Your 90mm lens on an RF

[kshapero]

Who owns a 85-90mm lens on their rangefinder? How often do you use it? And what circumstances do you use it? I have an Elmarit 90/2.8 and it is a wonderful lens, but I hardly ever use it. And yet I feel it is a must have. Am I alone? Or are there folks who use theirs a lot? 😕🙂

 

[Damaso]

I use my 90mm summarit quite a bit when I need to get tight detail shots. I used it a lot in Cuba last year

 

[kshapero]

Damaso, I have heard that the Summarit is one fine lens. Now you have confirmed it.

 

[Damaso]

A very, very fine lens indeed!

 

[NathanJD]

I have an old Elmarit 90/2.8 and despite it's somewhat questionable appearance, jutting right out from the camera like a robot's optional extra, I also won't be without it. It's a superb portrait lens and as others have said, it's great for details.

Mine is a version 1 and as such has quite a soft in the edges look wide open which I personally love.

 

[B.J.Scharp]

I have a Tele-Elmarit-M 90mm. I bought it (and use it) for portraits and people-pictures.

It takes a tied second place with my SA in frequency of use, behind my 50mm.

 

[Lss]

I have a Canon 85/1.9, which I have pretty much replaced by getting a CV 75/2.5. I however mostly use an M8, so the angle of view of the 75 is slightly more narrow than that of a 85/90 on my film body. For me, a longer lens on a rangefinder camera is mostly for details and compressing distant views. I think I feel pretty much the same as you, the longer lens feels like a "must have" but is really more a "nice to have".

 

[hendriphile]

If you want to see what a 90mm lens can do on an RF (handheld), check out the new Yosemite gallery on Ken's site.

 

[ruby.monkey]

I have an older M-mount 90mm Elmarit (with the removable optical head) for my M3. It comes with me for roughly one outing in five, and when it does I never regret choosing it.

 

[bigeye]

90mm/2.8 - nice lens, never use it. The other cameras are better for tele uses and I pretty much dedicate the RF to wide with some 50mm use.

I find RF best at wide, with SLR/MF preferred for tele, most of which is portrait and landscape; situations that don't penalize the bigger artillery.

- Charlie

 

[porktaco]

i use both a 90/4 elmar-c (the CL lens) and an 85/2 nikkor ltm. they're awesome.

 

[BobYIL]

90/2.8 first version is wonderful for portraits.. having signature..

 

[froyd]

I have a Zeiss G90mm that's pure magic. I used to pick it up only when I wanted to take a portrait (with excellent results...from the lens, if not from the photographer!). However, now I have started a new regimen where I rotate one lens a month from the my G stable (28, 45, 90). This has really forced me to think creatively about photo opportunities and showed me that the 90 is good for more than head and shoulder portraits.

 

[ferider]

Current set: 75 Lux, 80/1.8 Komura, 90/4 Rokkor, 90/2.8 Hexanon, 85/2 Nikkor, 90/2 Cron v3. Four out of six are Sonnars/Ernostars ..... All very different, and love them all - a match in heaven with an M3, Akiva, you're not doing your Elmarit justice.

 

[kshapero]

Current set: 75 Lux, 80/1.8 Komura, 90/4 Rokkor, 90/2.8 Hexanon, 85/2 Nikkor, 90/2 Cron v3. Four out of six are Sonnars/Ernostars ..... All very different, and love them all - a match in heaven with an M3, Akiva, you're not doing your Elmarit justice.

You are right but at least after putting up this thread I went out and shot a whole roll with the Elmarit. Did it while having coffee at an outdoor cafe this morning.

 

[rogerzilla]

You need a lens of at least this length for head and shoulders portraits, so it's worth buying just for that. Also makes a surprisingly good landscape lens; sometimes a wider lens crams in too much boring stuff.

 

[jim_jm]

Very happy with my 90mm Tele-Elmarit. I don't often "see" in longer focal lengths, mostly using 35 and wider, but the difference in perspective can be very useful.

 

[presspass]

Use the 90 frequently; Summicron when I need the speed, Tele-Elmarit when I don't. Great lenses for portraits and detail. Wouldn't be without either one.

 

[hendriphile]

If you want to see what a 90mm lens can do on an RF (handheld), check out the new Yosemite gallery on Ken's site.

Sorry I neglected to give the website (it can happen when you're rushed)... it's http://kenrockwell.com/trips/2011-05-yosemite/index.htm

 

[TaoPhoto]

I don't have the Leica 90mm, but I have 90's and 85's on other platforms. I find them very useful, but for specific projects. Portraits, of course, often lend themselves to this range, but almost anything where a little reach can be useful for framing. For example, I recently did a project shooting interesting doorways in a historic neighborhood. The 90mm lens I used (and a few others with a 135), allowed me to frame doors and doorways in interesting ways without having to trample anyone's flower beds.

That was an exception, though. One of those "I'll use this particular camera just to see if I can" days. Usually, for RF it's wide angle and normal lenses. SLR for the rest.