Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/11/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]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 - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html