defektive
Aussie
Tom mentioned elsewhere that this is one of the best full frame m mount lenses currently in production for portraiture due to the current Leica 75 and 90 being too sharp.
Just wondering if he or anyone else has an opinion on how it compares to older lenses, in particular the pre aspherical summicron 90, canon 85/1.8 and nikkor 85/2.
Cheers,
Sam
Just wondering if he or anyone else has an opinion on how it compares to older lenses, in particular the pre aspherical summicron 90, canon 85/1.8 and nikkor 85/2.
Cheers,
Sam
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
Berlin, 2010. Heliar @ around 2.0-2.8.
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
Heliar 75f1.8 at f16 in strong backlight.
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
The Heliar 75f1.8 @1.8. Bad Ems in Germany with a freebie Lomo 400 C41 color film.
VinceC
Veteran
Great images, especially the memorial in Berlin.
Shade
Well-known
The 75/1.8 vc is one great lens. However I rarely go that long when using my Leica, while using that lens via adaptor on a cropped sensor just brings it even longer. The rendering of the lens is sharp but smooth at the same time. Its not critically sharp and contrasty, but its a great addition for portraiture photography.
noimmunity
scratch my niche
The 75 summicron can make a wonderful portrait lens, especially because it will allow enormous flexibility in just how close you want to get. I have never felt it was too sharp, but if that is a concern, you can try to mitigate that by taking advantage of soft light and/or filters. In my experience, the 75 cron is just very very smooth, with delicate transitions. I like to think of it as a "high fidelity" lens. Portraits taken with it really look alive. I dunno, I tend to think the shorter focal length combined with 0.7 meters minimum focus distance is a big plus for portraiture because it allows me to get close to my subjects. The ergonomics make it very easy to use. By contrast, the new 75 summarit is a lens that would qualify as being "too sharp" for portraiture. Many swear by the 75 lux, but it is now very expensive, and also quite cumbersome in use.
The nikkor 85/2 is fantastic lens, but a real bear to use. The long focus throw plus heavy weight of the chrome version make it unresponsive. The images, however, are fantastic. It has a very different look from a summicron 75. Wide open it is softer than the cron, but it is very very sharp after f/2.8. For portraits it is sweet, and the OOF details are very pleasing. The MFD is 1 meter, which cramps my style. If you work in a very deliberate style and don't want/need high contrast and/or flare control, the Nikkor would be an ideal lens.
I haven't used the new CV 75/1.8, but I did like very much the old CV 75/2.5. Some pros here have posted photos with the 75/1.8 that are incredible. I'm sure both of those lenses are very very good. Either is capable of producing impeccable images. The ergonomics and price of the two lenses are quite different, so you might want to base your choice on that.
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