Re: 85-90 M and SM lenses

["Charles E. Love, Jr." <cel14@cornell.edu>]

You wrote:

>Many people praise the current 90/2,  but a few say the older/larger
>90/2 is better.  Don Chatterton is among them.   
>
There have been some comparative tests, including one in Modern, which said
that the newer lens "easily outperforms" the older one. 

>In Leica screw mount, either of the 85/2 or 105/2.5 are great lenses of
>their day, although probably not up to current Leitz standards, still
>great picture takers, though.

There wasn't any "85/2" Leica screwmount lens.  There was an 85 1.5, the
Summarex, and that's really a terrible lens by almost any standards.  I
owned one, and even the collector from whom I bought it said of it
"bookshelf lens."  He was right.  If you want real soft focus, low contrast,
and low saturation, this is your baby, especially at wider apertures.
Usually people can say "sharpens right up at f8," but it's pretty bad even
there.  In addition, it's so big that it blocks not only a significant part
of a screwmount camera's viewfinder, but part of the rangefinder, so not
enough light reaches the RF and it's the very devil to focus in low light
(its intended use!).   The old chrome 90 f2 costs about the same on the
collector's market, I think, and is much, much better, though not, in my
experience, as good as the newer design.

Charlie


Charles E. Love, Jr.
CEL14@CORNELL.EDU