Summilux 75mm 1.4 with Leica M9

[Rob-F]

Congrats!! Canadian or German version?

Canadian. Have you discovered any differences? I tend to like the idea of it being Canadian, since that's where Walter Mandler was.

 

[f.hayek]

freakscene said:
The 80 often looks, on the M10M using an R to M adapter, like a large format lens.
--------------
Interesting observation; would be interested in seeing the difference.

The 80 still remains "modestly" priced by Leica standards, often 1/2 the price of the 75 Summilux.
The 35 Summilux, as you mentioned, along with the 90 APO Summicron and 50 Summilux E60 have reached stratospheric levels--probably because the numbers that remain not converted for cinematography and videography, is rapidly dwindling.

 

[f.hayek]

Canadian. Have you discovered any differences? I tend to like the idea of it being Canadian, since that's where Walter Mandler was.

I read somewhere that when production for the 75 was moved back to Deutschland after Leica sold Elcan to Raytheon, they simply transported the pre-assembled lens units, minus the lens barrel/nacelle and inserted them into the updated barrels of the last versions of the Summilux. Seems all that is different is the 'Made in Germany' moniker.

 

[x-ray]

If I could only own two lenses it would be my 75 Summilux and 35 v1 Summicron. My Summilux has become my most used lens now.

Images from the Summilux. The outdoor shot was stopped down to f4 and the others at 1.4.

 

[ellisson]

I've just added a Summilux-R 80/1.4 for use on my SL2-S camera. The SL camera viewfinders and focus aids definitely help when using these fast lenses. The price of the Summilux M 75/1.4 and Summilux R 80/1.4 are moving closer from what I saw recently. Several factors for the higher R glass pricing, including cinematography use and the large number of adapters for a variety of cameras including the SLs.

 

[Rob-F]

Sad update. The lens is terribly unsharp. Very, very OOF at f/1.4, and not much better at 2 or 2.8. At f/5.6, it looks fairly sharp on my iMac. I think I should probably send it back. I could send it to DAG but the worst-case scenario, it might be 6 months later when he tells me he can't fix it. I got the same results on my M9 and M9M monochrom. With the sales tax, I have $3,000 in it. Any thoughts?

 

[raid]

Give DAG a chance to inspect the lens.

 

[Freakscene]

Sad update. The lens is terribly unsharp. Very, very OOF at f/1.4, and not much better at 2 or 2.8. At f/5.6, it looks fairly sharp on my iMac. I think I should probably send it back. I could send it to DAG but the worst-case scenario, it might be 6 months later when he tells me he can't fix it. I got the same results on my M9 and M9M monochrom. With the sales tax, I have $3,000 in it. Any thoughts?

I have owned two of these (but none now, just the 80/1.4-R). Both were hopelessly out of spec with my cameras when I got them and drifted over time so I needed to get them CLAd and recalibrated every 2-5 years for accurate focus. An angled focus checker is your friend. Do not mistake focus shift for poor calibration. If properly set up, your 75/1.4 should very slightly front focus wide open close up. If you get it adjusted so that it is dead on, focus shift becomes much more challenging stopped down and close up.

I started writing a long technical post about “the real cost of owning a Leica” that looked at this sort of thing, but then live view sort-of saved me. If things are out of spec now, it matters less, for me anyway.

Marty

 

[Rob-F]

Give DAG a chance to inspect the lens.

You think I should? Coming from you, Raid, I'll take that advice seriously. What I think is going on, is the lens might have been dismantled for . . cleaning? Lubrication? And then re-assembled with the helicoids mis-matched? Just a guess. If I'm going to send it to DAG, I'll need to ask the seller for a partial refund right way, because I only have a few days before I'd have to return it for a full refund--not long enough for DAG to receive & check it out. So what should I ask for? I'd have to guess. 300? 400? 500?

 

[Rob-F]

I have owned two of these (but none now, just the 80/1.4-R). Both were hopelessly out of spec with my cameras when I got them and drifted over time so I needed to get them CLAd and recalibrated every 2-5 years for accurate focus. An angled focus checker is your friend. Do not mistake focus shift for poor calibration. If properly set up, your 75/1.4 should very slightly front focus wide open close up. If you get it adjusted so that it is dead on, focus shift becomes much more challenging stopped down and close up.

I started writing a long technical post about “the real cost of owning a Leica” that looked at this sort of thing, but then live view sort-of saved me. If things are out of spec now, it matters less, for me anyway.

Marty

Why should a lens go out of spec? Unless I missed something, I'm not aware of that happening with any of my lenses. Now I have something new to worry about? This is a good time to mention that the 75mm Lux I'm having a problem with is back-focusing at medium distances. So if I focus on something 12 feet away, something in the background at 24 feet will be in better focus at f/1.4.

So now I'm debating: Keep it or send it back? If it's going to be drifting out of focus, maybe I don't need it. I'd still have my 75/2 Summicron, 75/2.5 Cosina, 90 Summicron AA, 90 Elmarit and 90 thin Tele-Elmarit. I just wouldn't have a long f/1.4.

 

[rodt16s]

I had a similar problem with my 75 summilux.. At one point it spent more time with Malcolm Taylor than I had actually owned it.. +2yrs.
The focus was way off... Many feet rather than inches.
Eventually it was resolved, still none the wiser how it could have been so far out.
The thought was badly rebuilt previously.
It works well now and it adds something special to the rendering, even stopped down., that I don't think any other lens I have can compare

 

[x-ray]

I had a 90 Apo Summicron that would never stay in calibration. It went back to Leica three or four times. I finally had to threaten them and got it replaced. No problems with the new one.

 

[raid]

You think I should? Coming from you, Raid, I'll take that advice seriously. What I think is going on, is the lens might have been dismantled for . . cleaning? Lubrication? And then re-assembled with the helicoids mis-matched? Just a guess. If I'm going to send it to DAG, I'll need to ask the seller for a partial refund right way, because I only have a few days before I'd have to return it for a full refund--not long enough for DAG to receive & check it out. So what should I ask for? I'd have to guess. 300? 400? 500?

Sometimes Don wants to get lens and camera to assure perfect synchronization. When/If you call Don, ask him if he needs your M9 or not.

 

[raid]

I had a similar problem with my 75 summilux.. At one point it spent more time with Malcolm Taylor than I had actually owned it.. +2yrs.
The focus was way off... Many feet rather than inches.
Eventually it was resolved, still none the wiser how it could have been so far out.
The thought was badly rebuilt previously.
It works well now and it adds something special to the rendering, even stopped down., that I don't think any other lens I have can compare

I must have gotten lucky with my 75/1.4 Summilux. I can focus it well wide open at 1.4. I have used this lens on my M8, M9, and then M10.

 

[Rob-F]

I had a similar problem with my 75 summilux.. At one point it spent more time with Malcolm Taylor than I had actually owned it.. +2yrs.
The focus was way off... Many feet rather than inches.
Eventually it was resolved, still none the wiser how it could have been so far out.
The thought was badly rebuilt previously.
It works well now and it adds something special to the rendering, even stopped down., that I don't think any other lens I have can compare

As I keep reading, I alternate between keeping or sending back. This post is definitely in the sending back category!

 

[Rob-F]

Sometimes Don wants to get lens and camera to assure perfect synchronization. When/If you call Don, ask him if he needs your M9 or not.

This also presses me more toward sending back. For one thing, I have several Leica M bodies I'd want to use it on. And if it's such a quirky lens, it may turn out to be an aggravation I don't need. Hmmm. I'd still have my 75 and 90 Summicrons.

 

[rodt16s]

As I keep reading, I alternate between keeping or sending back. This post is definitely in the sending back category!

I still have it... And have no intention to sell it anytime soon..

 

[raid]

The 75/1.4 is a very unique and special lens. You cannot replace it with some other lenses.

 

[raid]

This is a small crop from the image shown below.

 

[raid]

You can paint with this lens. I may be biased 🙂