summilux 80 & summicron 90

arrrgh! i simply cannot decide which of these [mid-80s vintage] lenses to buy! i may have to have both! has anyone had this dilemma, with

the outcome of getting both? i see big-plusses for having both, comparing one to the another. this is driving me nuts!

 

sample pictures from both would be Very Helpful, people!

 

my one question is This: what is the slowest shutter speed users get away with, with these two lenses? i'm thinking 1/60: is anything

slower - or even That - getting dangerous?

 

p.s. i have already read tony salce's thread re. this: http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00IT2Q

 

sorry for any regurgitation on this, but i hope you can give me further advice.

 

thank you - ic

The 80 is a nice lens, but softish at 1.4. Sharp like a razor at 5.6. It is very close to the 100 APO.

 

90 is a bit better at 2.0 than the 80 is at 1.4 but never gets to extreme sharp the 80 does, not that you could call it soft by any means. Just a regular Leica 90. I use mine for a portrait lens.

 

The differences can`t be seen on a computer screen. You need prints from a top class enlarger+ lens.

thanks for that. what about the shutter speeds? i, of course, meant hand-held ones!

Depends on the camera and how good you are. R4 and R5 are poor as there is no mirror dampening to speak of.

 

Other than that elbows against your chest, hold your breath ,push release slowly.

 

Legs apart at shoulder width, hold camera to forehead, left hand on the lens pinky finger down. No different than a rifle which

the Supreme Court has affirmed our right to own today.

 

for super steady, make the strap length so that it goes around your right shoulder, across your back, under the left arm, and up to

the camera. If you got it just right, a slight lean forward will tension the strap and you become a tripod.

 

If you do everything right and expect perfection, 1/125 sec. 1/30 if less than perfect, but acceptable.

 

If you want really sharp, do all the above with an M camera or use a good tripod and pre release the mirror..

thank you again, ronald! i'll experiment with speeds on the R & 80 & 90, soon! and carry on shooting down to 1/30 with my

M series!

one last thing [for now!]: how many aperture blades do these lenses have, respectively? i have a 35/1.4-m-asph., which

has Nine; while my 50/2-m has Eight. do All summiluxes have nine blades - summicrons having eight?

I'd get the 80...it's nice to be able to control the sharpness via aperture -- a bit soft and glowy at f/1.4, but very sharp

stopped down. The slightly wider angle of view gives a bit more space in a portrait compared to the 90. The extra speed

means a brighter image for focus, as well as more control for selective focus. Personally, the 90 summicrons never really

did it for me. I much prefer the 75/1.4 summilux, and the 80 summilux is a very similar design. <P>I am not sure how

many aperture blades it has, but they are pretty rounded...<P>Another benefit is that it is further in focal length and application from the

100/2.8 APO, which is one of the best lenses in the R system. Between the 80 and 100, there are practically no medium telephoto

applications that you don't have covered.

I just counted 8 blades on my 90mm Summicron-R. They are shaped to form a nearly perfect circle at the wider apertures. By 5.6 or so, they form an octogon.

does anyone Have both - and Use both, regularly?

My Summilux 80mm has 9 blades.

Hi,

 

Out of the two, the 80mm is much more desirable to most Leica R users. I would wait for a good price 80mm to show up and IF you don't like it for whatever reason, IF you buy at the right price, you sholud be able to re-sell and at least get your money back and maybe make a profit...and the 80mm is lovely...

 

With the 90/2, this would lose you more money should you not like it...

 

cheers Steve.M.

I have the 80mm Summilux and adore it! I also have the latest 90mm, the APO/ASPH, and its sharpness and clarity are phenomenally stunning! I used the latter to capture images of a female who has self-image problems with her "double chin" and she was horrified to see the brilliance of the lens' details of that part of her face and has vowed to never let anybody capture images of her face again! Yes, the 90's resolution with black and white film is brilliant!

I agree with Stuart's comments, the 80 Lux is an EXTEMELY nice lens, wide open or stopped down, the look is different,

and one of the best medium telephotos by any manufacturer.

 

Again, in combination with the 100 Macro.....just first rate in every regard, a superb combo.

If you can afford a 'lux I suggest you go for it, as I think that it has all the things that people like about the

Summicron-R..and then some. I have had both and like others say, there is something particulary special about

the 'lux

I have both, the 90 is a much more useable lens; the 80 is certainly sexy, but tuff to pull good images with, heavy, tough to focus; get the 90, a wonderful lens; the 80 looks great on the desk as a paperweight.