What is your favorite 75 mm lens - why do you like it?

[Robert Blanko]

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Howdy!

I only found very few threads about 75mm lenses here, although according to this thread here there should be quite some 75mm practitioners in the forum:

Thus, I‘m curious to learn what are your favorite 75mm lenses and why?

 

My only 75mm lens so far is the Voigtländer Nokton 75/1.5 which I very rarely used so far. It‘s a rather small package compared to its specs with nice bokeh and acceptable optical quality.

A lens to try in the future might be the 75 APO.

 

 

[Al Brown]

My fav is the Mandler 75 lux. Both 75 Summarit and APO Summicron are great and clinical with juicy 3D pop. Have not tested the Noctilux as it is way too big for my needs.

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[didier]

2 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

My fav is the Mandler 75 lux

+1

I seldom use it, due to its size, but its smooth bokeh and painterly rendering is unique. My most loved portraits come from this Lens.

I like the ‘cron 75 very much as well : small, fast to focus and nice OOF as well.

[a.noctilux]

I don't have/use favorite 75mm.

The three are really different with ergonomically differences plus/minus to take into account:

- firstly, I use for some decades * the very nice and not so heavy Summilux-M 75mm, at one point I had two but sold one when

I used less and less favoring lighter/smaller 75mm

* those days, no other 75mm M lens in the market, so it was the only choice if I wanted to use 75mm on my M

- second one is the Apo-Summicron-M 2/75 my wife's favorite that I use before the last 2.5/75mm I bought cheap

- this 2.5/75 Summarit-M is my most used 75 lens for it's large focus ring and as good as the other,  lighter and smoother in use.

 

* so long ago ...

..

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by a.noctilux

[a.noctilux]

 

 

[pippy]

Summarit f2.5.

Light, small and optically superb. No down-side at all. For what I require from a 75 it's the perfect choice.

Philip.

 

[wda]

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1 hour ago, Robert Blanko said:

Howdy!

I only found very few threads about 75mm lenses here, although according to this thread here there should be quite some 75mm practitioners in the forum:

Thus, I‘m curious to learn what are your favorite 75mm lenses and why?

 

My only 75mm lens so far is the Voigtländer Nokton 75/1.5 which I very rarely used so far. It‘s a rather small package compared to its specs with nice bokeh and acceptable optical quality.

A lens to try in the future might be the 75 APO.

 

 

Robert, your confession that you rsrely use your 75 mm lens says it all, unless you strongly dislike the lens you have. I bought an original version of the Leica Summarit, nearly 20 years ago. I like it very much, but seldom use it nowadays. That is why I have resisted the temptation to buy a Summicron or Summilux version. Either would be nice to have, but I fear neither would see much use, once the novelty effect disappeared. Do you listen to your head, or your heart?

[rsolomon]

I've only used the 75 cron - flawless in my opinion 

[TomB_tx]

My normal lens trio is 35-50-90, but have a 75 f2.5 VC Color Heliar (ltm - with M adapter) that gives lovely results when I need it.

[Keith (M)]

The only M 75mm I have is the Summarit f2.5, bought about ten years ago.  On the occasions I use it I end up thinking "why don't I use it more often?"  The results are always very pleasing and absolutely no complaints about performance, ergonomics etc etc - except for the length of the hood and the inconvenience of switching between hood use or non-hood use (i.e. two lens caps plus thread-protector ring)

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Edited January 6, 2022 by Keith (M)

[lct]

75/1.4 v2 for portraits and low light, 75/2.5 for small bags and 75/2 for the rest. All Leica's. No problem with either lens except the 75/2.5 whose aperture ring lost some screws under warranty. Nice IQ otherwise.

Edited January 6, 2022 by lct

[adan]

5 hours ago, Robert Blanko said:

My only 75mm lens so far is the Voigtländer Nokton 75/1.5 which I very rarely used so far. It‘s a rather small package compared to its specs with nice bokeh and acceptable optical quality.

I also use the 75mm Nokton f/1.5. It is the best balancing act of resolution, speed, weight, color, bokeh (FWIW), and close-up capability (0.7m focusing), in my experience

In comparison, the Leica 75s are generally somewhat "one-trick ponies." Although usually masters of whatever their one-trick is. But as a generalist who uses the 75 for: news events, portraits (posed and candid), weddings, studio still lifes, landscapes, reproducing works of art, and pretty much anything else, I find that too limiting

I've used all of the following on and off over 20 years.

75 APO-Summicron - best clarity in the close-up range (>1.5m) at the widest apertures, thanks to the floating element ** - but 80g heavier than the Nokton, to get poorer low-light capability.

75 Summilux - the real "king of bokeh" wide-open, but heavier than some SLR 85 f/1.4s (!) 550-600g. Will match the Nokton and APO-Summicron at f/5.6 or so - and at its creation (1980) was sharper than a 90 Summicron wide-open and down to about f/4. Gentle overall contrast at most apertures. Dr. Mandler considered it his greatest optical achievement.

If you have used your Nokton at f/1.5 and closer than 1m - that is kind of how the Summilux renders at most distances and f/1.4 - a bit dreamy and romantic.

75 Summarit - another nicely-balanced "package" - except for the speed. I preferred the f/2.4 version because it also gets down to 0.7m, but is otherwise identical to the f/2.5. Comes very close to the 75 APO in most situations (except for the faintest touch of red/magenta color fringes wide-open in worst-case scenarios - e.g. branches silhouetted against sky) - the best of all the Summarits regarding consistent resolution and clarity.

75 C/V Color Heliar f/2.8 (SM adaptable to M) - ultra-compact, ultra-light, and pretty clean images, but too stand-offish at 0.9m min. focus. ("If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." - Robert Capa).
______________
** the 75 APO-Summicron was Leica's first attempt (2004) at an FLE lens for the M, and that mechanism has a "rap" for getting out of adjustment, leading to focus errors (e.g. front-focusing close up and back-focusing at infinity), color fringes, fuzzy corners and so, until serviced. Especially in its first ~10 years of existence.

From 2006 until 2015 or so, every single copy I tried (~6) showed optical problems of one kind or another. Even one Leica rep's "demo" copy.

That may have been resolved once Leica opened the new Wetzlar factory (reportedly capable of meeting tighter tolerances) - but I still don't really trust them any more than I would a rattlesnake.

Edited January 6, 2022 by adan

[Gobert]

I use to own the 75 APO. But I never became friends with 75mm. I’ve sold it and bought another 50 or 28. I’m not sure.

[cp995]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb TomB_tx:

My normal lens trio is 35-50-90, but have a 75 f2.5 VC Color Heliar (ltm - with M adapter) that gives lovely results when I need it.

My prefered setup ist 21-35-75mm.
I also use the Color Heliar 75mm f2.5 since years.

Don't like 90mm with the small framelines ...

[TomB_tx]

3 hours ago, cp995 said:

Don't like 90mm with the small framelines ...

90 fat TE was actually my first lens for my M4 in 1968. I loved all the VF space around the frame lines for shooting action sports and seeing what could be moved into the frame. Still have & use both that camera and lens.

[Danner]

Curious about rangefinder focusing accuracy with the fast 75s?  Is it an issue?  Noticeably easier than with a 90?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[lct]

13 minutes ago, Danner said:

Curious about rangefinder focusing accuracy with the fast 75s?  Is it an issue?  Noticeably easier than with a 90?

Thanks for your thoughts.

A 75mm lens at f/1.4 has almost exactly the same DoF as a 90mm lens at f/2. Now in practice, the Leica 75/1.4 is soft enough at f/1.4 and f/2 for focusing inaccuracies being less visible than with 90/2 apo or 75/2 apo lenses.  Also the 75/1.4 has more DoF behind the focus plane which helps getting a smoother transition between sharp and blurred areas let alone that its focus throw is longer than that of modern lenses.

[Steve Ash]

vor 11 Minuten schrieb lct:

A 75mm lens at f/1.4 has almost exactly the same DoF as a 90mm lens at f/2. Now in practice, the Leica 75/1.4 is soft enough at f/1.4 and f/2 for focusing inaccuracies being less visible than with 90/2 apo or 75/2 apo lenses.  Also the 75/1.4 has more DoF behind the focus plane which helps getting a smoother transition between sharp and blurred areas let alone that its focus throw is longer than that of modern lenses.

I agree with your statement. I would like to add that I am very much surprised how sharp the lens 75 1.4 is stoped down considering its age.

[RexGig0]

I may not yet own my favorite 75mm M-mount lens. I have a 75mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color Heliar LTM, acquired inexpensively, pre-owned, to help me decide how much I really like shooting at 75mm, before I spend more. 75mm competes with 90mm, for being a portrait lens, and I already liked 90mm, before I started using Leica M cameras. 

 

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[robb]

Used to own the 75 1.4 for about 5-6 years and thought it was a great lens for me with B&W film on my m6.  Not the easiest to focus and I wouldn't call it razor sharp, but great moody images and lovely transitions and bokeh with it.  Also thought it was great on the M8.2

Sold the 1.4 and added the 75 f2 apo a year after.  Loved that lens even more than the 1.4 on the M9P and M-P typ 240.  Still not that easy to focus on my M cameras with the viewfinder.  So slower to shoot portraits but doable.  Loved its size and sharpness though.  Loved the colors from it and the bokeh also.  Sold it after a few more years because EVF on M240 wasn't very good or easy to nail focus for me.  Needed a quicker combo.

Shot with the 75mm 1.25 noct on my SL2 with the adapter for an hour.  Nice feel.  Great look.  Sharp.  Easy to focus on Sl2.  Could not afford the entry fee to its ownership with all the other SL glass on my shopping list.

Just ordered the SL 75mm APO summicron...  Amazing image quality and size with ibis and AF...  Sold.  Although I would definitely try the M Apo Summicron on the SL2 again... 

Robb