cv 75 or 90

Hi,

I am using the CV 75mm and a Leica Tele-Elmar M 1:2,8/90. I like the 75 very much. It is a real good lens and it also works on my Leica IIIc (ok the same with the 90). I haven't compared the two. Asked my at a shop and they told me to choose the 75, because it is smaller and faster. I use it more often then the 90mm Leica lens.

Timo

P.S.: You can see the lens on the avatar. If you want, I'll send you some photos taken with it via PN
 
Yes, one's a little faster, and both very nice!....but for me - there's just that little indefinable 'extra' about that Apo Lanthar.
Dave.
 
I have the CV 75mm now... and I've tried a friends 90mm but found the difference in focal lengths too minimal to own and carry both.. so I decided to stick with the 75mm as it's faster... and I can always crop a bit to get equal what I would have got with a 90mm, but I can't add more to the neg if the 90mm is too tight.
 
I had the CV 2,5/75 and I liked the results. But I didn't use it very often and needed money ..... so it had to go;
some pics made with it in my flickr

Regards
 
I had the CV 2,5/75 and I liked the results. But I didn't use it very often and needed money ..... so it had to go;
some pics made with it in my flickr

Regards


Same here .... I had a ninety and never really liked it and found the seventy five a lot more usable!

Both lenses are very cheap s/h!
 
I've used a Canon 85/2 and a 90/2'cron and although both produced great images, both were too big and heavy for me to use regularly on a M3. Are you planning to use it on your RD1 or film body? I suspect that the 90 framelines (if they exist) might be too tight for my taste so if I HAD to choose one I'd go with the 75. Having said that, I prefer cropping from a 50mm frame if I need to get closer.

What are you hoping the 75/90 will give you that your 85/4 ZM couldn't?
 
I haven't used the 75 Heliar, but I've used the Apo-Lanthar 90mm on both the M6 and the R2A. I'm no lens testing expert, but I found it delivers superb image quality. Along with the Heliar 50mm f/3.5, it's one of my favorite lenses. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I find the color rendition very accurate and pleasing. Close in this aspect to the rendition of the Pentax 77mm limited f/1.8, another superb lens for portraits.

The 90 is difficult to shoot with. If you're used to streetshooting with wide-angles, switching to a 90 will bring a lot of motion blur in your pics at first. (Obviously).

To reach the max res, you need some form of rest, or a lot of sunlight.
I would not recommend low light photography with this lens, it's just too challenging for the photographer.
Also, using the little 90 frame in the M6 or Bessa's finder is adding to the challenge. If possible, use a separate view finder or a magnifying correction on the VF. Your framing and focusing will be much improved.

On the upside, along with pure image quality, I found my subjects were less intimidated because of the longer distance between you and them. This adds a lot if you like to portray people with a natural pose.

I plan to try the 90 on the E-p1 or e-p2 once I can get my hands on one of these.
With the in-body image stabilisation, that should help a lot...
 
CV 75 is a great lens, just don't use it as much as I should, samples:

U489I1243012560.SEQ.0.jpg


1213100452.jpg


a few more...

Todd
 

Attachments

  • ssssss.jpg
    ssssss.jpg
    123.1 KB · Views: 0
  • VC_75_ty_tay_.jpg
    VC_75_ty_tay_.jpg
    21.2 KB · Views: 0
I've used the 75mm CV and also the Macro Elmar 90. The extra "zoom" of the 90 is nice for portrait or a slightly farther back distance (though I often used it at minimal focus). But the 75mm is pretty fast and small, with less potential for shake. I'll try to post some of my favorites when I get home tonight. I only sold mine when I left 35mm for MF. Now that I have a 35mm again, I might pick it up again in the future. If its for the RD-1, I'd go with 75mm due to crop factor.

EDIT: added image

this is labeled as cv35mm f1.7, but is actually the 75mm cv
 
Last edited:
IF i get a longer lens, i would probably choose from between the 75 and the 90 cv lenses. it would be a much less used lens than my wides.
i have had the 75 before and remember liking it, never have used the 90.

from my reading the 90 seems to impress more people more often.
the 75 iirc, was an easy to handle lens and pretty sharp.
i would be using either on the rd1 only - so it would be like a 114 or a 135.
i had an 85 very briefly and enjoyed using it on the rd1.

currently wide is actually my favourite direction and i just ordered the cv12.
 
went to purchase the 75, got the 90

went to purchase the 75, got the 90

any preferences?

size, handling, performance?

examples?

I went to the LeicaBoutique to get the 75 in black; they only had the 90 at that time; purchased it, and I find it absolutely fine on the M8.

It is long on the M8, of course; right now I it is one of the 3 lenses I keep "active" - a Leica 28/2, a Leica 50/1.4 and the CV90, so it has good company, and it holds its own.

Is it better than a 75? or a Zeiss or Leica "equivalent"? I have absolutely no idea - just happy that I'm glad I picked up the CV 90.

JohnS
 
I'm a big fan of the 75mm fl. The CV 75 is one of my most used lenses and is very close in performance with my 75 summilux. My favorite combo is a 35 and 75. My carry all the time in the car kit is my R2, 35 PII and 75 CV.
 
I cannot compare because I own only the CV 75 f2,5 but I'm very satisfied with it. Even is I use it just sometimes because usually I prefer wides
robert
 
I have the 90 and like it a lot. I haven't used it in a while but my recollection is that it is sharp and has some glow-y qualities and nice contrast, seems like it could be a good portrait lens.The downside IS the speed. For that reason, I usually grab one of my other faster 90's. I like the 90 FL on an RF. It's not my most used RF FL, but the extra reach is a lot of fun and adds a whole other element of stealth that allows you to quietly pick off some nice candid shots or straight up portraits.

/
 
Last edited:
i think of the CV 75/2.5 as a smaller, lighter version of my hex 90/2.8. great little lens. sold mine when i let the r-d1 go. shouldn't have.
 
I have the Apo Lanthar too and used it very sparingly. The few black and white portraits I took with it turned out very nice. Sharp and the contrast was also very good. What I do not like about it though is, that it suffers from a slight pincussion distortion that showed up, when I took pictures from architecture. However, I am thinking about giving it at try on the G1 as a lightweight 180/3.5 lens for bird photography. Size and handling is very nice, but focussing can be a bit problematic on rangefinders with a short base length. The T shoul be a good companion for that lens, but I am lacking a proper 90mm viewfinder. I have an Altix one and there are some 90mm masks available at a local camera store, probably for just a few bucks. We will see.
 
Last edited:
I had the CV 75mm and liked:

- it's light and small for a 75mm
- it's very quick to focus
- decent quality for the price

I didn't care for:
- the lens not being particularly sharp
- the colour rendering; hard to describe what's wrong, but it reminded me of my very old Leica glass that was intended for B/W
 
Back
Top Bottom