My wife bought me a Noctilux for christmas. I LOVE it! The lens is so fast, it is a blast to use when light is not available (well almost not available). now I am thinking of buying a Summilux 75. I have heard that it is "the sharpest" of the leica M lenses. I have also heard that the Summilux 75 has "the Leica look" more so than most leica lenses. Is this true? Ay knowledge/experience would be great! I also REALLY would like to find as much technical data on the lens as possible (ie MTF charts andbench test). Thank you much in advnced.

-- Rob Schopke (schopke@attbi.com), January 15, 2002

Answers

http://www.photodo.com/nav/prodindex.html

-- Sikaan (Sikaan4@aol.com), January 15, 2002.

You get two points and a tiger for that "Summiluv" mistype!

-- (bmitch@home.com), January 15, 2002.

I think I posted this shot before... but just in case

This was a 75 lux shot @ maximum aperture done VERY close to minimize DOF. As you can see, not all of Mandy's facial features are in sharp focus. The kind of OOF rendition you get is pretty much in line with the double gauss Summilux family design.

My 0.02.

Regards,

-- John Chan (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), January 15, 2002.

Rob,

The general consensus seems to be that the two sharpest Leica lenses at present are the 90 Apo and the 28/2 Asph. The Summilux 75 is also reputed to be very sharp with a nice signature to it. One probably couldn't tell the difference between most of them in terms of sharpness. I have the 90 Apo and can say that it is extremely sharp but I sure wouldn't mind owning a 75/1.4 as well.

Try Irwin Putt's site (if you haven't already) for additional information on Leica M lenses although it doesn't have a test on the 75/1.4 Click here Lucky dog having a wife like that.

-- sam smith (Ruy_Lopez@hotmail.com), January 15, 2002.

I posted 2 shots with 75mm Summi recently. See below http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=521124 Great len!

-- Tim Tan (kctan18@yahoo.com), January 15, 2002.

Rob, I envy you that your wife would buy you a Noctilux. I do however use both the 90 SAA and the 75 Summilux. Both are terrific lenses. Some of the posters on this board feel both of these lenses are too large for the Leica M, but since you have the "big lady", you should not have a problem with either. I occasionally use these lenses at maximum aperture, but the primary reason that I bought them was for their optical excellence. I place little stock in lens "tests"; and will tell you that these lenses have slightly differing characteristics. Obviously, the 90 is an F2 and the 75 a 1.4. Close-up at maximum aperture, both have approximately the same DOF. The 90 SAA is as sharp/contrasty as you could ever want wide open (and every other stop). The 75 perhaps less, but it may be a superior portrait lens. I like my results from both lenses. If I do my part they certainly do theirs. I would recommend that you give each a try. Hey, I like all the Leica lenses that I have ever used.

-- David (pagedt@chartertn.net), January 15, 2002.

Rob. Well the 75/1.4 Summilux M lens (designed in the mid-late 1970s) is not the sharpest M lens (newer APO/ASPH lenses from the later 1990s are sharper), However it had an auspicious beginning and its optics are very highly regarded by experts as well as most Leica users.

I understand the 75/1.4 Slux was originally designed for and utilized by NASA, and the design later declassified so it could be produced commercially. It performs very well at F/1.4, improving significantly at F/2.0 and becomming outstanding by F/2.8. To my knowledge, Leica never published MTF curves for this lens, but MTF curves at F/1.4 and F/8.0 can be found at the photodo.com website.

The lens comes out extremely well (score = 4.5 out of possible 5.0) in the Photodo tests, although several Japanese 85/1.4 lenses came out just as well. It seems more than one company has mastered the ability to produce high quality superfast short tele lenses.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), January 15, 2002.

Actually, Erwin Puts does talk about the 75/80 Summilux's in his discussion of the APO Summicron.

http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/mseries/testm/M2-90.html

-- Bud (budcook@attglobal.net), January 15, 2002.

Modern Photography magazine, now extinct,gave this lens nothing but praise and all excellents in their tests. Man I like the pics I've seen from this lens....I want one!

-- Emile de Leon (knightpeople@msn.com), January 15, 2002.

Since I can't tell you anything about the lens, I'll settle for a semantic quibble. This lens has the Leica Look more so than most Leica lenses? Is there a logical fallacy here? How would we know what the Leica look is, if most Leica lenses don't have so much of it? If this lens is different, wouldn't that be a non-Leica look?

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 15, 2002.

Is it just me that prefers portraits where the background is not completely out of focus (fog)? While isolating a subject is desirable and nice, I'd like, at least to recognize the environment/context that the subject/photographer is in, whether it be a tapas bar, central park, restuarant, stadium, etc. To see outlines but not details, know what I mean?

I'd refer to an example, but I'm a bit of a luddite wrt technology, sorry.

-- Chris Chen (chrischen@msn.com), January 16, 2002.

My 75 'lux is only 3 weeks old, and has already changed my M life.

It is a perfect focal length for the M: more flexible than 90mm indoors, allowing well cropped portraits with nice short tele perspective in cramped places (rooms, bars, etc).

Bought it the day my baby was born, and my wife now calls it the "baby lens" for its wonderful glowing portraits (and finesse of flash deprived indoor shots) .

The f1.4 feature is a wonderful advantage compared to the f2.8 of the elmarit I traded in. It really does mean you will go on shooting indoors or in the evening with short tele effects when you used to pack the gear back in the bag (or cursed for having to change mid- roll to faster grainier film, not to mention flash).

Indoors sports and performing arts photographers often also testify to its advantages. f1.4 does allow you to use higher shutter speeds, limiting movement blur, without resorting to flash.

It focuses down to 0.7m, which brings you VERY near your subject where needed. Compare this to the 1m limit of your Nocti: that is one of the elements that pushed me to the 'lux. In fact the 75mm allows the highest reproduction ratio in the whole current M range.

Focusing is very reliable with my 0.72 classic. Even wide open, and even at shortest distance, as long as I operate with care.

In 'normal' situations medium apertures), the 'lux behaves magnificently, and is very flare resistant.

Oh, yes, it is true that the bokeh of this lens is really nice.

I'll try and post a very telling example of its capabilities when I reach my scanner tonight.

The only "problem" from your point of view will be to decide when you go nocti and when you go 'lux.... ;-)

-- Jacques (jacques.balthazar@hotmail.com), January 16, 2002.

I agree completely with Jacques about this lens, but it is not the sharpest M lens for sure. Any of the APO or ASPH lenses are probably "sharper". I have the 80mm 'lux for the R which has similar characteristics. My advice is that it would be a mistake to have both a 'lux and a Noctilux, one will end up on the shelf never being used. They are very close in focal length. I think for a fast lens I would probably choose the Summilux over the Noctilux, but this may be because I have never used a Noctilux. Both the lenses are great, but I think you will constantly be torn between bringing the Nocti and the 'lux, and you for sure do not want to bring both.

My 80mm Summilux is the best lens I have for portraits and it has wonderful bokeh. In practical terms I rarely seem to shoot it at f1.4, but frequently at f1.8 thru to f2.5 - times when an Elmarit cannot cut it.

If I were you I think you need to think carefully about which focal lenght you will prefer as the two lenses are very close and both rather expensive. My guess is that you would not end up keeping both the Noctilux and the 75mm if you bought a 75mm.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), January 16, 2002.

i tried the Nocti, although it is an excellent lens wide open, it has bad bokeh...double lines similar to Nikon 50/1.4

-- Dexter Legaspi (dalegaspi@hotmail.com), January 16, 2002.

I don't own the 75 (I have to make do with the 90SAA, sigh..) but I've borrowed one. I must say I agree with Jacques and Robin - the bokeh, tonality etc. make the lens superb for portraiture. The sharpness fall off towards the corners at max. aperture can actually be rather attractive for this purpose. I understand the 801.4 R to have very similar characteristics. (and it sure is easy to focus on an R8...) The only downer is the rather specialist price which means a person needs to be really sure about it before purchase...oh, and the weight, oh, and the viewfinder occlusion. Good old Leica won't make an f2.4 (or similar) despite the wishes of many users (and the cosina offering needs stopping down, I fear)...

-- steve (stephenjjones@btopenworld.com), January 16, 2002.

I don't own the 75 (I have to make do with the 90SAA, sigh..) but I've borrowed one. I must say I agree with Jacques and Robin - the bokeh, tonality etc. make the lens superb for portraiture. The sharpness fall off towards the corners at max. aperture can actually be rather attractive for this purpose. I understand the 801.4 R to have very similar characteristics. (and it sure is easy to focus on an R8...) The only downer is the rather specialist price which means a person needs to be really sure about it before purchase...oh, and the weight, oh, and the viewfinder occlusion. Good old Leica won't make an f2.4 (or similar) despite the wishes of many users (and the cosina offering needs stopping down, I fear)... BTW, your wife...bought you...for christmas - wow! Does she bake too?

-- steve (stephenjjones@btopenworld.com), January 16, 2002.