux-M 90 mm f/1.5 ASPH

[dritz]

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2 minutes ago, dem331 said:

My feelings exactly.  A pure EVF M is coming or the M line is now the MF SL line 

For SL users, why not get the awesome 100 Summicron-S?  Yes, a stop slower, slow-as-snot autofocus performance but lovely humane images.  And not vignetting on the SL. And used, less than half the price of this new beast. The brilliance of APO isn't ideal for portraits.

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[wlaidlaw]

I don't think the 90/1.5 is going to be nearly as difficult to focus as some folks imagine. I have just been trying my 85/1.5 Summarex, which cannot be much different at all to the 90/1.5. I have tried on three different M cameras (I know from past experience, it is quite difficult, other than in very good light, on any LTM camera older than a IIIg). The easiest by some margin is my M3 with an 0.92x viewfinder and newly back from service by Alan Starkie. The next is my M7 with an 0.72x finder, again recently cleaned and serviced and last by a very small margin, is my M240 with an 0.68x finder but none of them are actually difficult even in artificial light. I cross checked with live view on the M240 and RF focus was accurate within about ±1cm at 2 metres distance. 

Wilson

Edited December 12, 2019 by wlaidlaw
Typo

[Edax]

Why not skip the M-adapter L and release it in L-mount only 🤣

[wlaidlaw]

4 minutes ago, Edax said:

Why not skip the M-adapter L and release it in L-mount only 🤣

That is what superglue is for 😎

[Edax]

2 minutes ago, wlaidlaw said:

That is what superglue is for 😎

L-mount version would transfer aperture accurately etc. not possible with super glue...

IMHO the latest two M lenses (Noctilux 75 and this one) were designed to be used on a SL(2) body, but were (to keep the M folks happy) released in M-mount.

Not sure if this is the way to go for M. I for certain would have preferred a new version of e.g. a 75/2 which doesn't need a check of 1000 copies to find a good one.

[wlaidlaw]

12 minutes ago, Edax said:

 

I for certain would have preferred a new version of e.g. a 75/2 which doesn't need a check of 1000 copies to find a good one.

I gave up and have bought a 7Artisans 75/f1.25 which is far better than it has any right to be for the very modest price. I much prefer its rendition to my unloved and rarely used 75/2.5 Summarit.  7Artisans acknowledge that getting these lenses to focus and match RF to optical focus perfectly is very difficult and give you the tool to adjust it yourself. With a live view M camera, this is really very easy and only takes about 20 minutes of trial and error, rather than a trip back to Leica as both my new 50/.95 Noctilux and 35/2 ASPH Summicron required. The only thing is to keep a note of the distance in mm of each adjustment of the RF ring and whether clockwise or anti-clockwise or it is easy to make the focus worse instead of better. I used a 0.005mm Mitutoyo dial gauge to get the adjustment perfect but that is probably over-kill. 

Wilson

 

[frame-it]

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29 minutes ago, Edax said:

 but were (to keep the M folks happy) released in M-mount.

Not sure if this is the way to go for M.

or perhaps a sign of another M with OVF + high-rez hybrid EVF

Edited December 13, 2019 by frame-it

[hillavoider]

this is a much better option for SL/SL2 owners for literally 1/10 of the price LOL https://www.sigmaphoto.com/105mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-a

[darylgo]

Too big and heavy for an M, but I can't help but want it or the 75mm Noctilux.  

It's a crowded field for Leica with three 75's and four 90's.  

[geddon_jt]

Hoping for Jono Slack's impressions of this lens soon... and of course his consistently incredible sample photos

[Herr Barnack]

$12,995 USD and 35.6 U.S. ounces?

Pass.

[cirke]

When I see the MTF , it is below my Sony 85 1.4 GM autofocus and costs 1500 €
I no longer understand what Leica does or how they justify these prices

[frame-it]

12 hours ago, wattsy said:

The problem IMO is that it is wasted on a tiny piece of film or dreary 35mm digital.

but on the rumored 40++MP monochrom ?

[luigi bertolotti]

I admire the precision of the engravings of the DOF at 1,5/2/4  (skipping 2,8 for lack of space) .  

Form the official datasheets the lens' schema looks 100% identical to the Noctilux 75. 

[wattsy]

2 hours ago, frame-it said:

but on the rumored 40++MP monochrom ?

What about it? It's still 35mm digital, however many pixels it might use.

[luigi bertolotti]

16 hours ago, wattsy said:

I'm sure it's a terrific portrait lens. The problem IMO is that it is wasted on a tiny piece of film or dreary 35mm digital.

By sure, a 90 1,5 would be exciting as a WA for 13x18  ….

[UliWer]

vor 11 Stunden schrieb wlaidlaw:

i don't think the 90/1.5 is going to be nearly as difficult to focus as some folks imagine. I have just been trying my 85/1.5 Summarex, which cannot be much different at all to the 90/1.5....

There is an important difference: Wide open the Summarex is very, very soft, so  you do not see a sharp decline between sharpness and unsharpness. Therefore it does not matter so much, if you misfocus with a Summarex. 
Even Max Berek described this effect in the early 30s when the „highly opened“ 1:2.5/5cm Hektor was introduced. 

[UliWer]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb luigi bertolotti:

Form the official datasheets the lens' schema looks 100% identical to the Noctilux 75. 

75mm 9 lenses, 90mm 8 lenses.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[wlaidlaw]

30 minutes ago, UliWer said:

There is an important difference: Wide open the Summarex is very, very soft, so  you do not see a sharp decline between sharpness and unsharpness. Therefore it does not matter so much, if you misfocus with a Summarex. 
Even Max Berek described this effect in the early 30s when the „highly opened“ 1:2.5/5cm Hektor was introduced. 

I was expecting the Summarex to be very soft wide open but in practice, that is not the case. It is surprising sharp in the centre, albeit with some inevitable fall off and vignetting to the corners. I was also expecting it to be low contrast like my similar period Summarit 50/1.5 but the contrast is considerably higher than the Summarit. I suspect the reputation for the Summarex comes from Erwin Puts, where I think he was a bit unkind about it but even he described the image quality wide open as modest and not very very soft. 

Wilson

[hossegor]

for that price , weight and size I´ll pass. 

i could get an Otus 85 and use it together with a 90 elmarit depending on what i need, and will probably even be better.