Anybody have a Canon 100mm F2.0?

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Mackinaw

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I'm looking to buy a portait lens for my Canon and Leica and am wondering if anybody has a Canon LTM 100mm F2.0? I have the "R" version of this lens (for the Canonflex) and can tell you that its performance is superb, especially wide-open (tack sharp plane of focus with beautiful OOF foreground/background). I'm wondering if the LTM version of this lens is as good as the "R" version. Comments, and pictures (especially wide-open appreciated).

Jim Bielecki
 
Maybe. I already have a Canon 85mm F1.9 which is supposed to be better than the F2.0 version. The images of the 1.9, wide-open, are no where in the same league as 100 F2.0 R. Just too soft. You really have to see the "razor sharp zone bracketed by pleasing blur" effect of the 100 F2.0 R to see what I'm talking about.

Dechert, in his Canon rangefinder book, says that the 100mm F2.0 LTM is the same basic lens as the reflex version. Still, I'd like to see some pics taken with the LTM version before spending the considerable $$$ to buy one.

Jim Bielecki
 
I have read the the R version is the same optical formula as the LTM version. The same is true for the Nikkor 10.5cm F2.5; it went unchanged from the RF version to the Nikon F version.
 
Both the S and R mount 100mm f2.0's use a 6 elements in 4 groups formula. the R has only 6 aperture blades and only stops down to f16 :bang: :bang: :bang: while the S mount lens has 13 aperture blades with a minimum aperture of f22.

So while the formula could be the same their would be some differance in the out of focus areas and their could be other slight differances the coatings could have changed for instance
 
Last edited:
Furcafe,

Thanks for the pic of the jazz trumpeter. It looks like the LTM version of the 100mm F2.0 is much like the "R" version, very sharp in-focus area surrounded by smooth OOF background/foreground. I got a chance to purchase a mint version of this lens and am debating whether to go this route or buy a 90mm Summicron instead. Decisions, decisions.

Jim Bielecki
 
Mackinaw said:
I'm looking to buy a portait lens for my Canon and Leica and am wondering if anybody has a Canon LTM 100mm F2.0?...Comments, and pictures (especially wide-open appreciated).
Jim Bielecki
Click to expand...

Well, I've got the LTM version, and I think it's pretty stellar. But that won't tell you anywhere near as much as even a mediocre picture, and 'Ask and ye shall receive' is our motto here on the Canon forum, so... just for you, I whipped my 100mm f/2 onto my Epson R-D 1, trained the combo on my perpetually patient poser, Canon Cat, and snapped some sample photos for you.

Of course, you can't view corner performance since the R-D 1 doesn't have a full-35mm-area sensor. And since I suspect that the microlens array over a digital camera's sensor responds somewhat differently to out-of-focus images than film does, you may not want to compare "bokeh" directly.

But you SHOULD be able to see how out-of-focus areas look compared to in-focus areas, at the four apertures at which I shot: f/2, f/2.8, f/4, and f/5.6. The shooting distance was 6 feet, and the background (horizontal mini-blinds) was about 1 foot behind the main subject, so you should be able to get a fair sense of how effectively the background is blurred. Focus point was on Cat's near eyebrow, incidentally.

The sample pix are full-area 3000x2000-pixel images, saved at JPEG Maximum quality, so the files are kinda big -- you may want to download them for inspection rather than trying to view them in your browser. Here are the links:


Happy viewing!
 
Mackinaw said:
Furcafe,

Thanks for the pic of the jazz trumpeter. It looks like the LTM version of the 100mm F2.0 is much like the "R" version, very sharp in-focus area surrounded by smooth OOF background/foreground. I got a chance to purchase a mint version of this lens and am debating whether to go this route or buy a 90mm Summicron instead. Decisions, decisions.

Jim Bielecki
Click to expand...

Depends a lot on WHICH Summicron. If you're looking at the original version (the huge one with the removable lens head and built-in tripod socket) don't bother -- the Canon is significantly better, especially at full aperture.

(The Summi has a pronounced tendency for light subject areas to flare into dark surroundings, creating a "halo" effect that might be pretty for portraiture but wipes out textures and crisp edges.)

The later 90 Summicrons are a lot better -- back in the '80s I had the compact version with 49mm filter thread and built-in collapsible lens hood, and by then Leica had gotten rid of the full-aperture halo effect. I still don't think it was significantly better than the Canon lens, though.

If you fancy a lens in the 100mm range, another to watch for is the LTM version of the 105mm f/2.5 Nikkor. You give up a half-stop of aperture compared to the Canon, and I don't think it's any better in terms of edge sharpness -- but it has terrific "microcontrast" and does a fabulous job of rendering textures.
 
JLW,

Thanks for the excellent Epson/100 f2.0 lens pics. They really give me the visual info I need to help make a decision. As for the Summicron, the pre-apo/asph version is the one that caught me eye. Not sure which way I'll go, but the Epson/Canon pics sure are convincing.

Jim Bielecki
 
I have the Canon RF 1.8/85 of the same vintage as the 2/100 but it's quite more compact, also "solid" (but not heavy as plumb like the 1.5/85 or 2/85). I have a picture with comparison to some short telephotos here: http://www.taunusreiter.de/Cameras/Zeiss_Fakes.html
Canon Museum says the 100/2 is an earlier design (Jan. 1959) than the 85/1.8 (March 1961), believe it or not.
Anyway the 1.8/85 is a very sharp lens and I expect the same from the 2/100, because it has one more element. Otherwise, it's 91mm long and weights 515g, thats not far away from the 85/2's 565g. My "reference telephoto" in terms of sharpness is the well-reputated Zeiss Planar 1.4/85 SLR. In all aspects the Canon 1.8/85 plays in the league with the Zeiss. Its borderline to "unpleasent" for portrait even wide open.

cheers, Frank
 
Thanks for the comments. I actually ended up buying a new 90mm F2.8 Elmarit-M for my Leicas. Kind of a sad story, but my "local" Leica dealer (in quotes becuase it's 240 miles away) is having a fire sale on all in-stock Leica equipment. As one salesman told me, "any high-end film camera we have just sits on the shelf and collects dust." I picked up the 90mm for 10% less than dealer invoice. Just couldn't pass up this kind of deal.

Maybe some day I'll pick up the Canon 85mm F1.8 or the 100m F2.0. but not right now.

Jim Bielecki
 
if you think "Canon" the best telephoto for travel and so on is the 3.5/100. Very sharp and lightweight (probably the best "everyday use lens" of Canon together with the 1.8/50 and the sadly expensive 2/35).
Upgrading to "fast speed class" you only gain 1 1/2 f-stops, but I wouldn't recommend these if you don't have a small telephoto like the above (or maybe a Leitz/ Konica 2.8 or 4/90). My 1.8/85 sits in the vitrine most of the time because it looks so nice.. casually taken out for inhouse shots, whereas the 3.5/100 is always in one of my small photobags for everyday use and is really worth 10x what I paid for...

cheers Frank
 
As mentioned a few posts back, I opted for a brand-spanking new 90mm F2.8 Elmarit-M.

Regarding Canon telephotos, I already own the 100mm 3.5 which I agree is an excellent lens, but there's something about the extremely shallow depth of field, wide-open at F2.0, that makes the 100mm F2.0 version so special.

BTW, I'm pretty sure this 100mm F2.0 lens is still available. E-mail me at bunchberry@mac.com for more info.

Jim Bielecki
 
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