Any opinions on the 75 'cron

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BigSteveG

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as an all around street lens? I know the FL lends itself to portraiture, but I want something w/ bit longer reach than the 35mm I use for most street work. Since I often work w/ 2 bodies it shoudl be fine. I also want something smaller and lighter than the 75 lux for this work. All opinions welcome.
 
Steve,

I have the Summicron 75 and I am generally not using it for street although it is possible. The lens is light and compact and it gives you some extra reach like you say. But there are some severe limitations you have to bear in mind: if you are using hyperfocal (I do a lot), @f8 the hyperfocal plane is in 10m (compare this with 5m on a 50 lens and 2m with a 35 lens). Effectively what you gain in reach you are losing in distance. The same pattern applies in other apertures when in hyperfocal. Also, the 75mm focal length is a bit more unforgiving for camera shake. I 'd say 1/30s is about your lowest speed (compare this with the typical 1/8s and even 1/4s you can use your 50 and 35 lenses).

As I said, it is possible to use the Summicron 75 for street photography but, I think, there is a reason why most ultimately end up with the 50.
 
For the same reasons you mention (compactness) i am considering adding the 90mm macro-elmar to my 75 lux.
I compared the 75 cron to the 75 lux in a shop nearby and came to the conclusion that the size/ weigth difference was far less than i expected. I consider the 75 cron still too large for street!
 
I use 90mm very often for street photography without a single problem. And they are action shots, too.
 
As an all round street lens I would say no. Your 35mm is more suited to that. As Alkis points out you need to be able to focus the lens and use reasonably fast film like 400ASA. The lens does have a very short focus throw so it is quick to use. Also it has a closest focus of 0.7M so if you have older 50mm lenses with closest focus of 1.0M (like me) this is a lens to seriously consider. I do think that the 35mm and 75mm makes for a terrific two lens kit, as do the 28mm and 50mm.
 
Steve,

I agree with Peter on his two lens kit statement. On film, I was mainly a 50 shooter. This was partly because of the focal length and partly because I loved the 50 Lux ASPH. However, my two lens kit was the 35 Lux ASPH & the 75 Cron.

Since moving to the M8, my two lens kit has changed to the 28 Cron ASPH and 50 Lux ASPH. This kind of leaves the 75 cron as the odd man out for me.

I personally think that Leica's best lenses ever are as follows: 50 Lux ASPH, 75 Cron ASPH, 28 Cron ASPH. (In that order.) The 75 Cron is a GREAT lens that is a nice combination of size/weight/sharpness/contrast/bokeh. It basically is a very close sibling of the 50 Lux ASPH with the same rendering.

If the 75 FL is for you, it is a great lens.

Best,

Ray

(If you decide to go with a 75 Cron - PM me as maybe we can work a deal on selling mine.)
 
90mm macro

90mm macro

J. Borger said:
For the same reasons you mention (compactness) i am considering adding the 90mm macro-elmar to my 75 lux.
I compared the 75 cron to the 75 lux in a shop nearby and came to the conclusion that the size/ weigth difference was far less than i expected. I consider the 75 cron still too large for street!
Click to expand...

is something I would also consider....it's size and lightness appeals to me. I'm thinking f4 is sufficient for daylight shooting. I don't hear much about the image quality from that lens. That concenrns me.
 
BigSteveG said:
is something I would also consider....it's size and lightness appeals to me. I'm thinking f4 is sufficient for daylight shooting. I don't hear much about the image quality from that lens. That concenrns me.
Click to expand...

I think there is no reason for concern. The Macro Elmar 90 is presumably up there with the best of them. It is very highly corrected - some compare it to the legendary Apo Macro Elmarit 100 for Leica Rs.
 
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Thanks Peter, I have read the SB article a few times. Since we're on the subject of light 90mm lenses now, what advantadge will I gain w/ the 90mm macro v 90mm Rokkor? Image quality? size/weight? I've seen wonderful shots online taken with the Rokkor. I know it's not price. I have a street shooting workshop in June and want to minimize my kit. I've even though about picking a DSLR/Zoom combo for long shots. But I don't think it will make a lot of difference in a street shooting session.
 
Hi Magus,

Thanks for the kind comment.

I originally had the same view of the 28 Cron as you did. As you know, I like the rendering of the 35 Lux ASPH much more so than the 35 Cron ASPH. To me the 35 Cron is too sharp, too contrasty, without smooth transitions and can block-up in contrasty light (as here in AZ). I am relating comments about the 35 because it will apply to the 28 as a reference point.

Upon purchasing the M8, I really needed to have a lens in the FOV of a 35. I therefore got the 28 Cron based on looking at a lot of photos from others.

In actual use of the 28, I have found it to really have very rich colors, textures, and a 3D like rendering which is not plasticky at all. However, it is very dependent on the film type that you use. When used with a low contrast film like a Portra NC or a chromogenic B&W like XP2, I really came to appreciate the lens. (Remember some similiar comments you had about the 35 Cron with different development and printing. My earlier 35 discussion is to basically portray that the 28 is a very similiar situation, but is a superior lens to the 35 Cron ASPH.) Another advantage to the 28 Cron is its truly amazing resistance to flare.

In use with the M8 and the profile that I made for C1, it is really turning out some beautiful files that are smooth, and rich both tonally and with detail. With proper exposure and film selection or profiling on the M8, it is very much to my likes.

If I were to expand on my order for choices purely on image qualities today, it would be:

1) 50 Lux ASPH
2) 75 Cron ASPH
3) 28 Cron ASPH
4) 35 Lux ASPH
5) 50 Cron

My 50 Cron is one of the "limited edition" screw mount remakes, that goes on my M5 with the adaptor but really shares my iiig with a perfect 1956 50mm 2.8 Elmar.

Best,

Ray
 
BigSteveG said:
as an all around street lens? I know the FL lends itself to portraiture, but I want something w/ bit longer reach than the 35mm I use for most street work. Since I often work w/ 2 bodies it should be fine. I also want something smaller and lighter than the 75 lux for this work. All opinions welcome.
Click to expand...

Steve - it's not a Cron, but I've been having very good luck with a 75 on my M6. I really learned to like the 75mm focal length by way of (of all things) using a 50 on my DSLR.

I didn't have the money for a 75 Cron right away, so I picked up a C-V 75 to test the theory. I've found it's an exceptional choice paired with a 35, and I look forward to the day I can replace it with a Leica 75 Summicron.
 
I do a lot of available-light shooting, but not what people apparently mean when they say "street shooting," i.e. grab-shooting from the hip. I own and use the Leica 75mm f/2, along with various other lenses. It offers an excellent balance of high image quality and good handling qualities -- reasonably fast, very sharp, contrasty, smooth, high image quality even at maximum aperture, not much larger than a 50mm, fast focusing, built-in lenshood that locks in position, balances nicely on an M2 body. It's excellent for available-light shooting. While 35 mm lenses are useful, I prefer the 75mm lens because it allows one to concentrate on and emphasize those things that are of greatest visual interest with a natural perspective. If one is interested in a more affordable short telephoto with high image quality, I would suggest the old Nikkor 85mm f/2 in LTM. It's somewhat larger and heavier and focuses somewhat more slowly than the 75mm f/2, but it's an excellent lens and takes great pictures. If it was good enough for David Douglas Duncan, it's probably good enough for you.
 
02Pete, I've never gotten my hands on a 75 Cron. When you say the hood locks out, could you elaborate? Is it a detent lock or something more secure? What would have to happen for the hood to collapse accidentally?

Thanks!
 
Ken, you pull the hood out and twist it to the right (it turns quite a few mm). There is no detent but there is some resistance to it's travel both along the barrel and rotating on the barrel. I have used two 75mm Summicrons and IMO this is the best pull-out hood Leica have come up with so far. I have a 90mm AA and the pull-out hood on that lens is useless in comparison; I use a 3rd party screw-in hood on it.
 
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