RE: [Leica] Portrait Lens: 90mm or 135mm?

["Jean-Claude Berger" <jcberger@jcberger.com>]

Hi B.D.,

I do disagree (politely, I hope). I guess it depends how you see the world. I
use mainly 50 then 90 mm because the pictures I'm interested into are often
unseen details of a whole situation. Moreover, I like to squeeze various
dispersed elements in the same frame. Telephoto perspective compression helps.

Second point. If you wear glasses, wide angle frames of the Ms are hard to see.
I can't see all four sides of the 35mm frame with a 0.72 body at the same time.
So, when I have to use a wide-angle, I'm much more comformtable with a reflex.

All the best,

- --
Jean-Claude Berger (jcberger@jcberger.com)
Systems and RDBMS consultant (MCSE)
Lyon, France
http://www.jcberger.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of B. D. Colen
> Sent: Saturday, May 27, 2000 2:12 AM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: RE: [Leica] Portrait Lens: 90mm or 135mm?
>
>
> 90! 90! 90! I know there are people on this list who will violently - and
> perhaps politely - disagree with me, but I am a firm believer in the idea
> that the rangefinder camera - particularly the Leica M with its .72 or even
> .85 viewfinder magnification, is ill suited to the use of telephotos. I
> personally no longer use mine for anything over 50 mm, though I will only
> give it up for 50 and below when my eyes are too shot to focus, or they pry
> it from my cold dead hands. But if you want a "portrait" lens for the M, go
> with the 90, or the 75 Summilux, which is a truly stunning lens.
>
> Good luck
>
> B. D.
> http://www.a-day-in-our-life.com
> A Day In Our Life...
> Documentary Photography
> of American Families
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> > [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of
> > AppleMac97@aol.com
> > Sent: Friday, May 26, 2000 6:08 PM
> > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> > Subject: [Leica] Portrait Lens: 90mm or 135mm?
> >
> >
> > Hi Everybody!
> >
> > After 20 years of using SLRs (Pentax, Nikon and Canon) I finally
> > succumbed to
> > the Leica mystique and bought recently a new M6 TTL (0.72,
> > Chrome) and a new
> > Summicron-M 1:2/35 ASPH lens (Chrome).  Needless to say, after using
> > auto-everything cameras all these years, it is a joy to use a fully
> > mechanical 35mm rangefinder camera.  I shoot primarily slides and
> > B&W film,
> > and the quality of the Leica lens is amazing!  Comparing slides
> > and negatives
> > shot with my quite sharp earlier Nikon and Canon autofocus fixed
> > focal length
> > lenses to the ones shot with the Summicron, I can clearly see a
> > higher degree
> > of image quality - contrast, sharpness, color and saturation.
> > Just using the
> > M6 is a wonderful tactile experience!  Winding the film and
> > hearing the soft
> > sound of the shutter is almost a religious experience!
> >
> > I need your help in selecting a lens for portrait photography
> > with the M6.  I
> > am considering the 90mm/f2.0 APO ASPH and the 135mm/f3.4 APO
> > lenses.  I can
> > afford to buy only one of these lenses!  I would like to know
> > what veteran
> > users of these focal lengths think and recommend.  From time to
> > time, I also
> > plan to use the lens for landscape photography.
> >
> > Thanks in advance!
> >
> > Muhammad Chishty
> >
>
>