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

[drew.saunders]

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I suppose my favorite 75mm is my only 75mm, a CV 75/1.8 Heliar. 

 

Here's how it looks wide open:

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I tried to link another image, but that failed. Here's the Flickr link.

Edited March 23, 2022 by drew.saunders

[jaques]

no other lens is quite like my Zeiss Biotar 75/1.5. This look is why I like it:

 

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Edited March 23, 2022 by jaques

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[stephan54]

Discontinued

Although the Leica Stores still show the Summicron 75 on their sites, it seems to be discontinued. The Stuttgart Leica store showed me the cataloque dated 5.2021 and the Summicron 75 was gone from the list and the Noctilux was the only 75 model featured. So the lenses available are probably old stock. When searching the internet for reviews and opinions by users the production stop was never  mentioned, so it came as a surprise to me. Some Leica stores still have stock, but are too far away to do a test in person.

 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by stephan54

[Robert Blanko]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb stephan54:

Discontinued

Although the Leica Stores still show the Summicron 75 on their sites, it seems to be discontinued. The Stuttgart Leica store showed me the cataloque dated 5.2021 and the Summicron 75 was gone from the list and the Noctilux was the only 75 model featured. So the lenses available are probably old stock. When searching the internet for reviews and opinions by users the production stop was never  mentioned, so it came as a surprise to me. Some Leica stores still have stock, but are too far away to do a test in person.

 

 

Indeed, on the German website of Leica I cannot find the 75 APO Summicron m. 🤔 But I just ordered one from a shop some days ago. 🙂 Hope it will arrive soon.

[adan]

9 hours ago, stephan54 said:

Discontinued

Although the Leica Stores still show the Summicron 75 on their sites, it seems to be discontinued. The Stuttgart Leica store showed me the cataloque dated 5.2021 and the Summicron 75 was gone from the list and the Noctilux was the only 75 model featured. So the lenses available are probably old stock. When searching the internet for reviews and opinions by users the production stop was never  mentioned, so it came as a surprise to me. Some Leica stores still have stock, but are too far away to do a test in person.

One little problem there. Just three weeks ago (March 4, 2022) Leica put out a list of upcoming price increases. Which includes a $300 increase for the 75mm APO-Summicron-M (11637).

A bit hard to increase the price of a lens one has already discontinued and is no longer shipping.

https://leicarumors.com/2022/03/04/not-an-april-fools-day-joke-leica-price-increase-coming-to-the-us-on-april-1-2022.aspx/

Nor is it the best way to get rid of "old stock" - that usually requires a price decrease.

[Steve Ash]

Just to create rumours.

Would not be the Apo-Summicron 75 the perfect candidate for a new version which includes a macro range like the Apo-35?

Regards,

Steve

[Camaro5]

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I only have the Summarit 75/2.5.  I don't use it that much but I should.  I've used it for some portraiture and for landscapes as a short telephoto lens.  The images are very sharp with a lot of detail.  It has a little more contrast than I like, but that can be adjusted in post.

These are the turbine towers at Hoover Dam, shot from a pretty good distance.  M10-R.  

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[stephan54]

vor 3 Stunden schrieb adan:

One little problem there. Just three weeks ago (March 4, 2022) Leica put out a list of upcoming price increases. Which includes a $300 increase for the 75mm APO-Summicron-M (11637).

A bit hard to increase the price of a lens one has already discontinued and is no longer shipping.

https://leicarumors.com/2022/03/04/not-an-april-fools-day-joke-leica-price-increase-coming-to-the-us-on-april-1-2022.aspx/

Nor is it the best way to get rid of "old stock" - that usually requires a price decrease.

A price increase for a discontinued lens did not sound logical, that was my thought too.

But the brochure and the link Leica M-Objektive | Leica Camera AG (leica-camera.com) are not showing this lens. No discount offered, just a promise to contact Wetzlar and see if they had some stock there. I guess Leicarumors is only rumors in this case.

 

[stephan54]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Steve Ash:

Just to create rumours.

Would not be the Apo-Summicron 75 the perfect candidate for a new version which includes a macro range like the Apo-35?

Regards,

Steve

According to the Leica store staff, 75mm was an impopular focal length and the Summicron was expensive  to produce.

[Steve Ash]

vor 32 Minuten schrieb stephan54:

According to the Leica store staff, 75mm was an impopular focal length and the Summicron was expensive  to produce.

That is why felt Leica triggered to produce the Noctilux 75? 

[Robert Blanko]

And what‘s even more confusing is that the 75 Summarit is still availabe and listed on Leica’s Website. I thought there were rumors some time ago that the Summarits will be discontiued?

Edited March 26, 2022 by Robert Blanko

[LocalHero1953]

The Apo-Summicron-M 75 was my first 75. I bought it from a forum member, used it regularly on my M240 and declared (several times, here in this forum) that it was the last lens I would ever sell. But hey, life moves on, and I sold it not long after I sold the M240 (and didn't replace it with another M body). I also had a Hektor 7.3cm in excellent condition, which I held for a while then sold at auction. That actually was the last lens I owned for a M (in an adapter), until I bought a M4 a few months ago. I have mild regret that I didn't keep these two lenses or others of my M lens portfolio, but actually I use the M4 for different stuff from the M240 - pre-asph Summilux-M 35 and 50 are all I want.

I still own a Apo-Summicron-SL 75 which is fabulous. I use it for theatre rehearsal photography where I want to get close enough for expressions, but wide enough to include more than one face in the frame.

[T25UFO]

My current favourite is the Q2 cropped to 75mm 😆 because it was the only camera I had with me at the time.

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Edited March 26, 2022 by T25UFO

[adan]

https://leica-camera.com/en-MY/photography/lenses/m/apo-summicron-m-75mm-f2-asph-black

https://leicacamerausa.com/75mm-f2-0-apo-summicron-e49-m.html

Leica reorganized their web site(s) a few months ago - and they have been a mess regarding specific products ever since. Filters shown under the "lens" sections for some systems, missing lenses, lenses shown that really are discontinued (e.g. the Summarits, as Robert Blanko mentions, or the 24mms).

The en-US website does not even show the plain old "everyone buys one first" 50mm Summicron-M in the multi-lens index pages.

And nothing but the 18mm Elmarit-TL in the CL/TL section.

https://leica-camera.com/en-US/photography/lenses/m

There is reality, and there is "virtual reality" ( i.e. websites).

Edited March 26, 2022 by adan

[Jeff S]

B&H shows “More on the way” for the  APO Summicron M 75.

Jeff

[Drmat]

i recently opted for the 75 noctilux after being a primarily 50 shooter for a decade.  I have tried every 28-50mm in the catalogue, including the vintage versions.  The 75 noct wide open is my favourite lens.  Yes, it is not an everyday lens and not for all kinds of photography, but for what i am doing at the moment all the other lenses feel like a compromise.

[stephan54]

I decided to cancel my order for the Summicron. The combination of production stopped (according to the brochure and the Leica store employees) and the requirement for calibration out of the box which was mentioned in several threads, made me lose my appetite for this lens. Perhaps a more reliable replacement will hit the market in the near future.

[Stuart Richardson]

Interesting...I never had any calibration out of the box. I have had the Summicron since it was released, and it has been my sharpest 75mm since that time.

My favorite 75mm, however, is the 75mm Summilux. I got a mint German version of the lens for 1500 dollars back around 2003. I find it to be a very versatile and excellent lens. It is not sharp from 1.4 to 2.5, but it has a lot of spherical aberration and the bokeh is extremely soft and lovely. The glow from the highlights can work really well in certain compositions. If you do not want that look, stop down to 2.8 and you still have shallow depth of field, but your contrast is back up with a modern lens and the bokeh is still pleasant, while the subject is sharp. Stopped down to 4.5 to 11, it is very sharp and on par with the 75mm APO Summicron for most things. I am not sure how much of it is sample variation, but the build quality of my copy is better than any other Leica lens I have. The focus is absolutely perfectly damped, the integral hood is smooth and secure, and the aperture ring has very satisfying clicks without being too heavy. I know this is a bit funny to mention, but it does feel better in use than the 75mm APO Summicron, which has rougher focusing due to the complicated floating element system. The APO Summicron, however, is the better lens for high resolution digital bodies and it is a lot sharper from f2 to f3.5, but from 4.5 or so on, it is quite close. The 75mm APO is lighter and more compact, which is useful if all you want is a good sharp lens in this focal length. The Summilux has all the charm, however. I was always on my way to sell one or the other, but I got them both for comparatively low prices, and they do suit different purposes. so I have just hung onto them both. I am glad I have the option. Even though I sold my M10 and now solely use the SL2, I have found no need so far to sell one or both of them and get the APO SL. It probably would make sense to sell the 75mm Summicron M for the SL lens, and keep the 75mm Summilux for M cameras (I still have an M7 I shoot film with and use this lens a lot), but the cost of swapping is pretty high, so it has not been a priority for me.

The picture of the mountain below is shot on provia on the M7 with the 75mm summilux wide open (it was dark). It is soft. A bit blurry. But the lens has a character that is really pleasing I think. I have plenty of lenses that can render extremely sharp images, and to be honest, I do gravitate more towards them, but every once in awhile, the 75mm 'lux is the ticket.

 

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[IkarusJohn]

I wouldn’t call the 75 Summilux a “one trick pony” - it’s fabulous wide open and tack sharp stopped down, as Stuart and others have noted.  Mine is a late Canada version, and it is fabulous - lovely for portraits and landscape.

I had the 75 APO Summicron-M, and could never get it to focus reliably (short focus throw among other things), and disliked its out of focus treatment.  Sold it, and the 90 APO Summicron-M.  Loved the SL 75 Summicron, but sold that too when I rationalised my SL kit.  Only 75 I might add is the Noctilux-M 75/1.25.

Edited March 26, 2022 by IkarusJohn

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[lct]

1 hour ago, stephan54 said:

I decided to cancel my order for the Summicron. The combination of production stopped (according to the brochure [...]

I can't seem to find that brochure. Any link to it? Sorry if i missed it. At least, the lens stands proudly on the international part of the Leica website for now:

https://leica-camera.com/en/photography/lenses/m