75 summarit and the M11 — good enough?

[dritz]

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I am getting back into an M system… S3 and system is too heavy for me… Alas, and and too imposing for subjects out in the wild.  So, going to purchase an M11 (after trying it out — impressive!) and considering a used 75 Summarit… lighter and less expensive than the APO-Summicron.  Thoughts on it’s performance?  It is for infrequent use but nice to have!

At some point, I’ll get a 50 but that’s a harder decision (the New 50 ‘Lux CF, or a used APO-Summicron… if only they had an APO-Summicron CF)

Thanks for you insights.

Regards,

Dean

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[wda]

Dean, I would regard any modern Summarit M lens a great deal better than 'good enough'. Just search the forum for previous discussions and examples.

[jankap]

Perhaps a Summarit 35mm. You could crop images to 50mm.

See the R lens image thread nr. 166 post 3312 for what cropping can do.

Edited August 28, 2023 by jankap

[Jeff S]

Good enough for what?  Should a competent photographer be able to make decent photos with a mere $10k+ worth of modern gear?

Jeff

[M Street Photographer]

Since it is already sharp on my M10 R sow, it will have an even higher sharpness impression on the M11.
I really like the imaging and rendering.
In my opinion there is nothing wrong with the 75 on the M11.

[dpitt]

Depends what you are looking for. Coming from the S3, you are probably used to superb quality and sofistication,
To my eyes the modern, sharp ASPH look of the 75 Summarit can be a bit much for portraits. I like the the 90mm Elmarit M more. It is smoother and still very sharp, but not as much in your face. It is more flexible in post IMO.

Also, if you are into the vintage look, the 90 mm Tele-Elmarit and 90mm Elmar are very nice. As a bonus they are super light and small too. They are a nice to have, and affordable, even if you already have a Summarit 75 or Elmarit-M.

[charlesphoto99]

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Considering a lot of 75 'crons have focusing issues due to the floating element design, (mine did, and even after a cla by Leica can be finicky), the Summarit might in some ways actually be the sharper of the two. Sure, the APO will have a bit more pop, and better corners wide open, but that's all a moot point if the lens isn't working right. Less moving parts.  The 'cron can focus a bit closer though if that's important. 

[pippy]

The 75mm Summarit is simply a superb lens.

Having said that bear in mind that much depends on what you like in terms of rendering. It does not render in a 'Soft and Blurry' .......erm......'Vintage' way even when wide-open.

In case you are not aware it should be mentioned that there were two incarnations of the 75mm Summarit. The main difference in use was that the early version had a min. focus of 0.9m whereas the v2 focussed down to 0.7m so this might be worth bearing in mind. The v1 was listed as having a max. aperture of f2.5 in comparison to the f2.4 of the v2 but (apparently) both types were actually f2.4 designs.

I have the f2.5 version (as well as the 90mm f2.5 Summarit) and could not fault it in any way whatsoever.

Philip.

[darylgo]

@pippy  Spot on, it is not a compromise optic.  When I compared the Apo to the Summarit the resolution are very close, the Summarit has greater contrast.  It will not be a match for the 120 Apo Summarit S, few lenses are.  I hesitate to mention the 75mm Noctilux but will, it is in a class by itself with regard to IQ, weight and handling, if you are accustomed to the S system then the 75 Noctilux may not be difficult to handle.   

[darylgo]

42 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

To quote @pippy, The 75mm Summarit is simply a superb lens.

The 75 summilux is only slightly sharper stopped down, but the 75 summarit is a very 3D-poppy, contrasty lens with a strong Karbeesque vibe (YOU HEARD MY NEWLY INVENTED TERM HERE FIRST).

Full credit Al, the pronunciation could go a couple different ways, do we run the "ee" together and make it a short "e" or should it be a long "e" with "esque" a separate syllable?

As the inventor (is that the right word for inventing a word?) it should be your choice:-)   

[Jon Warwick]

The M 75mm Summarit is indeed a very sharp lens, reflected by very impressive MTFs at f5.6. I’ve used it for E6 film before, with a very 3D result for portraits to 30x20”, and now use it on a recently purchased M11.

It’s early days to judge, because my 75 Summarit copy needs a service (it doesn’t seem to reach infinity, and the focusing ring makes a slight grating sound when turned and the focusing ring also has variable resistance - maybe all connected?).

But when it dials in right it’s a modern and very sharp lens ……and yet, the rendering of the M 75 Summarit to me feels different to the mega sharp APO lenses I also own or have tried (eg, the M 35mm APO, the Voigtlander APO Lanthars, etc). The 75 Summarit is recording a ton of detail, but to me has a more distinct rendering (maybe a little more reminiscent of my v5 Summicron) that is less overtly “transparent” than the most modern APOs?

Edited August 28, 2023 by Jon Warwick

[dritz]

Many thanks for the share out. The 2.4 Summarit 75 will be next.

While the performance of the S3 system is stellar, it isn't a pleasure for my current and future style of shooting. I will keep the 70 and 100 for the SL but the rest will go. Funny, keeping the non-APO lenses.

Now, getting older, I need something lightweight. The best camera is the one you take with you.  SO... Returning to my first love... Mmmmmm.

Dean

[MaticB]

I bought this lens by chance - my dealer had 2 new copies on discount - cca 1600 euros. By the way, they still have one... And, the lens is superb, just as the others said. I use it with M10R and M11Monochrom, the later with the "sharpest" M sensor, if you want... There is no way to regret buying it. 

[lct]

I have somewhat mixed feelings about my Summarit 75/2.5 as it had a fragile aperture ring that i happened to break by simply turning it fastly but it is not far from my 75/2 apo optically. The latter has the advantage of f/2 and its 0.7m MFD is closer than the 0.9m of the 75/2.5. I use the 75/2 apo preferably on my Ms then, with no focus issues whatsoever BTW. As for the 75/2.5, it is a lighter lens that sits well on my digital CL. Not to say that it works bad on full frame though. Couple of snaps below on Kolari mod Sony A7s.

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[zoe]

After reading this thread it made me interested in seeing what my recently M11 purchase would do with my Summarit 75 2.4. Shot one frame on a walk and  I am satisfied they work good together. I just need to work on my processing. Shot 1/500, f 2.5 iso 800.

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[R4p70r]

Just saw this pop up. 
To answer the initial question: I like the Summarit-M 75mm f/2.4 on my M11.  

Here a photo of the the Madeira ISland coast with that combo:

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