75 Summilux and 35 Summilux Asph on the M8

[cam]

an addendum to my last heretical posting....

spoke with the owner of the store that had the Ti Cron and it seems he owns one of those as well as the 35 Lux Asph and the last version of the Nocti f/1. he has chrome M's, mind you, but i do think it also goes back to the whole focus shift issue.

he looked at my 75 Lux with distaste and asked how i liked it. my hackles were raised by that and it renewed my love for the lens. how dare he?

now i do admit to checking out a an Emarit and a chrome FAT Tele (which was really quite sweet but too expensive at collector's prices), but i set about taking photos trying to figure if i really needed a 90mm....

long story short: NO.

do i still want one? well, of course, i'm a bit of a slut and the Cron Asph is a different beast altogether. but do i need? no....

my 75 Lux focuses closer than any 90 (which really is important to me -- i swear i'd photograph up peoples noses if i could). the M8 is good enough (especially at low ISO's) to crop if i feel the need (though i admit to preferring to get the shot in camera) and the footprint of the Lux just can't be beat. it's plenty sharp to me and has the most gorgeous bokeh. it's a lens that constantly surprises me with its lusciousness.... and to have that extra stop? heaven!

so although i was unfaithful in looking and lusting, the 75 Lux is still my honey.

​

 

[Stuart Richardson]

If you will allow me to be blunt, if you don't like the optical performance of the 75/1.4 lux, you are not a photographer.

If you don't like the price or the ergonomics, its size, its angle of view or whatever else, fine. If you like something else better, fine. But if you don't like the pictures it takes, honestly, you better figure out another hobby (and I say hobby, because you are probably not doing this for a living).

 

[ElvisKennedy]

If you will allow me to be blunt, if you don't like the optical performance of the 75/1.4 lux, you are not a photographer.

If you don't like the price or the ergonomics, its size, its angle of view or whatever else, fine. If you like something else better, fine. But if you don't like the pictures it takes, honestly, you better figure out another hobby (and I say hobby, because you are probably not doing this for a living).

Stuart:

Never forget two things; 1) this is art, and 2) there is no accounting for taste.

Elvis

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Yes. I sounded like the exact kind of ***hole that I tend to hate in real life in that post, so I will have to temper my words. I think the 75/1.4 is an astonishingly good lens, and most people who actively dislike it either, 1. Have some reason other than its optical performance. or 2. Are the type less concerned with how a photo looks than with how a test chart looks. or 3. Are the type that likes to bash something they have not used and know nothing about.

I have no problem with number 1, not much of a problem with 2 (whatever floats your boat), but I don't really like those who represent #3.

 

[TRSmith]

CAM: I haven't gone back and traced all the various posts to this thread, I kind of short-cutted and simply read this page. But I say, Hallelujah! I can honestly say that the 75 lux is the sexiest lens Leica makes. (I know, I'm really asking for it with a generalization like that.) But I mean c'mon, what else even comes close? I'm not up on all the rare bits of glass that leica has made, nor have I ever owned anything that has "Noct" in the name. Nevertheless, I still feel confident in my choice.

I think it might have something to do with the number "75". All those 35s and 50s are just so, so... normal. They're like the missionary position. All business and no flair. 90? Fughedaboudit. A wannabe tele. Too close, too clinical. But 75, that's a bit out there isn't it? I mean who else makes a lens focal length of 75? It just feels daring, like hey, you can leave your hat on, know what I mean? Add to that the warm, round, smudgy, smoothness of f1.4 and it's everything that love oughta be.

So yeah, crank that black beauty wide open and slide the focus right in tight. It's velvet, shugah.

 

[cam]

ah, Hot Stuff, you'll always be my sugah!


and, Stuart, thank you -- for voicing what was going through my head (the first one, when you were a wee bit uppity)

truly, it hit home who i'd want to buy a lens from. would i buy from someone who dissed this lens? i don't think so! yet the other gentleman i was speaking to, looking at cheaper alternatives to the Cron Asph took one look at my Lux and said whatever you do, don't sell it! he thought i was deciding between a 90 and my 75 (slight language barrier) rather than the 90 being an addition. regardless, his passion for the Lux (even though he didn't own one -- had only seen friend's photos) was enough to make me realise he was a keeper, a dealer that truly loved the art of photography.

i can totally respect that people don't like the focal point, etc., but to i have issues with those as you pointed out in your second post, number 3.... i mean, this lens makes my toes curl! on any, and every, camera i've used it on. i can accept someone it doesn't work for, but i cannot take disrespect towards it.

 

[ampguy]

Roger,

This is great info. explains a lot. Thanks.

I worked on this problem(s) with the 35/50/75Lux an the 50noctilux. Multiple trips to Solms and finally a few hours on site with the NJ leica technician. Things I learned:

1. Accurate calibration is a subjective issue. What is acceptable to one individual simply will not work for another. Leica s specified tolerances for M8 s and M lenses are not sufficiently tight to insure critical accuracy wide open. Normally the tolerances stay within an acceptable range and frequently offset each other. Learn to test you own lenses and document your results.

2. Get the camera right first. Try to avoid adjusting the camera and the lens to work together..this just results in a never ending calibartion process everytime you change a body or a lens. Always adjust the lens to a calibrated body.

3. On the 75 Lux the relationship between the flange thickness(shims) and the cam placement is critical. Only Solms has the equipment to do this. If its not right you can not achieve infinity focus (assuming the lens is calibrated for close and wide open).

4. The 35Lux is best set for dead on at F2 ...this results in only a very slight front focus wide open and better results as you stop down.

You can find dozens of threads on the leica user forum on "calibration issues". My only caution is that most M users are quite happy with their camera/lenses and are frequently accepting of slight calibration issues. Asking does your 35Lux focus accurately is in the "eye of the beholder". I get "spot on" all the time for cameras and lenses that are off.

The benefit of getting this right is a much higher "hit ratio" of sharp images.

Sorry if this is more than you really were asking .

Roger

 

[rchisholm]

I just got an old, pretty beat up 75 Lux from fleebay (looked a bit worn from the auction pics, but the glass looked clean), for 1700 bucs. Crossed my fingers while awaiting the shippers...

Thankfully, very pleasantly surprised with both the overall shape of the lens and the glass (glass is pristine, lens looks used but in overall very good condition).

With the 1.25x magnifier, focusing wide open is doable and the results seem spectacular for portraits. The subject pops off the background nicely! Overall, this lens reminds me of the 3D look and colors that I loved from the Canon 135L, a favorite canon lens of mine. -rob