Looking for Leica lenses for portraits recommendations

[D&A]

For portraits my favorite lenses are 75 Lux and 50 Nocti f/1.0, followed closely behind by 50 Lux Asph. I also have the 75 Cron Apo, which is as suggested is too sharp, and the 90 Cron Apo, which I find excellent, but the framing and nailing focus is harder IMO.QUOTE]

For portrait work, those are my exact two favorites too. I no longer have the 50mm f1 regretably and have been keeping an essentually brand new 75 Lux carefully away till the day I might be able to obtain a MM, where I believe it's rendering will be quite lovely. I used a older 75mm Lux for quite a few years and I found it has a signature thats both different and multifaceted. Unfortunately (and paradoxically) it's the one lens that it appears I will have to let go of, in order to get that MM...LOL!

My feeling is the chopice of lenses for portraituse, used in any format becomes a very personal/subjective decision, since it all depends on what kind of portrait is being taken ie: the person, the nature and purpose of the portrait and the enviorment it's being taken in. This is in contrast of lens selection in landscapes (putting aside focal length choice for the moment). Generally in photographing a landscape, the primary purpose of the lens in most situations (of course not all) could arguably be to achieve the sharpest possible image from edge to edge (possibly with as little distortion). In contrast (and as a play on words, sometimes less of it is better)... the lens used in portrait work depends on many of the factors just outlined and I'm sure many here could add to this list.

Dave (D&A)

 

[cuonghuutran]

+1 for 75mm 1.4 (which is similar to 80mm 1.4 R) and Noct 0.95. I have no problems focusing these 2 lenses WO though it took a bit of practice.

 

[ptomsu]

I own the 1.4/75 since many years and I already loved it on film Leicas. It is even better on digital M's!

 

[ashwinrao1]

As mentioned above, I have a few recent favs, with the benefit that all are relatively affordable:

Canon 85 mm f/1.8 LTM
Canon 100 mm f/2 LMT
Nikkor 8.5 cm f/2 LTM
Nikkor 10.5 cm f/2 LTm
Leitz Summicron 90 mm f/2 (version 2, pre-asph)

All work wonders for portraiture, both sharp and forgiving, not at all clinical, with very organic and warm signatures. The 75 lux is great too, and I have it...more contrast, and probably a better choice for color (hard to say for sure)....but much more expensive.

 

[Vivek]

For portraits my favorite lenses are 75 Lux and 50 Nocti f/1.0, followed closely behind by 50 Lux Asph. I also have the 75 Cron Apo, which is as suggested is too sharp, and the 90 Cron Apo, which I find excellent, but the framing and nailing focus is harder IMO.



75 Lux

Very nice, Charles! Nice light and the sharpness is in the right areas (not hair and such from edge sharpness).

 

[algrove]

Charles-Do you remember where you focused on the f1.0 shot?

 

[onaujee]

I agree with Charles, 50 Noct F/1 and 75 Summilux! The modern lenses are too sharp....

 

[CharlesK]

Thank you Vivek, and for the likes
Algrove, I always where possible focus on the near eye for street portraits, and then recompose, being careful to be relaxed, and not move!!

 

[Dr Owl]

Thank you everyone. Very helpful.

It's quite interesting that no voice has been raised in support of using a soft-focus filter on a more clinical lens. Nor has any voice been raised in support of the current 90mm Summarit ... it's its predecessor, the Elmarit-M, that has captured people's affections.

What I have discovered in the last day or so is that there is more support for the 75mm Summilux than I previously thought, presented in several different ways. (I thought Charles's photo made the case well.)

Now, this is not exactly what I wanted to hear! I had hoped to cover the entire rangefinder spectrum with just five lenses: 50mm & 90mm now; then 28mm, 21mm & macro over the next few years. Now I learn that I must plan for a 75mm some day!

I shall consciously try to avoid being impressed by Noctilux pictures!

The Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 is famous in Nikon history, and I've used a Nikkor 105mm (not an f/2.5) often on my F3. Is there an adapter that will attach my AI Nikkors to a Leica M ... with rangefinder coupling?

Later,

Dr Owl

 

[Frits]

Another vote for the 90mm Elmarit-M (although the EXIF says 50mm):

 

[pgmj]

Another vote for the 75 lux. I like the 35/75 pair for a minimal kit. Since you already have a 50, maybe the 90 makes more sense. I really like the last generation pre-ASPH Summicron, but it is quite big. I tried the Tele-Elmarit but found it far too sensitive to flare. The Elmarit-M and Summarit-M I have never tried, but both seem very nice. I would probably go with the Elmarit, mostly because of the built-in extending hood. My current choice for 90mm is the C-Elmar (f/4), or actually the Minolta M-Rokkor (which is supposed to be identical). Haven't used it much on the M9 yet though, but it is small and light weight, and probably a good choice if f/4 is enough and size/weight is an issue. Cheap too.

Edit: Just a note on the Voigtländer Color Heliar 75/2.5, which I also have. It is a great lens, but the close focus limit of 0.9m makes it less than optimal for portrait use on the M9, imho. The 75mm lux/cron both focus to 0.7m, which is very useful. I believe all the 90mm lenses go to 1m, which is ok.

 

[Paratom]

Thank you everyone. Very helpful.

It's quite interesting that no voice has been raised in support of using a soft-focus filter on a more clinical lens. Nor has any voice been raised in support of the current 90mm Summarit ... it's its predecessor, the Elmarit-M, that has captured people's affections.

What I have discovered in the last day or so is that there is more support for the 75mm Summilux than I previously thought, presented in several different ways. (I thought Charles's photo made the case well.)

Now, this is not exactly what I wanted to hear! I had hoped to cover the entire rangefinder spectrum with just five lenses: 50mm & 90mm now; then 28mm, 21mm & macro over the next few years. Now I learn that I must plan for a 75mm some day!

I shall consciously try to avoid being impressed by Noctilux pictures!

The Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 is famous in Nikon history, and I've used a Nikkor 105mm (not an f/2.5) often on my F3. Is there an adapter that will attach my AI Nikkors to a Leica M ... with rangefinder coupling?

Later,

Dr Owl

I guess focal length depends really on your needs and subjects.
For some reason the M is a camera which "invites" to shoot from short distances, that might be one reason why some (including me) prefer 75mm over 90mm.
I even use 50mm more often for "portraits" than 75mm.
The 90/2.8 would be my choice if you prefer 90mm.

 

[Seascape]

With the soon to be available Leica M with R adapter, the 80 Summilux-R should definitely be considered.

I find the 80 Lux to be as close to the perfect portrait lens as anything out there.
It has the same look as the legendary Zeiss 110 2.0 Hasselblad V lens.
Sharp at the point of focus wide open with a beautiful creamy OOF rendering.
As the lens is stopped down, the sharpness improves while retaining the OOF transition, all with delicate a colour rendering and terrific tonal gradation for B&W images.

There are many mint condition 80 Lux's available on the internet.....truly a classic lens.

I believe it was the very last design of Dr. Walter Mandler.

 

[Dr Owl]

Thank you once again, everyone.

There are lots of recommendations in this thread, all of which would meet my needs perfectly well; and three lenses which have quite a following.

I have to choose one, and so have reserved a 1998-vintage 90mm Elmarit-M that Red Dot Cameras has on sale in excellent++ condition.

As evidence of my thoroughness (or of my fragile psychiatric state!) I had a look at the factory allocation records in Erwin Puts's "Leica Chronicle" (an absorbing book, despite its many errata). 80% of 23,000 90mm Elmarits were made in the first half of its availability, between 1990 and 1998; a further 18% were made between 1999 and 2003; just 500 were made between 2004 and the lens's discontinuance in 2008. I wonder whether these last figures were a symptom of the terrible marketplace difficulties Leica was having at the time.

For some reason the M is a camera which "invites" to shoot from short distances, that might be one reason why some (including me) prefer 75mm over 90mm.

I even use 50mm more often for "portraits" than 75mm.

Thank you, Paratom. In my recent feverish study of the Leica marketplace, I thought I had noticed this phenomenon, which I've come to call "Leica Optical Widening".

I have seen forum posts where people report 35mm being their primary Leica focal length, while their primary SLR focal length is 50mm; and polls on primary focal length which show as many Leica users preferring 28mm as prefer 50mm. In a Nikon poll, I would expect 35mm to be in first place certainly, but 28mm lagging behind 50mm in third place.

Another facet of LOW is that many, perhaps most, Leica users like to blur their backgrounds. So they demand fast lenses which can be used wide open with confidence ... and they are willing to pay the price that entails.

LOW may affect me too. Who knows? But I have to start somewhere and the 50mm Summilux, as well as being the same as my walkabout Nikkor, seems to be a lens that no Leica user ever regrets owning.

If I were good, I would buy just that and use it for at least a six months acclimatization period. My excuse is the need to acclimatize to lens changing the wrong way round ... and that it would be more fun to have a two-lens kit.

Later,

Dr Owl

 

[algrove]

Do-
Well you have gotten many voting left, right and center. Portraiture is your only objective?

Now that you have THE 50/1.4 and you have acquired a Mandler classic in the 90/2.8 Elmarit-M, perhaps think wide. I recommend the 21/3.4 SEM (very sharp) or the Mandler 21/2.8 (very subtle). Just about any lens discussed here I have (and many not discussed), but I use them like an artist uses a brush. I pick from my assortment of brushes for the day while away from home and go out have fun and create images I like because my gallerie is my house.

Remember also that just a few short steps in either direction can often overcome the short comings of whatever "brush" you are using at that moment.

P.S.-The 50/1.4, 90/2.8 Elmarit-M and the 21/3.4 have something very much in common. They all take 46mm filters.

 

[Dr Owl]

Thank you for the comments.

Well you have gotten many voting left, right and center. Portraiture is your only objective?

Goodness, no ... but it is one of the types of picture-taking I enjoy most, and it is was the reason for wanting a short telephoto as my second Leica lens.

Now that you have THE 50/1.4 and you have acquired a Mandler classic in the 90/2.8 Elmarit-M, perhaps think wide. I recommend the 21/3.4 SEM (very sharp) or the Mandler 21/2.8 (very subtle).

Thank you. I shall squirrel that suggestion away for when I have acclimatized to the kit bought so far ... and when the levels in my savings accounts have recovered from buying an M240!

The 50/1.4, 90/2.8 Elmarit-M and the 21/3.4 have something very much in common. They all take 46mm filters.

Does one use filters much for digital photography? As a 35mm film user, I have a small battery of coloured filters for black-and-white and colour-temperature filters for Kodachrome (sob ) but I was half expecting to use only a Universal-Polfilter for digital.

Later,

Dr Owl