75summarit or 90 summarit for the M8

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PrisonersDilema

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I have the 28'cron asph, my first and only lens on my M8.

I want to skip the 50mm as I like to shoot wide or tele. Not in between. The kind of 16-35L and 70-200 2.8 L kind of person on a 1d2 (1.3x) Canon system. No standard focal lengths.

I like to shoot candid street portraiture, street and low light stuff (wide angled). I am a sucker for bokeh

The 28'cron and m8 cost me too much and I can only afford a cheaper second lens and possibly a 15CV much later.

Hence, 75 lux, and 90 summicron or elmarits are out of the question.

Am considering the 75 and 90 summarits as they are also already 6-bit coded. Below are some of what I shoot: Only the first 2 are RF, the other 3, DSLR

Any experienced users' advice and pictures would be welcome gladly!

Example of what I like to shoot

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A ZM C Sonnar 50/1.5 would be, IMHO, the best lens you could get to pair with the 'cron. The dreamy creamy sonnar rendering works wonders on the M8.

If 67mm EFOV is not long enough for you (I think it could work for you), I'd pick the CV Heliar 75/2.5 before the summarits and use the savings for something else. Sean Reid's review of the CV Heliar on the M8 was surprisingly positive.

For the price of a single summarit you could get both the CV 75 and the ZM C Sonnar.
 
I like the 90mm on the M8 for long distance street shots - Where they don't see me coming ;-)...

There are a bunch of older 90mm Summicron Pre ASPH to be had in mint condition for easily less then $1K.... I got a flawless one for $700...

Here is just one example... If you look a bit you can do better...
 
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Thanks

Thanks

Thanks guys.

Picture 1 was shot with the C-sonnar I borrowed when I had the RD1s in 2007. My brief experience with this lens is it had focus shift that I had to focus and then inch in to where my nose is to get sharp focus on the point I wanted focussed. I like the dreamy look to it though.

Picture 2 is 28'cron on M8.

Picture 3 is 24mm on 24-70L on EOS 1d2 with circular polariser.

Picture 4 is 200mm with 70-200 f2.8 L on a 5D.

Picture 5 is TSE 90mm f2.8 Tilt shift on reversed tilt on a 5D.

The focal lengths are varied. I once travelled to Japan with only a 1d2 and a TSE 90mm.
 
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Great shots incidentally. I think i would go for 50mm focal length. (this checks in on the M8 at 67mm). For your style of pictures, clearly some background detail is a factor. With the 90 wide open there will be very little of the backround. Also greater focusing accuracy is required and some loss of slow shutter speed. I also think the framelines are getting very small. The 75 focal lenth would certainly be better than the 90 but I would still go for a 50mm. All the 50mm options are pretty good and unless you go for the 50 lux (or noctilux!!) should be a little cheaper. Incidentally I have 28, 50 and 75mm and totally happy. I did have 90mm but traded it for 75mm.

best wishes

Richard
 
In the light of the pictures you posted, I'd agree that 75 or 90 may be too long. I'd also strongly suggest trying a 50mm.
But if you really want a longer Leica lens at a "moderate" 😉 price, the 75 Summarit is a great choice if you like strong-contrast lenses.
This was taken with a 75 Summarit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecar/3047803381/in/set-72157607532987491/
I also own a 90mm Cron pre-asph, but I found that I don't reach for it very often. 50mm and below seem to be the most valuable focal lengths on the M8 - at least for me...
Hope it helps.
Whatever your choice, have fun with it!
 
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The 28 Summicron is a totally lovely main-use lens for the M8; mine is off getting coded now. You'll want to skip the 35-40mm area if you prefer to avoid "normal" field of view. I have the 50 Sonnar too and would suggest this is a specialty lens, and that you might be happier with something like a 50 Planar ZM or used Summicron. Again I have the 75 Heliar (like it but seldom use it) was impressed all over again in reading Reid's review, but have not used it at all on the M8 where it's effectively like a 100mm lens.

On the wide end, 21mm is very useful for me on the M8, with its field of view like a 28mm on film. Fortunately, there are many good choices here, with the very compact 21 f/4 Skopar the best for the economy end. I haven't had one, but I hear no complaints except for the f/4 speed. The 15mm Voigtlander will raise a bit of difficulty in mounting an IR Cut filter, and for me is getting into specialty territory with the 20mm view. If you want wider than 28-equiv, there's also the Zeiss 18mm (and the new Leica 18) for a nice 24mm view but there's more cost, and some fiddling to get it coded for M8.
 
I'll weigh in on the side of the 50mm. I've tried using my 75mm on an M6 for street work. It is already hard to frame a moving person at this focal length. You have to keep backing up to keep them in the frame. It makes you pretty obvious. Personally I like the 40mm or 35mm on a film camera for this purpose. So I think I would use a 28mm on the M8. That's just me; but I think 75mm on an M8 would be too long. If you like a long lens, I would try a 50 as it already has an effective length of over 65mm.
 
I find the combination of the 28 and 75 to be very useful on the M8. The 75 gets far more use than the 90 in my kit. I can't speak for the Summarits per se, but the focal length is great.
 
northernlights said:
I have the 28'cron asph, my first and only lens on my M8.

I want to skip the 50mm as I like to shoot wide or tele. Not in between. The kind of 16-35L and 70-200 2.8 L kind of person on a 1d2 (1.3x) Canon system. No standard focal lengths.

I like to shoot candid street portraiture, street and low light stuff (wide angled). I am a sucker for bokeh

The 28'cron and m8 cost me too much and I can only afford a cheaper second lens and possibly a 15CV much later.

Hence, 75 lux, and 90 summicron or elmarits are out of the question.

Am considering the 75 and 90 summarits as they are also already 6-bit coded. Below are some of what I shoot: Only the first 2 are RF, the other 3, DSLR

Any experienced users' advice and pictures would be welcome gladly!
Click to expand...

Don't know if I qualify for it, but here are my two cents:

The 90 is nice if you want to bridge some distance, which I understand is your (occasional) need. Used 90 pre ASPH Summicons and Elmarits in good condition are usually cheaper than the new Summarits. Plus the 90 framelines on the M8 are quite a bit more accurate than the 75 framelines. So, maybe one of those last version pre-ASPH Summicrons?

The coding BTW isn't strictly necessary for anything longer than 35mm, if you can live without proper EXIF focal length information out of the camera.

Cheers
Ivo
 
I did not have much success with the 90mm cron [pre asph] on the M8.
Sent it in to Leica NJ for cla and check the focus [always soft focus]. After 2 months I was notified by Leica NJ that one of their Tech's had quit and that they were in the process of training a new one. They asked if I would like to have a loaner in the mean time, a 90mm summarit I said sure.
I had the lens for about month and a half, it was O.K. for portraits [found it too tight of a crop]. Then I got tne 90mm cron back and I still had the same issue with focus, which meant sending it back again.
I decided to look into the 75mm. I found for my purposes the 75mm range an excellent fit for the M8. With the crop factor [approx 100mm] on the M8 it is like having a [ tight] 90mm lens anyway.
I looked at the 75mm summarit - liked it but they also had the 75mm cron. I went with the cron because I had traded in some stuff I wasn't using.
I would recommend the 75 over the 90 [on the M8] any day.
 
90 elmarit

90 elmarit

I think the focal length decision will depend on how close you like to work with your subjects. The difference between the 75 and 90 is very slim in real life situations.

I currently shoot with a 28 cron, 50 lux, and the 90 elmarit-m (coded). I picked up the 90 (the latest version) for 800 over the option of either the 75 summarit or 90 summarit, lenses I also seriously researched and considered. According to reviews by E, puts and Sean Reid, the 75 is optically the better lens in the summarit line. But I personally don't like the 75 frame lines on the M8. The 90 gives you a clear isolated frame while the 75 lines are too close to the 50.

I think you can go a couple of different ways on this. A 50 with the crop factor might prove to be a nice short-tele. The CV 50 Nokton 1.5 is supposed to be a stellar lens at about $400. According to Sean Reid, this lens is as good, and in some respects, even better than the 50 lux ASPH!

But if you are sure that you want to go longer, than the 90 elmarit-M is an excellent choice. I also considered the 90 AA and the 90 pre ASPH cron, but size and cost ruled out the first, size for the second. The 90 cron' takes a 55m filter while the Elmarit takes a 46mm. It is very compact and easy to focus. The IQ is not too far behind the 90 AA, as indicated by reviews from S. Reid and others. If size is not a factor, and if you want a softer lens for portraits wide open, the 90 cron' pre ASPH seems to be liked by many in this regard. The 90 elmarit-m is sharper without being too clinical in my opinion. The cron' is reportedly as sharp beyond f4. Also, if you like the signature of the 28 cron (which I do, and sold my elmarit to get it), you will like the drawing of the 90. They are quite similar in IMO.

Here are a few shots taken with the 90 elmarit-m. I'm sorry but I don't have any shots that would show the bokeh quality of the lens since I usually take my bokeh shots and portraits with my 50 lux. Sorry for the last photo being so small. The uploader wouldn't let me bring up the larger one. You can view some other shots taken with the lens at my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22910881@N08/

Best of luck in your search for the right lens.
 

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My $0.02 would be a Rigid Summicron, 50mm would seem to be a better compromise focal length for what you want to do and it paints well. I have a '57 version and it is great, although you have to be a aware of its tendency to flare in certain situations.

I also have a 75 Summarit and like other posters, I find this difficult to use for street work unless I know the objects will be static. That said, a great lens and less of a bear to manage than the Summilux (which is my favourite portrait lens on the M8)

Huw
 
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