Request for Advice on Fast telephoto lenses

[Phil_Hawkes]

I'm largely a low light shooter. Some time in the future, I'll be thinking about getting a fast tele: 75mm or greater at f2.0 or greater.

I have a 90/2.8 Konica hexanon, but I'd really like something faster. After my recent adjustment of the rangefinder, the 90/2.8 seemed to focus accurately enough in tests, but I haven't used it on the field because it wasn't fast enough.

The only comments on fast tele's that I recall reading are about the 75/1.4 being unrelieable to focus. See for example, Sean Reid's review
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/fastlensreview.shtml


I was hoping some other members might share their experiences of fast tele lenses.

Phil

 

[Phil_Hawkes]

I forgot to mention that I particulary want to know about using fast tele's on the R-D1. Phil

 

[jdos2]

I'ver heard it works okay on the RD, and the 90mm Summicron AA is just... A wonderful lens. Just a bit more DoF, too- for rangefinder errors. It's fast, a touch heavy, and simply wonderful.

 

[Terence T]

I use the 90 cron on my R-D1 without much focusing issues, unlike my CV 75mm which back focuses constantly. It's a large lens, which is the main reason why I'm looking to sell it off.

 

[egpj]

The 90 Summicron is a cracking good lens but.... for the RD-1 I would be inclined to go with the 75 Summicron. A brand new lens from Leica that shows great characteristics wide open. It also has a floating element which allows you to focus at something like 27 inches. Also, since your camera has crop factor you are looking at getting close to the 90's view. If I had the RD-1 and 3K U.S. Dollars 😱 that is what I would opt for.

Glenn

 

[rami G]

I think it is very specific to the body/lens combo. My pre-exchange RD-1 worked perfectly with my previous RD-1 (took rock show pictures with it, all wide open and were sharp). My exchange unit does not work with it even after a DAG calibrated it. It works on one of my Leica bodies (M6ttl) and doesn't focus properly on the M7. I am sure it is not a mystery and the bodies are not all calibrated exactly the same. If you can, try it because the 75 is charm to use and on the RD-1 with the crop it is really a tele-photo rather than mid-tele. It is a great lens that is likely to loose some of its respect with the new summicron that is probably better. The lux has amazing characteristics that make it so beautiful for portraits, low light and out of focus characters.
(picture bellow is with the 75 but on a film body)

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1910859

 

[rami G]

obviously, I meant if you can try one before buying it with your RD-1 body...

 

[egpj]

I've heard that the 75 Summilux blocks too much of the viewfinder on M cameras (up to 15 or 20%). This is an issue you will have to check on your RD-1 as well. The 75 Summicron though goes easy on my MP's viewfinder with about 5% obscured in the lower right hand side.

 

[wlewisiii]

Have you considered a Jupiter 9 (85/2) in LTM with a M adaptor? A very very nice lens that might well suit your needs.

William

 

[jlw]

One thing to consider when picking ANY longer-than-50mm lens for the R-D 1 is what you're going to use for a viewfinder!

For example, a 75mm lens with the R-D 1's 1.53x crop factor would "equivalate" to 114.75mm -- finding a 115mm auxiliary viewfinder is probably going to be a bit difficult!

But wait... Add in the same 85% "safety factory" that Epson includes in the R-D 1's built-in framelines, though, and you get exactly 135mm -- so a 135 aux finder would be perfect for getting the same type of framing that you get with the built-ins. (No, please, no need to thank me for this excellent tip -- just let me borrow your 75mm Summicron for a couple of months...)

Incidentally, if you need a bit more reach and/or find the Summicron's price a bit steep, allow me to recommend the Canon 100mm f/2 screwmount lens. You need to track down a zoom viewfinder to use it (I've got a 35-200mm Tewe zoom finder) but I've been very pleased with the results in terms of reach, sharpness, and out-of-focus rendition. I'm attaching an example pic; the overall shot shows the full image area (raw format, EI 1600) and the inset is cropped from the left girl's nearer eye.

And... Maybe I'm just lucky, but my particular example of this lens also happens to focus with perfect accuracy on my R-D 1 all the way down to its 1-meter minimum distance!

 

[J. Borger]

I have a 75 Summilux i specially bought for use with the R-D1 ..... it is my favourite lens for the way the pictures look BUT ......... i never use it because:

- i do not want to use auxialary finder & working with 50 framelines with the lens is not working for me
- very difficult & unreliable to focus

It is a (fantastic) portraitlens .. good to shoot stationary subjects. The focus-throw is too long and the rangefinderbase is too short for quick focussing imho.

If you stop it down to F2 and back up to about 1,5 meters it can be focussed correctly on my R-D1 MOST of the times.
Close up (.7 m) at 1.4 ... it is a lottery.

Such a pity ...... i am considering to buy the 50/1,4 pre-asph to get about similar smoothness......

From what i've read the 75 1.4 is hard to focus on an M too. Even more challenging than a noctilux. But the pictures are gorgous.

I can't get it over my heart to sell the 75 Summilux, perhaps i waite if it works more reliable with the digital M in the future ........... on the other hand it is lot of money, unused on a shelf!

Han

 

[Roger Hicks]

The short RF base of the RD1 would make me nervous: the 75/2 is hard enough to focus at full aperture on an M. Gorgeous lens, though. I hardly use my 90/2 any more.

As for finders, a Tewe zoom winder will allow you to get exactly the framing you need. It zooms from 35 to 200, equating more or less to 21 to 135 on the RD1.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Phil_Hawkes]

Thanks for the comments so far... I am sure that there are others out there who have yet to give their advice, so I'll wait a couple of days before commenting on people's comments.

Keep those comments coming!!!!

Phil

 

[jlw]

As for finders, a Tewe zoom winder will allow you to get exactly the framing you need. It zooms from 35 to 200, equating more or less to 21 to 135 on the RD1.

True, but read this RFF thread before you jump off the dock...

 

[zuikologist]

Apologies if this sounds stupid, but does the RD1 have an LCD screen like other digital cameras? If so, doesn't this make the ideal auxiliary finder?

 

[jlw]

Apologies if this sounds stupid, but does the RD1 have an LCD screen like other digital cameras? If so, doesn't this make the ideal auxiliary finder?

Yes, it does. But like most other digital cameras with focal-plane shutters (as opposed to most fixed-lens digicams, which have leaf shutters) the LCD can be used ONLY for reviewing pictures that already have been shot. It can't be used for live preview.

The reason for this is that until you take the picture, the focal-plane shutter covers up the imager, so there's nothing for it to "see."

Of course, you can always take a test shot, review it on the LCD, and change your picture composition accordingly. But this isn't very convenient unless you're doing static shots with the camera on a tripod.

 

[zuikologist]

Of course, I should have thought before I typed! Thanks.

 

[Phil_Hawkes]

Last night I tried writing a summary of info I'd found on the web, and what you (dear memmbers) had contributed. I realised that there are a few "gaps" in my knowledge that need filling. Some part of me likes the 75/1.4, but another part thinks that the image loss wide open (due to DOF and other factors) might not make it worth using wide open.

Does anyone have examples of photos taken with the 75/1.4 'lux on the R-D1 either wide open or at 1.7. Street/impromptu Portaits would be the usage I would like to see examples of. Full size would be good too I am interested to see how the lens draws (to steal a phrase from Sean Reid).


Interestingly, the DOF for 75/1.4 is the same as 90/2.0 (at least, looking at the sheets provided by Leica at
http://www.leica-camera.com/produkte/msystem/objektive/tele/index_e.html.
It is perplexing that people comment on focussing problems with the 75/1.4, but not the 90. Perhaps it is the transmission characteristics of the 75mm that give the impression of "out-of-focus"-ness. The MTF graph of the 75/1.4 is worse than for the 50/1.0. I know MTF is not everything, but a quick glance shows that thhe contrast for the 75/1.4 at 5/10/20 lines is worse than the contrast for the 75/2.0 and 90/2.0 at 10/20/40 lines. I guess this means that in practise, the 75/1.4 lens can only transmit half the details of the 75/2.0 and 90/2.0. I must admit that I haven't even held any of these lenses so I'm am just theorizing.

I thought that a few sample photos would be the best way to get a feel for what the 75 Summilux/Rd-1 combination provides at 1.4 and 1.7.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Well, I have a couple of Tewes and though the edges of the frame are indeed soft it doesn't worry me. Will it worry you? Hard to say...


And the 90/2 is even harder to focus perfectly than the 75/2; I don't use either at full aperture on any Bessa except the T (I also have/have had R, R2, R3A). I REALLY think you are asking for trouble on this one, with such a short RF base.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[J. Borger]

SMOOOOOOTH .. that's the way i would describe the signature of the 75 Lux.
But plenty sharp at all appertures.
Colors tend to beautiful Pastels.

For it's signature it is my favourite Leica lens .........

1. 75 Lux
2. 50 Summicron
3 35 Summicron ASPH ............. i'm not really happy with this lens

I hope this testshot gives you a good idea about the performance of the lux .. this was around 1.7, perhaps f2. .. a bit backed -up.

http://www.shutterfreaks.com/gallery/album03/75lux

If you get real close (.7m) and shoot wide open ... you get the "1 eye in focus type of portraits" ... but like i said that is a lottery with the R-D1 .. big chance there is nothing or the ear in focus instead!

For Informal Streetportraits you will have difficulties focussing quick & accurate with moving subjects .......