ZM 85f2 or not?

35mmdelux said:
"I do not get excited about 75 APOs, 90 APOs etc as I know they would be paperweights for me."

Any lens can be a paper weight if unused. Sometimes I leave the house with just the 90AA on my M7. I love these lenses but the trick is you must use them.
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The point I was making was that the OP states that he is not a user of 85mm, preferring longer FLs in the tele range... and that the attraction was the stellar MTFs. That sounds like a terrible reason to buy a $3k lens! Its hard to succeed if you force yourself to use a great lens because it is great. Far better to leave the house with a FL that works for you, even if the performance is mediocre. You'll get far better shots.

I sold my 50 Lux asph BP (got it in a kit) because the FL is not one that works for me terribly well and when it does it tends not to be wide open, so I stuck with the vastly cheaper and already superb 50 planar ZM for well under 5% of my shooting. I would have been daft to keep the BP lux just because 'it is an amazing lens.' Each to their own of course, but I cannot fathom buying a lens in a FL that does not otherwise attract you just because it is super sharp. Truth is that 95% of the time a much mor modest lens would perform just as well (to all intents and purposes).

In response to the OP, I would go buy a cheaper lens like a used 90 APO Lanthar or Elmarit-M and see if you get on with the FL. If you feel the need to upgrade, go for it.
 
mpve said:
Want to kindly remind you that the R4m with an external finder (if that is what you mean) will not be able to reliably focus the 85@2 (or even 5.6 for that matter).

But maybe you mean you will buy another body and use external; finders on the WA side....

In any case: good luck with your decision....
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Oh yes, I mean to use the Sonnar with my 35RF and then to use the external finder for the 21mm if I decided to go with just one body .........
 
Notturtle -- Agreed, I have had all the great 50mms and sold them off as a lens that rarely gets used. So why keep it. In hindsight maybe I just like the 90mm which why it stays on one of my M's.
 
I was lucky enough to test this lens for 2 weeks, more photos to come soon.
I am presently having computer problems but I wanted to share some results of this fine OPTIC with others.
U25693I1242596904.SEQ.0.jpg
 
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Thanks Jungle Jim, it helps to have pretty subject matter 😎
Something about Sonnars they draw beautifully.
I wish I could afford to buy this lens, maybe someday.
George S. the normal price without the lens shade is $2,900.00 USD
 
Sonnar ZM 85

Sonnar ZM 85

I have used this lens on my M8 and found it to be absolutely exceptional! I like it better than any of my Leica lenses other than the 35 SX. The Sonnar is brilliant at f/2.8 (f/4 is almost too technical looking), and the color fidelity is at least equal to the 35 SX. It does have color fringing below f/4 (which you can adjust in Raw converter), and is prone to objectionable flare in contre-jour lighting. You can check out a .jpg I posted as a review on Adorama's website. I sold my 75 Summicron the next day, I loved the Sonnar so much.
 
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