Summilux 75 or Summilux 80 ?

I never used the 80/1.4 Summilux, so no comment on that. But the one M lens that I will NEVER sell is my 75mm Summilux. Wide-open at F1.4, the images are simply "rich." And yes, it's a bear to focus wide-open, but if you get it right, the results are magical.

Jim B.
 
I would normally like to use a portrait lens at apertures that let you get the whole face in focus, which from about 1,3-1,5 meters should be between f 2.8 and f4.0, so I am in trouble with my Zeiss Planar, because it shifts the most between f 2.0 and f5.6 - on top of this, the Zeiss is razor sharp at f2.8 and above. Another point is, that Planars have a typical gauss bokeh, which is mainly pleasant, but not so "paintery" as some Leica lenses exhibit. Hence my inquiry with the Summiluxes. In reality, perhaps what I want to find the most is this bokeh in a lens easy to use for portraiture.
 
If you want a portrait lens, an SLR lens is a lot easier to use. I'm confused about an R lens having focus shift. Since you focus looking thru the lens itself, unlike a rangefinder, I don't understand how that could happen. What you see is what you get.

The M and R lenses may have the same optical formulas, whatever that means, but they have totally different designs since the R lens sits so much further from the film plane due to the camera's mirror. Mfogiel, if you already have a Nikon body all you need is a $20 lens mount adapter to use an R lens on your Nikon.
 
Steve M. said:
If you want a portrait lens, an SLR lens is a lot easier to use. I'm confused about an R lens having focus shift. Since you focus looking thru the lens itself, unlike a rangefinder, I don't understand how that could happen. What you see is what you get.

The M and R lenses may have the same optical formulas, whatever that means, but they have totally different designs since the R lens sits so much further from the film plane due to the camera's mirror. Mfogiel, if you already have a Nikon body all you need is a $20 lens mount adapter to use an R lens on your Nikon.
Click to expand...

Focusshift ocures when you stop down the lens. Therefore it is also possible with a SLR lens unles you focus stopped down.

Cheers,

Michiel Fokkema
 
Steve M. said:
The M and R lenses may have the same optical formulas, whatever that means, but they have totally different designs since the R lens sits so much further from the film plane due to the camera's mirror.
Click to expand...

If you look at the diagrams of the lenses, you'll see that the last 10-15mm of the 75 Summilux closest to the camera is really just an empty tube. This makes up the difference in extension from the film plane that the mirror box provides.

These two lenses really are similar designs.

Michiel - nice portraits.
 
I have been looking at this kind of bokeh:
Summilux 75
http://www.flickr.com/photos/furcafe/8595508/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Summilux 80
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chchtr/3959076264/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Although these have been both shot wide open I imagine, the "paintery" bokeh is typical of Leica lenses - it reminds me of the bokeh of my Summilux 50/v2.

I didn't know, it was posible to use Leica R lenses on a Nikon with an adapter - but, I Imagine, you would have to stop down manually, right?
 
get a Nikon 105mm f2.5

get a Nikon 105mm f2.5

They are less expensive, just remove the tripod mount, it would like a 90mm Summicron
 
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Platinum RF said:
Either soft or out of focus, 75mm is not a easy lens to focus on M and too large for M. get a R and 80mm f1.4
Click to expand...

Not sure if you are referring to my pic being out of focus ? Just a note that in this case, I didn't bracket, just shot twice. Here is the second version, and both are in focus, IMO:

40-Scan-110521-0017-X2.jpg


I do have a Nikon NAI 105/2.5.

I find 90/2 and 75/1.4 easier to focus on my M3 than the 105 on my F. When the subject or photographer moves, at thin DOF, focusing a manual SLR is not easier (for me).

For at least 50 years people used short teles on RFs, and Leicas in particular. Why they should now only be used on SLRs is beyond me. In particular if you use a classic SLR with mirror-limited lowest speed of 1/125 or so. Plus, the difficult focus only comes into play for close up, wide open "bokeh" shots, which are a modern fad anyways. For example, I am guessing that your photo was taken at 2m or more .... should pose zero problems with any M tele.

Try this at less than a meter (another 75 Summilux shot):

621564361_zoyTf-X2.jpg


Roland.
 
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