[Leica] R lens recommendation

[Doug Herr <71247.3542@compuserve.com>]

On Fri, 25 Dec 1998, ray tai wrote:

>I am looking to get into the R system with a short telephoto lens for
>outdoor available light, PJ work.  I am leaning toward the 85/1.4 because
>of the speed.  Can anyone comment on the 85mm as well as the 90/2, 90/2.8?
>I would also like to add that I got into photography with Nikons and my
>current body of choice is the F4s.  There has been a lot of posts on the
>LUG regarding how excellent certain Nikon bodies are and I wholeheartedly
>concur.  However my disatisfaction comes from the inability of Nikkor
>lenses to deliver at wide open aperture.  One of my favorite lenses is the
>85/1.8 AF but it is really an f/2.8 lens because at wide open it is pretty
>disappointing.   And I can say the same about another half dozen other
>Nikkors I use.  How do R lenses perform wide open?  I will keep my Nikons
>for days when I can shoot everything at f/5.6, and plan to use R's for
>those critical wide open shots.  Thanks and happy holidays.

Ray,

In general, Leica-R lenses are fully usable at maximum aperture.  Of the
lenses you mentioned my only experience is with the two 90 mm lenses.  The
90 I'm now using is the Summicron-R; I'm delighted with it's performance at
f/2.0 but there are many occasions where the 85's f/1.4 would be very
handy.  The 90 mm Elmarit-R is also usable at full aperture but it's slower
speed makes it more likely I'll need a faster film.  It's better with
extension tubes than the 85 Summilux or 90 Summicron but that doesn't seem
like PJ work.  The last version of the Elmarit is also better if light
weight is important.

Doug Herr
Sacramento