Which one to chose?

[przemek nacewicz]

Hi everyone,

I want to buy a 90mm lens for my M and I have two options: a new

version of elmarit (E46) or a summicron (E55). I haven't read any

opinions about 'cron. Does anybody uses/used it? Is it Canadian or

German version?. I'm enclosing photos of this lens.

TIA

cheers

Przemek<div></div>

[przemek nacewicz]

another one<div></div>

[Rob F.]

It's a 1987 lens. Look carefully around the lens barrel, down near the bayonet end. It has to give the country of origin, someplace. It is the later (post-1980) redesigned version, with five elements.

[sal dimarco]

Przemek, Having used the lens for a very very long time, I can say it is an excellent performer. Good Luck.. Happy Snaps, Sal

[d._p.1]

Don't touch them, find yourself an elmarit 90 from the 60`s. It's sharp and fast enough: any sharper and women wouldnt appreciate their skin anymore, any faster and DOF would get so shallow the miss-rate rises considerably. Plus, the summicron weighs a lot more so (handheld) I would need a faster exposure, max 1/125 while I can use the elmarit at 1/60 (but maybe that's just me) Plus, the old elmarits cost a fraction of the stuff you're looking at, take 39mm filters, are very, very neat to look at, fit in an unused corner of you bag, etc. Good luck, <br><br>cheers, d.p.

[Robin Smith]

Generally the Elmarit is considered the superior performer at f2.8-5.6. I have had and used both (M and R). On balance I prefer the Summicron - I find the Elmarit very competent but lacking in something, the Summicron excels at portraits, also (despite the tests) it is hard to tell the two lenses apart at f2.8 or slower. The Summicron is a little lacking in contrast wide open, but I have to say it is still pretty good. Some people think the 'cron too big and heavy. How you feel about its size vs. the Elmarit seems to me the most important deciding factor for you. Do you need the speed? I virtually always do...

[Rob F.]

I have the one DP is talking about--the original 90 Elmarit. It is a bit lighter, as he says, although the 90 Summicron you showed is 250 grams lighter than the pre-1980 version. It is a bit slimmer than the original; and the Elmarit is a bit slimmer than the Cron. But DP suggests that the Elmarit is less sharp than the Summicron. It isn't. It's a very fine performer. In fact, the Summicron, used wide open, is more forgiving of skin blemishes/wrinkles than the Elmarit is.

 

It's all a matter of whether you need f/2. If compactness is important to you, and speed isn't, the 90 Tele-Elmarit (f/2.8) is even more compact. It's hardly larger than the normal lens. I'd say the "fits in a corner of your bag" part is more true of it than of the original 90 Elmarit. The 90mm Elmar-c (f/4) is also compact.

[dan flanders]

I rejected the 90 Summicron long ago in favor of the Elmarit primarily because of the weight factor and the extra stop didn�t justify the additional cost. Later, I gave up the Elmarit in favor of the Elmar C for much the same reasons. I can carry the Elmar C in my pocket and hardly be aware of the bulk � not so with the other two. With the Summicron C on the camera, the Elmar in one coat pocket and a batch of film on the other side I am good for a whole afternoon of shooting, and when a WA is called for, the 25 Skopar is little extra burden.

[Bill Blackwell Images]

I recently traded in my pre-Apo Summicron for a current Elmarit. I did it because I wanted a sharper (and lighter) lens overall and I couldn't justify spending over $700 for one stop the Apo Summicron would give me over the Elmarit. As it stands right now, the current Elmarit is still one of the sharpest lenses in the Leica M line-up (just behind the 90 and 135 Apo versions). However, after saying all that, if you were going to need a portrait lens, I would strongly recommend the pre-Apo Summicron. You don't want the sharpest class for this task.

[przemek nacewicz]

Thanks guys. I need a compact, sharp lens and don't bother about that extra stop. Besides elmarit uses the same filter diameter as my 50 'lux, so I think elmarit is the answer. The reason why I enquired about 'cron is that I can buy one for about 600$.

Cheers. Przemek

[paul_neuthaler]

Emarit, Elmarit, Elmarit. And you can play with it on the Visoflex II or III as well!!

[dan flanders]

�Compact�. �Sharp�, those are the key words. The 90 Summicron may or may be sharp but compact it ain�t! It weighs twice or more than the suggested alternatives, and not mention cost! Quite frankly, despite its obvious quality I found it a PITA to carry and the extra stop not worth the expense except under special circumstances. The Elmarit is a lens anyone should be proud of, but I still like the additional advantages of the Elmar C.