What 90 mm Leica-M lens is good?

LF2007 · Apr 13, 2009

For the past few years I have been using a Leica MP with 35 mm Summicron and love the results. The 35 mm is a "difficult" lens as you need to frame carefully not to include too much subject matter but I learned that if I frame well, I can achieve tight compressed photographs which show the characteristics of wide- angle but not too exagerated.

I am now on the market to add a 90 mm Leica-M lens to my outfit. It could be second hand if in good condition as new lenses are expensive and I have no experience with 90 mm lenses. I think the combination of a 35 mm and 90 mm will do for my type of photography. Sometimes I like "wider" shots and in some shots I prefer to pick out the detail, which could be done with the 90 mm.

There seem to be many different types and names available from Leica; elmars, summicrons..... . What type/ version would you recommend? Do you have experience with these lenses? It's ok if it's an older model as long as it peforms. Thanks

Jimothy · Apr 13, 2009

I have a 1989 model Summicron 90, built in Canada.
It's just great!

budrichard · Apr 13, 2009

I have the same 90mm Summicron made in Canada in chrome. i also have the current 90mm Summicron ASPH. In side by side comparison shots, I can't tell the difference. Frankly just about any 90mm Summicron in Excellent mechanical and optical condition will suffice.-Dick

Richard Wasserman · Apr 13, 2009

I would suggest the 90mm Elmarit-M if f/2.8 is fast enough for you. It is quite a bit smaller and lighter than the Summicrons and is a stellar performer.

Richard Wasserman

tessar · Apr 13, 2009

What disfromage said. The Tele-Elmarit may be the economy model, but results don't lie.

Tim Gray · Apr 13, 2009

I just picked one up. I wanted newer and compact, but from what I saw, they are all pretty good. You can get a new(ish) Summarit for ~$700 if you look around. It's pretty small, a tad faster, and new. I almost went with the one I found, but I ended up buying a used Macro Elmar 90/4 because it is collapsible, focuses closer than any other option, and is also 'optimized' for the close focus range, all things that appealed to me.

You can find 90/2.8 Elmarit-M (the last model) for not too much, and older models for even cheaper. I think the one known as the thin Tele-Elmarit is supposed to be really small, but flare easily. The only one I'd really stay away from is the 90/4 made for the CL or the Minolta ones, because I think I've read they can get funky bubbles on the glass or something. I've heard the Voigtlander 90 is also good.

Another thing you could look at is 75 mm lens, which might make a nice match with a 35. The 75 Summarit looks like a winner to me, but was too close to 50mm for me to go for it.

rpsawin · Apr 13, 2009

I have three 90's:
90mm 2.8 Hexanon
90mm 3.5 APO Lanthar
90mm 2.8 Elmarit

Each is excellent. Frankly I use the CV APO Lanthar the most, followed by the Hexanon and then the Elmarit. From my prospective you would do well with any of them.

Best regards,

Bob

Tim Gray · Apr 14, 2009

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Hexanon, as Bob did. A lot of people seem to like it.

Chaplain Jeff · Apr 15, 2009

Hello,

I have the "lesser" German made 90mm, f/4. Can't think of the designation (mine's back in the states and I'm in Afghanistan), but it's the "cheap" 90mm - I paid about $100 for mine from a friend. I find it to be as good or better than SLR 90mm lenses I have paid twice to three times more for in the past. I use it for portraits, so I never go below f/4 anyway. Great piece of glass - and smaller & lighter (on the camera and the pocketbook) than it's siblings.

kavandje · Apr 15, 2009

Jeff, you're referring to the Elmar 90mm f/4, right? I picked one up cheap last time I was in Germany. Nice lens; light, good 'feel', excellent results, albeit not terribly fast. I read somewhere that it's basically a Tele-Tessar type design, which may or may not be true (anyone care to shed some light on that?).

Mine (which dates from ~1961) doesn't have aperture stop detents, which makes it a little tricky for me, since I don't have a built-in light meter, but if I decide to shoot wide open, it's easy enough. 16 aperture blades make for a nice round opening, for the bokeh goodness.

Chaplain Jeff · Apr 15, 2009

Hello,

Yes, that's the one. You're right about the biggest drawback to the lens is no "clicks" on the aperture setting. I've found I get used to it after only a few shots. I shoot it most often on the M5 or CLE, which of course have very good (albeit very different) light meters.

umdah · Apr 15, 2009

I have the elmarit-m /2.8 and the newer cron asph. The cron is much heavier
but excellent if you need the f2.

if you can live with f2.8, you cannot go wrong with the latest em f2.8
used ones can be had for about $700. excellent performer.

Good luck.

nicefor88 · May 2, 2009

Hi there,
Like other members said previously, the 90 Elmarit 1:2,8 is very attractive. I use one I bought off ebay a while ago. It's a model dating from the 1970s (Canada - red and white cardboard box) and it works fine though the front lens has lost some of its coating, but that's purely cosmetics.
The only con to me are the telemeter lines in the viewfinder placed at the center of the frame when a 90mm is attached to the camera. They limit the useful part of the finder to a very small area with plenty of the image you see through the finder thus irrelevant. That's all. Otherwise its a good lens although I use it much much less than my 35mm Summicron 1:2 asph.

Tom Duffy · May 2, 2009

I owned and used a tele-elmarit (f 2.8) for years. it was short and light and a very good performer. Probably the best carry around 90mm lens that Leica ever made. I understand that the elmarit (f 2.8), though slightly longer is a slightly better lens. These both should to be stopped down to about f 5.6 for optimum results, but are plenty sharp at f 2.8.

I don't own, but have borrowed, the 90mm ASPH Summicron (f 2) lens from my dealer on several occasions. This lens is in a class by itself. If you ever wondered if it's possible for a lens to be too sharp, this is the lens to use to find the answer. It is the sharpest lens I have ever used at f 2, and it keeps getting better 'till about f 4, at which point, it can't get any better. It is considerably larger than the others.

Take care,
Tom

Rolleiflexible · May 2, 2009

The 85mm Nikkor LTM, a Sonnar
design, is an awfully sweet lens.

dpurdy · May 2, 2009

I had the Canadian 90 Summicron and it was a good lens though not really better than my Nikkors. The only Leitz lens I ever had that really knocked my socks off and looked like a larger format was the 50mm dual range summicron. I have never owned anything that could touch that lens.

Steve Bellayr · May 3, 2009

In terms of quality in descending order:
3480000- Current Elmarit-M
1645300-2730000 First Version Elmarit-M
2585001-3500000 Second Version Tele-Elmarit-M
2000000-2545000 First Version Tele-Elmarit-M

The Elmarits are larger and more expensive. The Tele-Elmarits are smaller and softer. These are all good lenses. The Summicron is heavier. For me portraits should be around f4 or f5.6 and their performance is about equal in that range. These are all good lenses.

sandermarijn · May 3, 2009

Ken Rockwell recently wrote an informative article about the Tele-Elmarit-M. Towards the bottom of this article is a comparison table that maybe useful to you.

Rockwell is not always so consistent in what he writes about gear, but his Leica talk makes perfect sense to me.

tbm · May 3, 2009

I must second Tom Duffy's above post above regarding the apochromatic/aspherical 90mm Summicon. I have two of them--one for my M6 TTL and another for my R8. Both perform identically, producing jaw-dropping realism and sharpness! My humble opinion is that this is the most outstanding 90mm lens Leica has ever created!

Chaplain Jeff · May 4, 2009

dpurdy said:
I had the Canadian 90 Summicron and it was a good lens though not really better than my Nikkors. The only Leitz lens I ever had that really knocked my socks off and looked like a larger format was the 50mm dual range summicron. I have never owned anything that could touch that lens.

Hello,

I will second the comment about the Summicron DR being the best lens I've owned.

Not sure why it doesn't get the credit other Leicas do (at least when it comes to price on the used market). I believe mine is Canadian (50/2 DR w/ goggles) - perhaps that's the reason rabid fans don't love it. It does give off the most incredible look -both in color and b/w - however. I don't own a "lot" of Leica lenses, but this one shoots better looking pictures than any I've used and most I've seen on forums.

Highly recommended.

Lee L · May 4, 2009

Chaplain Jeff said:
Hello,

I will second the comment about the Summicron DR being the best lens I've owned.

Not sure why it doesn't get the credit other Leicas do (at least when it comes to price on the used market).

It does get the credit it deserves among shooters, and is sought after. It's just not so rare that the price gets driven up.

Lee

aoresteen · May 4, 2009

I'd say the Tele-Elmarit is the best all around 90. I had one in the early 80's, sold it and bought it again a few years back. It's just lovely!

The LTM 90mm Elmar f/4 is not as sharp or as contrasty as the Tele-Elmarit.

I used an 85mm f/2 Canon LTM and the 85mm f/2 Nikkor LTM. Broke the Canon (dropped), sold the Nikkor, bought the Tele-Elmarit. Never used the 90mm f/2 Leica glass.

What 90 mm Leica-M lens is good?

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