[Leica] Which 90 M Lens?

["Peter A. Klein" <pklein@2alpha.net>]

Having just gone through the 90mm dillema myself, I'd like to throw in my 
two cents.  I've ended up with a "classic" 1960s chrome Elmarit for work in 
reasonable light, and one of those dreaded Russian Jupiter-9 85/2 lenses 
for low light.  That combination allowed me to afford both of them.

The old Elmarit is a very nice lens.  Mechanically it is a joy to 
operate--that butter-smooth old chrome Leitz feel.  It's no slouch even 
wide open, though at f/2.8 it's not quite as sharp as the 50 Summicron at 
f/2.  Stopped down it gets even better.  And it's fairly affordable and 
easy to find--$350-$450 on the Auction Site That Dare Not Speak Its 
Name.  A bit more for the black version.

In contrast, used (current) Elmarit-M lenses are going for anywhere from 
$600-$700 if you're lucky, $800 if you're not.  It's supposed to be a close 
second to the APO/AA 90 Summicron in quality.

The old Elmarit has another advantage--weight. It weighs 11 oz--a little 
over 300 grams.  That's significantly lighter than the current Elmarit-M at 
(I think) 410 grams.  One caveat is that the weight on the older lens is 
unevenly distributed--much of it is at the far end of the barrel.

The Jupiter-9 is a risky proposition unless you can try before you buy, but 
cheap (around $100), and well worth it if you get a good one.  I tried 
several before I finally found and bought a good one.  Mechanically, they 
range from reasonably OK to godawful. The aperture ring has no click stops 
and goes the "wrong" way.  It's light enough that it's worth carrying 
around even when you don't *know* you're going to use it.  A bonus for me 
was that the Jupiter 9 takes 49mm hoods and filters, which I already have. 
For the price, it's a great way to get f/2 at much less cost than an old 
Summicron.

The old classic chrome 90 Summicrons are very heavy (25 ounces, 700 
grams!)  The black classics are lighter, but still pretty heavy.  They are 
good lenses, but not up to 50 Summicron quality wide open.  Given their 
weight and cost, for me the alternative lenses are better choices at 
f/2.  I think a good Jupiter is in the same ballpark as a classic 90 
Summicron optically.  It's a different design, different fingerprint, but 
wonderful IF you can find a good one.  Remember, it's a Zeiss design with 
more exotic glass.

The 90 APO Summcron blows all the older alternatives away.  It's even a 
notch better than the Elmarit-M.

Many moons ago, I had the "fat" Tele-Elmarit.  While I liked it in general, 
it was less contrasty than the classic Elmarit I have now.  Many people 
have complained that the Tele-Elmarits tend to flare when light sources are 
in the picture.

Another thought in the slower camp is the current Voigtlander 90/3.5 APO 
Lanthar.  Erwin just reviewed it on his newsletter, and he says it's 
optically "much better than all but one previous Elmarit and Tele-Elmarit 
designs."  At f/3.5, he says it's equal to the Elmarit-M, though the latter 
pulls ahead a bit stopped down.

Even so, I decided to go for an old Elmarit because if I ever do get a 90 
APO, I want to retain resale value on the old lens.

Anyway, if the cost and weight of a current Elmarit-M is OK for you, and 
you don't do a lot of available light shooting, go for it.  If you really, 
truly need f/2 and want the very best, the 90 APO is as good as it gets, 
period, but the cost is staggering.  If cost really matters and you don't 
mind compromising a little,  a classic 90 Elmarit is still a very fine 
lens.  To have your cake and eat it, too, a combination of either the old 
or the current 90 Elmarit plus one of the alternative Sonnar clones for f/2 
(Jupiter 9, Nikon 85/2, Canon 85/1.8) might just fill the bill.

- --Peter Klein
Seattle, WA

At 11:49 AM 11/12/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>I have been pondering over which 90mm lens to get - a new 90mm 2.8 Elmarit
>with $200 rebate or the previous version of the Summicron (11137).
>
> >From what I have read, the Elmarit is the better performer despite the one
>extra stop and perhaps this is the one I should consider unless of course I
>decide to eat tinned ravioli for the next six months and go for the current
>Apo-Summicron Asph.  The only other thing that puts me off this lens (other
>than the thought of eating tinned ravioli) is the fact that it is only
>available in a black anodised finish, however I am sure that I will soon be
>reassured that the finish makes no difference to the pictures that you will
>take with it!.
>
>Perhaps the Elmarit with the 1.25x magnifier and 3 months of eating tinned
>ravioli?
>
>Julian

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