DPR Forum

Welcome to the Friendly Aisles!
DPRF is a photography forum with people from all over the world freely sharing their knowledge and love of photography. Everybody is welcome, from beginners to the experienced professional. Whether it is Medium Format, fullframe, APS-C, MFT or smaller formats. Digital or film. DPRF is a forum for everybody and for every format.
Enjoy this modern, easy to use software. Look also at our Reviews & Gallery!

APO lenses are they really too sharp

vishalvora

Well-Known Member
Dear All,

I am a Contax user but recently was given a M6TTL which I now adore. I used to have an M3 a while back but never really got on with it. I have a 50mm f2 and want to buy some more lenses. As a portrait photographer I am considering the 90mm f2 and for general landscape stuff I would really like a 28 or 35. I would like to buy these second hand as I have been told that the APO lenses are TOO sharp, this would not be a good thing for portraits as they would probably pick out every detail in the sitters face (spots, pimples etc).

Is this correct, does anyone have experience of comparing APO and non-APO lenses?

Many thanks,

Vishal
www.vPhotographic.com
 
Dear Vishal,

For people shots, I always use pre-APO lenses.

The 1:2/90 Summicron-R is a superb portrait lens, and at f/2 has a softness that will be appreciated by the ladies.

Have fun.

Justin
 
Dear Vishal,

Yes, any Leica lens with the suffix "R" is for the reflex range. "M" indicates for the bayonet mount range-finder cameras.

Again with the M lenses, any pre-APO is good for portraiture. The current 1:2.8/90 Elmarit-M is superb.

At 50Kb the quality is not that apparent, however here is an ex&le with a mid-sixties M 1:2/35 Summicron on an M2:

67603.jpg
 
<....the APO lenses are TOO sharp, this would not be a good thing for portraits as they would probably pick out every detail in the sitters face (spots, pimples etc).>

Vishal yes you are correct, the 90 'cron APO M is a sharp lens with a capital S. You can use it in documentary mode and show people as they really are spots and all, or put some sort of filter on it to give softer portrait effects.

Craig
 
Vishal, You can always make a "sharp" lens soft, but you can't make a "soft" lens sharp.
For the purpose of landscape photography, I highly recommend the apos and asphericals.
Colin
 
BTW Vishal, consider also the M Summilux (f1.4) 75mm lens for portrait work. It is a rather nice piece of glass of earlier pre aspherical design.

To follow up on Collin's post the 28mm Summicron ASPH and 35mm f1.4 aspherical are superb lenses that give a clarity that has to be seen to be believed, and will certainly do a very decent job at landscape work.

The 35 1.4 is the lens I have so I cannot comment with any authority about the current 35mm f2 but I do understand it is also a super lens.

Any leica M lens will give you good results however. It will be quite hard to find a particularly bad one.

Craig
 
Hello,

I am using the APO - ASPH summicron 90, and I am very pleased with its results, even as a portrait lens. Honestly, I do not understand wath "too sharp "means, as to me, you can not be sharper as what you see. So I use it extensively, even for portraits.

The ASPH quality gives you outstanding results at f2 and f2.8, and here you have a very limited depth of field, so you will have sharp and unsharp zones in your picture. I am using the 1.25 magnifier on my classic M6, and this helps me a lot to set the distance correctly. To me the ideal F stop is 4 or 5.6. The sharpness is evenly spread on the whole field, and that is also very impressive. I did recently a full film at F2, of dance and I coul take full groups of danceress tack sharp at f2. This is not possible with another lens.

The APO quality is also something unique to this lens. You will get colours with a finesse not seen before, and this at all apertures. This is alo very nice for portraits.

The contrast of this lens is also ideal, as it gives you all the subtle colour and contrast variances in the high lights and in the shadow.

Conclusion: With the 90 mm F2 AA, you have a lens that will give you the possibility to do pictures difficult to obtain with other lenses:

At f2, with 400 ASA films, to take pictures on stage, while sitting with the public. But also for all general pictures, including landscape and portraits, with low speed films, between f2 and F5.6, where you will be able to play with sharp and unsharp (via the diaphragma) knowing that you will never loose in quality, as the sharp zone will be really sharp and the unsharp Zones will be pleasing, the colours will be very well rendered and the lens will give you nice shadows and nice high lights.

Note: I have used nearly all 90 mms up to now, including the elmarit, tele-elmarit, summicron, M and R and I am still using the 80mm f1.4 on the R8.

The 80mm 1.4 is a very fine lens and gives you very sharp pictures from 2.8, but it is relatively softer (still very good) at 1.4 and 2 where you loose both in contrast and in sharpness. The 90 mm AA is a real step forward.
To me it is ahead of all other lenses between f2 and f4 where the other ones come closer (Elmarit 90, summilux 75/80).

Best regards and have a lot of fun with Leica.
 
talker.gif
I used to have a non-asph 90mm summnicron and traded in for the current Elmarit. I'm very happy with it, it is smaller and lighter (great for travel), and for portraits I can live without the F2. It is very sharp so if I want to soften I use a Carl Zeiss version of the Softar. This is my personal ideal. I haven't seen a situation where I felt the F2 would be worth the wheight and price.
 
Back
Top