Apo-Summicron-M 1:2/90 Asph has ceased production?

[chris_c._yu]

I was told by my dealer here in Hong Kong that Leica has ceased to

produce this lens.Any comments...........

 

Chris Yu<div></div>

[paul_neuthaler]

It's too sharp, too heavy; too expensive -- IMHO

[ben z]

First I've heard of discontinuation. I'll try to remember to ask Christian Erhard, the Leica USA product manager, when I see him over the weekend in New Orleans. Can't you call directly to the HK Leica distributor? If it's true it would really surprise me for a couple of reasons, one being that it's a new-generation lens design and relatively new, and the other being that the same optics are available in R mount also, and that is an even more recent lens. Could it be possible that the dealer was referring to just one of the finishes, such as the black paint? In any event there's no short supply of them, so you should be able to buy one easily.

[frederick_muller]

I don't know why they would cut one of the newest and best lenses in their inventory. Heavy and super sharp, yes, but it isn't outlandishly priced relative to some of their other glass.

[michael_kastner]

I don't know for sure whether or not it is going to be cut or not, but I certainly DO remember many Leica freaks, instructors and sellers who said that this lens is really one of the sharpest things ever produced. A great advance over the Elmarits, they say. I used one for a week myself, and found it TOO sharp. That is why I bought the current Elmarit and its predecessor too, the Tele-thin.

[woodward_hoffman]

Assuming that there is some truth to the rumor, there are a couple of possibilities:

 

Maybe Leica is cutting off the Hong Kong dealers in favor of European and North American dealers.

Or perhaps the initial production run of 90mm Apo's is exhausted. Like most manufacturing concerns, Leica probably produces their lenses in "runs". Their capacity may now be tied up makeing 50mm Summiluxes and the new 75mm Summicron (among other things). When one of the production lines frees up, they will run off another batch.

 

My sense is that the lens has been well received and sold well. If they want to kill something off, I'd start with the 50mm Elmarit (IMHO).

 

Finally, current production may be committed to some kind of "special edition" (how about a solid titanium MP + 3 lens kit...).

[lucien1]

What they will stop making regularly AFAIK are silver chrome lenses.

 

Lucien

[skip_williams]

I'll be very surprised if the whole 90/2 AA line is actually out of production. I could understanding halting the chrome lens, as it weighs a ton, but the black one is a staple and a tour-de-force of Leica engineering.

 

I had one for a couple of years and I found it too heavy for me. I didn't need the f/2 aperture enough to put up with the weight, size, and finder obstruction. I've been much happier with an M-Elmarit 90/2.8.

 

It WAS NOT too sharp. Too heavy? yes, but not too sharp.

 

Skip

[michael_kastner]

Skip... Yes, I sorta get the Idea. Of course, NO lens is TOO sharp. They and all companies try to make all lenses as sharp as possible. That's their goal! That's their job!!

 

My "problem" is that I sometimes use a 90 for portraits, and -- as many of us say -- you can see with a 2/90AA every whisker, every pimple, every every tiny detail-thing most of us just don't want to see on a face. That's all.

[jan_brittenson]

Perhaps they want to free up the line to make an APO-Summilux-R 50/1.4 ASPH? One can hope!!!

[jan_brittenson]

<i>My "problem" is that I sometimes use a 90 for portraits, and -- as many of us say -- you can see with a 2/90AA every whisker, every pimple, every every tiny detail-thing most of us just don't want to see on a face. That's all.</i><br><p>

So soften it by printing through a stocking or softar, or scan it and use one of the many many airbrush techniques in Photoshop.<br><p>

Or, learn to appreciate <i>reality</i>: that its flaws and imperfections is what makes it interesting. The same applies to people.

[frederick_muller]

That lens is corner-to-corner razor sharp. Like a knife that will split a hair dropped on it end-down. It's not just for portraits - I use mine for landscapes, still studies, and street photography. I'm never getting rid of mine. Too heavy? There is some truth to that. It goes on all my "big" shooting excursions where I won't compromise at all. Since I shoot mostly 50 and down, I often just toss the VC 75 into my bag as a "just in case". So the VC 75 and the Leica APO 90 complement each other in my kit. The threat to both of these is the new 75mm Summicron, which could conceivably replace both in my bag when it comes out.

 

The plane of focus in the shot below are at the level of the eyes in the middle tier of dolls ... it's tack sharp corner to corner. Depth of field here is shallow, so the tiers in front and just behind are slightly out of focus.

[johns1]

The rumor mill suggests that Leica USA will officially announce the 75mm Summicron this Friday - No Foolin'!

 

I'm hoping Ol' Christian packs one in his luggage for the LHSA party in N'Orleans this weekend. I'm itching to use it.

 

When I can finally get one, it'll get plenty of use but will NOT displace my APO-90mm. Different lenses (angles) for different uses.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Lenses like this are made in batches; the volume is darn low; these are not built on a line that is cranking them out exactly XX units per week or per month. Enlarger lenses; super telephoto lenses are also made in batches. The production of the 5cm F2.8/50mm F2.8 El Nikkor has started and stopped a mess of times since 1956. Unless the tools are work out; destroyed; or design/production notes shreaded; it is hard to say a lens has "ceased production".