Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/02/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]"Dante A. Stella" wrote: > > You buy a Leica for the lenses. > > You buy a Voigtlander for the value. > > But you buy an 90mm rangefinder lens by its look. > > The only reason you should buy an RF 90 is for portraits and then it should be the > one with the optical signature you like. The god-awfulest 90mm APO ASPH blah blah > 90/2 for an M will set you back significantly, while rendering human faces like a > microscope does. If this is what you like, then the 90/2 APO is better. > > In a portrait lens, you top two needs are smooth in-focus out-focus transition and > good highlight separation. To this end, M and LTM lenses that you might consider > include > > 85/2 and 105/2.5 Nikkors > 90/4 Elmar > 85/2 Canon chrome > 85/2 Jupiter > > There is no inherent rangefinder lens superiority for the 90mm length: retrofocus > is not an issue, compactness is not really an issue, and realworld focusing is less > accurate. When you start talking about 85s and 90s, the SLR world provides very > stiff optical competition. > > Cheers > Dante ><Snip> I've used the 85/2 and 105/2.5 Nikors for years, they are sitting in a tupperware container somewhere I'll use the 100 2.8 macro sometimes for copy work. The 90 Elmarit M i used for the past few years and still have. But my number one lens for people is the APO-SUMMICRON-M ASPH. F/2 /90 mm. I can't find a single thing wrong with it other than it took me a long time to save up to get it. I use it on location shots and shots in the studio on the white backdrop. OF PEOPLE. Faces. There are no Bokeh problems with this lens. There are no problems with supposed too much sharpness and resolution. If it was TOO sharp which is a concept which I've got a problem with.... I'd use flatter lighting, a bigger light source, 400 instead of 100 film. But it ain't too sharp. I've got the 90 Elmarit on the body with color in it and the 90 Summicron in the body with the Delta 100 in it. Sometimes i switch. Can't always remember which 90 i shot with when i look at my take. The Nikors are OK. But nothing to bring home to mom about. A pal of mine is selling his 85 1.4 Planar made in germany lens. I might get it and a body to go with it for cheap. Match the characteristics of the stuff i get with my Hasselblads. but i need macro mark rabiner