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Focusing a 75mm Summilux f/1.4


andba

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In my opinion, if using any rangefinder with this lens, the camera and lens must be perfectly adjusted to each other (or both to factory specs) at the distance you are shooting at. If this is 2 meters then the two must be exactly together at 2m. While I have had this work for me, I find the cameras will drift over time and resetting the focus is not that easy.

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I have used .85x bodies and 1.25x, 1.4x magnifiers on film but ultimately as nice as the Summilux it was too much of a hassle. I currently have the Summarex and the lens shines with live view focusing on the M10M and I know the SL2 would be perfect for these lenses. I haven’t succumbed to temptation yet but really live view is the way to go. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I’ve had this lens for a number of years now. As others have mentioned it can be a tricky beast. Even on digital. Lots of parameters come into play. Aperture used, distance to subject, placement of subject within frame. Quality of EVF (resolution and latency / lag) will also have a bearing on achieving critical focus when shooting under pressure.

On digital with an EVF it gives me the most trouble at wider apertures when subject placement is off center at mid to far distances. (And there is the need to try and focus quickly.) I have a tendency to use it at near to mid distance most of the time. Which is easier with an EVF, but still quite tricky with a rangefinder.

In practice my experience is the EVF on the SL generates the highest hit rate by far. The Visoflex can be problematic at times due to lower resolution and slower response (very noticeable lag.)

I find you need to pick your moments and opportunities with this lens more so than with others. When the stars align it can help create great images. This is the motivation for persevering.

It’s definitely not what I would considered to be a fail-safe everyday all-rounder. But as a compliment to other lenses it can be great to have on hand at times.

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2 minutes ago, J12 said:

On digital with an EVF it gives me the most trouble at wider apertures when subject placement is off center at mid to far distances. (And there is the need to try and focus quickly.)

May i ask if you tried focus peaking? It can be disturbing with high contrast lenses but on low contrast ones, like the 75/1.4 at full aperture, focus peaking can be a useful feature really. There is no need to recompose and field curvature is not a problem then. Reason why i don't use focus magnification in most cases with this lens. Same at f/2 and f/2.8 to a lesser extent. FWIW.

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This lens is not easy to master and need more than tests to appreciate.

As lover of this difficult lens that I use for decades, since some very nice Kodachrome along with some 'craps' (blurry, misfocus, Ninja Stars, etc. ),

The lens is character lens and each Summilux 75mm can be different, so I do understand that some people don't like it.

For a while I had two of those, and visibly in results they are NOT the same.

One has more curvature of field (or something like that ) so, I missed focus when I did focus/recompose (the focus plane is not in the central part).

The two have some focus shift when close down a bit, so I must take into account to 'misfocus a bit' to compensate for this focus shift.

 

Do we remember that this lens can be fine adjusted for wide open, then the two/three following apertures can become problematic.

Yes this lens has some focus shift, curvature of field, and so many 'flaws', but for me no other lens can do what it does so well 👍.

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I have the complete opposite view of this lens. It’s my favorite M lens. I’m lucky to have a very good copy; a factory 6-bit coded, late production version of this lens. It’s reasonably sharp wide open and for stationary objects, when focused with an EVF on an M10, my hit-rate is close to 100% in focussing.

Erik

 

 

 

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On 9/9/2021 at 2:15 AM, Vlad Soare said:

I don't have a 75mm Summilux, but I do have a Voigtländer 75mm f/1.5, which I think is close enough as far as depth of field is concerned. Here are some samples with it wide open, at close range.
Leica M-A, handheld, focused with the rangefinder. No problem at all.

I have the same VC, and had so much trouble with the M10 and M4-P that I thought I had a bad copy of the lens. But a 2nd copy was exactly the same, so I returned the 2nd one. I've since learned how to focus it pretty accurately, accepting that it's attuned for close portraiture and that it seems to go past infinity (at least the two copies I have had do). 

I've just bought for the M4-P the newest version of the 1.25 magnifier that also has a built-in diopter, and find that I now focus every so small an amount differently with the diopter. Fingers crossed.

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On 10/1/2021 at 5:03 PM, lct said:

May i ask if you tried focus peaking? It can be disturbing with high contrast lenses but on low contrast ones, like the 75/1.4 at full aperture, focus peaking can be a useful feature really. There is no need to recompose and field curvature is not a problem then. Reason why i don't use focus magnification in most cases with this lens. Same at f/2 and f/2.8 to a lesser extent. FWIW.

I used focus peaking more often when I had Sony Alpha 7S II bodies for a short time. Quite a long time ago now. But was quite useful with the lower quality EVFs on those mirrorless cameras.

With the SL I have found focus magnification to be most consistently reliable in the majority of situations. It is quick, the joystick makes moving the focus point easy, and the EVF is clear. With the Visoflex focus magnification is not as consistently reliable being a lower quality EVF. In low contrast scenes with a low contrast lens like this one, I have found that focus peaking barely registers on the image in the Visoflex EVF at times. Even more problematic in low light when the image in the EVF degrades.

No matter which way you slice it the 75mm Summilux isn’t an easy lens to use consistently in all scenarios. Success in achieving critical focus quickly is very much subject and situationally dependent. Technique needs to be adapted accordingly. Even then often challenging. 

Knowing this is just something to accept when deciding to use this lens. It requires you to work a bit harder in order to earn results. (In my experience.) But this can be worth the extra effort.

 

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I have no experience with SL cameras but focusing the 75/1.4 on my old A7r2 mod proves easy with either focus peaking or focus magnification. I would try again on the SL as i see no reason why the 75/1.4 would be more difficult to focus than, say, a 90/2 or a 135/3.4 on a decent EVF. FWIW.

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16 hours ago, lct said:

I have no experience with SL cameras but focusing the 75/1.4 on my old A7r2 mod proves easy with either focus peaking or focus magnification. I would try again on the SL as i see no reason why the 75/1.4 would be more difficult to focus than, say, a 90/2 or a 135/3.4 on a decent EVF. FWIW.

With regard to this lens; razor thin depth of field, focus shift, curvature of field and sample variation are all commonly discussed issues. Consider use case scenarios and shooting conditions also greatly vary user to user, and I’m not sure it’s easy to determine a “one size fits all” solution for working with this lens.

This being the case, my reason for commenting was simply to share another voice with regard to practical experience out in the field. It might benefit some who are considering this lens.

Even utilizing an EVF, when the narrow plane of focus lands near a subject at a distance where focus shift or curvature of field occurs it can be very disconcerting as you try to place focus. Sometimes it’s more effective to sway (physically move the lens) slightly rather than try to adjust focus with the focus ring.

I have a 90mm F2 among other lenses. The majority are more straightforward in practical use and exhibit less troublesome behavior.

It’s been some years since I first purchased the 75 Summilux and I’ve used it extensively alongside many other lenses. As far as I know it’s only ever been adjusted for use on film. At some point I may send it in for recallibration and get it checked over.

I’m sure there are others far more adept in getting the very best out of this lens. Individual skill is obviously a big factor.

 

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The main "problem" with the 75mm Summilux is the long focus throw (that you have to turn the focusing ring 1/2 way around the lens radius from close focus to infinity). Newer lenses it is generally 1/3, which makes focusing much faster. The 75/1.4 is a fairly large lens, so it feels extra clumsy if you don't start with the finders the right place.

Other than that, it's a beautiful and vintage classic lens with a soft but detailed look (aka known as "The Leica Look" which makes it a great companion for portraits where you want clarity, but not every detail of the face in razor sharp detail. Especially for black and white, it's a great lens. Due to the lower contrast (compared to newer lenses), it does portraits well in that you get softer lines in the face. You can add contrast later in editing, but it's a blessing to start out with not too much contrast as black and contrast always will make a face look older. 

Focusing: I find it easier to focus with the rangefinder because you usually want to be present and able to react fast in portraits. The RF is sufficient to get it in focus, provided that the RF is not out of adjustment. With the EVF, focusing precisely becomes very easy, even in the dark. But the delay from focusing till you take the photo, you or the person is likely to move. So there goes that extra sharpness you cared so much for. 

Apart from that, I like the lens for flowers, street photography, my strong warm coffee anywhere int he world, and many other things. It's a beautiful lens, though not one I use much. Heres some examples (below), and more here: https://overgaard.dk/Leica-75mm-Summilux-M-f-14.html

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The 75mm f/1.4 model, photographed with the 75/1.4:

Edited by Overgaard
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  • 2 weeks later...

This image of my cat was focused with the RF of an M10M. Pretty sharp for a 75mm Summilux.

Click on the image due to forum compression.

Erik

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