The best allround while also being a portrait lens?

[Olaf_ZG]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

1 hour ago, garysamson said:

Why not try the 75 Nokton with the Leica M to L adapter, this is a combination I really like for portraits with my SL2s. 

I have it, I like it, but I also would like an AF prime.

[Olaf_ZG]

15 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

The 50 apo is a great lens, but for portraits it can be a bit harsh. What about the Sigma 45mm? It’s small and inexpensive, and when shooting wide open at close distance, it produces a softer look and a pleasing bokeh which I like for portraits.

The 45mm was my first prime on the SL, but I didn’t quite enjoy its rendering. Do size wise it was great.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Sohail]

I think the 75 APO works brilliantly as a portrait lens. If you want to get close up and personal with your subject and with no noticeable distortion, it hits that sweet spot. An example:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

At the same time, if you want it to double as a street lens, it delivers too. A couple of examples:

In fact, I regret selling mine. I traded it for a 90mm APO.
 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Sohail

[Dr. G]

13 hours ago, Sohail said:

I think the 75 APO works brilliantly as a portrait lens. If you want to get close up and personal with your subject and with no noticeable distortion, it hits that sweet spot. An example:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

As a 75 APO owner I agree that It is a great portrait lens.  For a true all-arounder my vote is still a 50.  
 

This was with the 50 Lux, it has a very different look overall but both lenses are fantastic, it just comes down to what rendering you’re after.

 

[Sohail]

23 minutes ago, Dr. G said:

As a 75 APO owner I agree that It is a great portrait lens.  For a true all-arounder my vote is still a 50.  
 

This was with the 50 Lux, it has a very different look overall but both lenses are fantastic, it just comes down to what rendering you’re after.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

I prefer the rendering of the 50 SL Summilux, but not the distortion. A question: did you have to crop this? 

[LocalHero1953]

27 minutes ago, Dr. G said:

As a 75 APO owner I agree that It is a great portrait lens.  For a true all-arounder my vote is still a 50.  
 

This was with the 50 Lux, it has a very different look overall but both lenses are fantastic, it just comes down to what rendering you’re after.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Her skin texture looks very smooth - have you reduced 'clarity' in Lightroom at all? On just her face or globally? It affects how we appraise the bokeh.

[Dr. G]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

3 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Her skin texture looks very smooth - have you reduced 'clarity' in Lightroom at all? On just her face or globally? It affects how we appraise the bokeh.

To answer @Sohail, the image was cropped a little, yes.  The skin was smoothed in post, but the out of focus areas were left alone.  But speaking to that, there was a comment in the thread that the 50 APO was too sharp for portraiture as compared to the 50 Lux.  You can always remove a bit of sharpness but you can never add it.  So it really comes down to the falloff and out of focus rendering.  I’ve never done much with the out of focus areas in post, but your question now makes me wonder if doing that to images made with the 50 APO could achieve a look similar to the 50 Lux.  I don’t think it would be easy to create the look of the falloff of the 50 LUX with an image made with the 50 APO in post, though.

So, as per my previous comments on this thread, I still think the 50 APO may be the better choice as an all around lens that can do portraiture, which was the original question.  

@Sohail I used to have the 90 APO as well (bought it with the intention of using it as a portrait lens) and ended up selling the 90 and keeping the 75. This went against what I would have thought without using them side by side but I’m curious to know what you think as I’m sure you have more experience using the 99 for portraits.  

These are just my opinions, though - in someone else’s hands there may be another completely correct answer to these questions.  

[Virob]

Another option would be the sigma 65/2. A little more general than the 75. A little less distortion, more compression and blur, that would be more comparable to a 50/1.4 than a 50/2. Significantly smaller and lighter than the Leica APOs and summilux. Sharper than the Panasonic/ Leica 50 1.8, 2.0 duo.

[Sohail]

5 hours ago, Dr. G said:

To answer @Sohail, the image was cropped a little, yes.  The skin was smoothed in post, but the out of focus areas were left alone.  But speaking to that, there was a comment in the thread that the 50 APO was too sharp for portraiture as compared to the 50 Lux.  You can always remove a bit of sharpness but you can never add it.  So it really comes down to the falloff and out of focus rendering.  I’ve never done much with the out of focus areas in post, but your question now makes me wonder if doing that to images made with the 50 APO could achieve a look similar to the 50 Lux.  I don’t think it would be easy to create the look of the falloff of the 50 LUX with an image made with the 50 APO in post, though.

So, as per my previous comments on this thread, I still think the 50 APO may be the better choice as an all around lens that can do portraiture, which was the original question.  

@Sohail I used to have the 90 APO as well (bought it with the intention of using it as a portrait lens) and ended up selling the 90 and keeping the 75. This went against what I would have thought without using them side by side but I’m curious to know what you think as I’m sure you have more experience using the 99 for portraits.  

These are just my opinions, though - in someone else’s hands there may be another completely correct answer to these questions.  

I'm still undecided on the 90 APO. I miss the 75 APO.

Re the 50 SL Lux, here's an image I took (zero cropping). Note that there's barely any distortion. This is the sweet spot for me in terms of how close you can get without incurring visible distortion, which I personally don't like.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

On the rendering, here's a close-up of the same shot:

The 50 APO just can do this. At least, mine didn't when I had one. In its defence, it wouldn't give you the green fringing on the earphones, which is easily fixed in post. 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Sohail

[Dr. G]

4 minutes ago, Sohail said:

I'm still undecided on the 90 APO. I miss the 75 APO.

Re the 50 SL Lux, here's an image I took (zero cropping). Note that there's barely any distortion. This is the sweet spot for me in terms of how close you can get without incurring visible distortion, which I personally don't like.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

On the rendering, here's a close-up of the same shot:

The 50 APO just don't do this. At least, mine didn't when I had one. In it's defence, it wouldn't give you the green fringing on the earphones, which is easily fixed in post.

You’re making the same point I did about falloff.  The 50 APO absolutely can’t do that.

[Sohail]

1 minute ago, Dr. G said:

You’re making the same point I did about falloff.  The 50 APO absolutely can’t do that.

Here's the 90 APO:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

A close-up:

Renders beautifully but a very different beast.

[tom0511]

I own both 50 SL and also the 75.

From what I read, if you don't mind the weight, go for the 50/1.4 SL APO. I find it renders special and IMO works great for environmental portrait as well.

 

[tom0511]

if I had to start from scratch I would go 28, 50, 90 if I wanted to go with primes.

[Olaf_ZG]

Today I was out whole day with the 24-90, over my shoulder or in my hand. Didn’t bother me, so the 50/1.4 won’t bother me either. Still undecided, except that I want a 50, so the 75 is out.

The ‘cron has certain advantages:

- a bit smaller, will just fit easier in my bag when I carry both the 24-90 or Rollei and a SL prime.

- weight: balance might be better, which is important when I am shooting single handed, having a reflector in the other

- CA, I live in the woods, lots of time is spend in it with photos of trees against the sky as a result

- its lenshood

 

The ‘lux:

- 1.4, if needed

- its rendering with portraits 

 

Second hand price is around the same, in m-lenses I have both a planar and lux. I don’t expect to buy more SL primes (and if, it will be the 21), so the apo is a better allrounder.

Paired with a cron 35/75 the lux would be a no brainer.

Tough call…

[Simone_DF]

12 hours ago, tom0511 said:

if I had to start from scratch I would go 28, 50, 90 if I wanted to go with primes.

This is my current setup, except I went for the Sigma 24mm on the wide end, which I prefer to 28mm. 

[Sohail]

14 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

This is my current setup, except I went for the Sigma 24mm on the wide end, which I prefer to 28mm. 

Mine too: 28, 50, 90

[Olaf_ZG]

But, for such three lens set up, wouldn’t the combo of lux and cron not the best?

[tom0511]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb Olaf_ZG:

But, for such three lens set up, wouldn’t the combo of lux and cron not the best?

I would say it depends if you carry it around a lot (hikes/travel etc) a 50 cron is lighter and smaller.

if you shoot a lot of people/ environmental portraits I find the 50 lux the more special lens.

I cant explain why but it gives me more often a wow effect. If there wasnt the weight size.

[Simone_DF]

I shot a lot of people and environmental portraits, and I prefer the Cron. Sure, the Lux has a more pleasant rendering for portraits, but it weights too much for my taste and it’s really really bulky. It’s intimidating to be have a 82mm filter size pointed at your face. 
The Cron is also big, in my opinion, but much more manageable. Perhaps the Sigma 50mm f2 could be the solution. 
When I want a more special rendering, I pick the 50mm Lux M or the Zeiss Sonnar. 

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[Olaf_ZG]

Thank you all, once again, for feedback. Over the days I did quite some shooting with the m-lux as well as my 50mm sonnar, both at 1.4 and 2.0. Next to that I went one day out with the 24-90.

I do admit that 1.4 can be great, but mostly, when shooting portraits I don’t use 1.4, so only difference would be rendering.

Knowing myself, I might add a 21/28 and 90 in the future. Mainly for long exposure projects, and than it would be great that all lenses render the same.

Furthermore, I fear that the lux50sl might not be great with one hand shooting, holding a reflector in the other for fill light.

Stupid minor thoughts: a cron will easier fit in the rucksack35, has a nicer lenshood, is less obstructive, have already a blackmist filter for it…

So, I tend to lean towards the cron, this week I hope to be able to decide.