Summilux 75

[Richard Marks]

Hi Im thinking about a 75mm lens for portraits on the M8 (also have M6). I mainly use my 50mm Summicron. My 90mm Elmarit does allow a bit more distance from the subject but does not give me a much closer head shot in the frame. There is an absolute scarcety of 75 Summicrons in the UK at present however I have tracked down a 75 mm Summilux. Obviously a bit older and not aspherical, but by all accounts quite a lens. I was just wondering regarding peoples experience of this lens.

Best wishes


Richard

 

[JWW]

It's a great lens for portraits. I had to adjust the M8 hex adjustment however since the DOF is so shallow wide open (no problem to do).

Jan

 

[ferider]

BTW, there was one on sale at KEH this morning.

 

[Richard Marks]

It's a great lens for portraits. I had to adjust the M8 hex adjustment however since the DOF is so shallow wide open (no problem to do).

Jan

Many thanks Jan

Does it allow a really tight head shot?

Best wishes

Richard

 

[Mackinaw]

I picked up a 75 Summilux from a fellow RFFer early in 2006. This lens is totally different from the 75 Summicron, much more "classic" in its look. Real sharp at F1.4 with wonderfully creamy bokeh. Only downside is that accurate focusing is a must at close distances. Attached is a pic I took last year, wide-open on Efke 25.

Jim B.

 

[usccharles]

had both 75 lux and cron. recently sold the cron because although both lenses are great, i always lean towards the lux when its time to take the camera out. the lux is an absolute gem wide open. creamy bokeh and sharp as heck.

the only downside is that the DOF is so narrow that focus needs to be dead on. i've had to get my lens calibrated twice already with my M8. my technition says this lenses is the hardest to calibrate next to the nocti.

highly recommend 🙂

 

[BigSteveG]

I had my lux adjusted and was told the same thing by my tech.

 

[Rob-F]

My 75 Summilux is just as tack-sharp with architectural details as my 90mm AA. I made this comparison around f/5.6, using a tripod and Velvia, and was blown away.

 

[semrich]

Here is a portrait from my 75 summilux

 

[Richard Marks]

Thanks evey one
Im going to go for it!
Clearly there is a bit of a learning curve focusing wide open, but that is pretty much my style any way.
Best wishes
Richard

 

[Nemo]

On the M8 this lens is impressive. Sharp at f/1.4, but not easy to focus. Very sharp in the f/2-f/2.8 range (you know, a portrait at f/2 would be too sharp for many people... all details in the skin are revealed). From f/4 is like the APO-Summicron 75mm or 90mm in practical terms. It is an incredible lens.

I have many shots in Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosuna/

😉

 

[Richard Marks]

I am pretty much commited to the idea of this lens. It is in London however (and I am in Yorkshire) so will be ordering it on approval without actually trying it out. What exactly is the problem with focussing, is it anything to do with the lens barrel in the viewfinder, the focusing ring stiffness, or just plain zero depth of filed + light motion of subject?

Attached shot with cron 50 wide open

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Attached are two pix -- one with a 75 Lux and one with a 75 Cron. M8 on the Lux; M5/XP2 on the 'Cron. The 75 Lux pic is from this morning in response to this thread.

The 75Lux is not hard to focus for me. I use Leica's 1.25x magnifier on the eyepiece -- easy as pie.

Ben

 

[Ben Z]

I had a 75 Summilux some time ago and loved the look it gave. It wasn't that the focus was difficult, so much as it was slow. The ring turned stiffer than any other Leica lens I've owned, but more than that, it turned a lot from lock to lock. Focusing on a moving subject usually meant ballparking with the ring and fine-focusing by leaning in and out. It also blocked at least a third of the viewfinder frame when focused close and with its shade pulled forward, and it truly defeated my reason for using a Leica, size. After a while I saw that it really was too close to a 50 and by that time I had a 50 Summilux and was using the 75 almost never, so I sold it...but wished I hadn't because I could get 50% more for it now :bang:

 

[Richard Marks]

Your not making this any easier Benjamin damn you! Both pretty faultless. Realistically I cant get hold of a Cron at the moment and think I will be pretty pleased with the Lux

Best wishes


Richard

 

[tbarker13]

I'll second the idea of using a 1.25 magnifier. I leave one permanently attached to my M8. I can' t really say that I have trouble focusing the 75 lux. Mine is pretty smooth.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Ricahrd - thanks for the kind remarks!

On a technical note, regarding focusing, I generally follow the technique that Ben Z mentions above, particularly when filling the frame with a subject's head. I find that I focus to "almost" and then move the camera/myself back and forth to achieve focus on the desired feature. Using the 75 for a moving subject would be a challenge.

The 75 Summilux is a great lens and very sharp at f:2 and smaller. It doesn't have the clinical quality some have observed in the 75/Cron 50/1.4 Asph family of lenses. Perhaps it is simply lower contrast, rather than less sharpness. I also found the 75 Cron very hard to find. Wound up getting one new from Dr. Joseph Yao in Hong Kong (a very pleasant gent to deal with).

Attached is another 75 lux shot with the M8. Shot as a b&w jpg and then downsised/down-rez'd for posting.

Ben

 

[Philippe D.]

Hi Richard,

Hi Im thinking about a 75mm lens for portraits on the M8 (also have M6).

If the rangefinder of your M8 is correctly adjusted (seldom the case out of factory), the Lux 75 is a terrific lens (I love the Cron 90AA very much also btw).
Here a picture of this Jack Russell, taken with the Lux 75, with self adjusted M8.

 

[Richard Marks]

Many thanks one and all. I suspect the 1.25 magnifier would be a good investment.
I will of course post some pics as sson as i am up and running.
Best wishes
Richard

 

[StuartR]

I have both the 75 lux and the 75mm summicron. I like the 75mm summilux better for its look, though the 75/2 is very hard to fault. I don't find it clinical as much as precise. The summilux has almost the same look when shot at f/2.8 and above. The key advantage of the summilux is that it has the most incredible look when used at 1.4 to f/2.5. If I only had to have one of the lenses, I would take the summilux because it does everything the summicron does and more. The only disadvantage is the larger size, heavier weight and longer focus throw. Some people don't mind at all, while it drives others crazy. For me, the optical result is worth it.

For what it is worth, I think the 50mm is a more useful focal length for portraits on the M8. The 50/1.4 pre-asph on the M8 gives a very similar look to the 75/1.4 on film. Just something to keep in mind...

Here are some of my samples of the 75/1.4...pretty much all on film:

And on the M8