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Archive 2015 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55

  
 
OpticalFlow
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55



I've been looking to downsize on my Nikkor (pre-Ai, Ai, Ai-s) lens collection for a while as I don't use them much any more. I have been using mostly C/Y Zeiss, CZJ and Leica over the last year.

Now I potentially have the option to swap some of my lenses (namely Nikkor 135 f2 Ai and Nikkor N 35 1.4) for an OM Zuiko 100 f2.0. The Zuiko is a lens I've had on my radar for a while but I never actually got to try one. The attractive thing about the deal would be that no money changes hands, I won't have to sell anything on ebay etc.

OTOH, selling the two Nikkors would provide enough cash to buy the 90mm Summicron R E55 and I could sell another lens in that focal range and get the 90 mm Summicron M E55 pre-ASPH pre-APO.

Size-wise, the M-Summicron would be the most convenient for use on the A7 but it is expensive and has the worst near-focus distance. Cost-wise the Zuiko and the R Summicron are quite similar, and they both seem very nice. The Zuiko seems to be quite rare (disregarding over-priced buy-it-now options) so maybe I should use the opportunity.

Any opinions ?





Mar 28, 2015 at 03:51 PM
mcbroomf
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


I have both of these and I use (my preference) an OM 90/2 macro ... not sure if that helps though


Mar 28, 2015 at 04:06 PM
OpticalFlow
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


Thanks. I've heard great things about the OM 90 macro.
But it seems to be even more elusive - I don't even know whether it is in comparable price bracket.



Mar 28, 2015 at 04:09 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


OpticalFlow wrote:
Thanks. I've heard great things about the OM 90 macro.
But it seems to be even more elusive - I don't even know whether it is in comparable price bracket.


The Oly Zuiko 90/2 Macro is about $100 more expensive than the Oly 100/2, in similar condition, see the Lens Price Database,

Lens$db, http://tinyurl.com/jcolwell-lensdb

The trade of a Nikkor Ai-S 35/1.4 and 135/2 for a Leica Summicron-R 90/2 E55 is just about dead-even. You can always sell the R later for very little out-of-pocket expense, if it doesn't meet your expectations.

OTOH, I think the overall 'look' of images from Leica and Olympus lenses is very different, especially with respect to colour saturation.




Mar 28, 2015 at 04:39 PM
OpticalFlow
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


jcolwell wrote:
The trade of a Nikkor Ai-S 35/1.4 and 135/2 for a Leica Summicron-R 90/2 E55 is just about dead-even. You can always sell the R later for very little out-of-pocket expense, if it doesn't meet your expectations.


That's what I figured. Unfortunately I'd have to go the buy and sell route whereas I could do a swap for the Zuiko.
Regarding the character, I'm just digging through samples on flickr. I think I like the Leica a bit better - but hard to tell.

At the moment I have a number of well performing portrait lenses at f2.8 or slower but all my faster glass (Nikkor 85 1.4 AiS, Nikkor 85 f2 AiS, Nikkor 135 f2) leave something to be desired wide open in terms of colour fringing and usability in bright light. I do want at least one portrait lens that is at least f2.0, doesn't have the bulk of a 85 1.4 and can handle difficult light. Then I will probably get rid of most of my Nikkors (except the 100 2.5).




Mar 28, 2015 at 06:04 PM
timballic
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


Well, for what it's worth, the Zuiko 100/2 is one of my all time favourites. The bokeh is gorgeous and it's beautifully sharp for distance too. I even let my ZE 100/2 go, because I found I was using the Zuiko far more.
From those who own both the Zuiko 90/2 and 100/2, I've read that the 90 is set up for close use and the 100 for distance. Only at very close does the 100 start to look less sharp though.
Sorry, no experience with leica.



Mar 29, 2015 at 09:12 AM
Jonas B
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


Well, the Zuiko OM 90/2.0 Macro is a.... macro, so it works fine at short distances. That's a given. I have owned two Of the 90mm fc and one 100/2. Two 90mm lenses as the first one had a focusing ring marked in feet and then I found one with the distance scale in meters instead.
I found the 90/2 (metric scale) having no problems with distant objects. Maybe not as sharp as the 100mm but no real difference (that was both with a 5DMkII and a high pixel density µ4/3 camera (center only though).
I think it is about a beautiful mix of too short adapters, internet rumours, expectations and of course sample variations. Internet rumours also say the CV 125/2.5 APO macro doesn't work that well at infinity and sometimes you read claims about the RX1 being bad at infinity. Oh well.

The Zuiko OM 90/2 and the 100/2 are different and similar at the same time. The 90 felt a little chubby when compared despite the technically very similar sizes. The 90 is also a little heavier. Drawing style similar, technically neutral bokeh, LoCA is there, both are very sharp.

The only 90mm Leica I have tried is the 90/2.0 AA. As expensive as sharp. A little on the boring side but a great lens for anyone looking for perfection. (Well, my memory is a little shady on that one, I sold it quickly as I never really appreciated it as I maybe should have have done.)



Mar 29, 2015 at 09:49 AM
Greggf
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


I would get the Zuiko 100/2. Fantastic lens! Super incredible bokeh with awesome colors! And a super close .7m mfd too! I don't think my copy is as critically sharp at infinity as say my Contax 100/2, but still very very good. But between the two(OM 100 or R90) you can't go wrong. I think the R90, with the famed Mandler glow makes it a touch better for portraits, though!


Mar 29, 2015 at 09:59 AM
naturephoto1
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


If you can afford it and can get by with a maximum aperture of f2.5, consider the Leica M 90mm f2.5 Summarit lens. It is small, light, compact and very sharp. It balances exceedingly well on an A7 series camera, is smaller, lighter than the M 90mm Summicron and considerably lighter than the R 90mm Summicron. Like other M lenses the lens can be used with the Voigtlander or the Hawk's Factory Helicoid that will allow for very close focus.

Rich



Mar 29, 2015 at 10:07 AM
JonPB
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


If you're comfortable mixing and matching the Nikon and C/Y lenses, then I'd recommend going for the Zuiko. It is a convenient trade and, if it doesn't meet your needs, better to get it off your radar now than go through the process of locating another one down the line. Personally, I find working with a consistent ergonomic style of lens to be important, and the Leica R will handle similarly to your other Leica and C/Y lenses, so I'd go for the R 90 even if it were slightly inferior to the Zuiko, which I believe has a forward-mounted aperture ring (like M lenses) that operates in the opposite direction.

That said, I've been quite pleased with my ca. 1975 Summicron-R 90. (My copy is hardly pristine; I bought it at about half the then-market rate due to signs of abuse and a small flake of metal that is lodged near the center of the frame. Although I haven't found any optical defects due to these issues, I also haven't compared it to a good copy.) Its only serious flaw is fairly hard to provoke in (my style of) normal shooting, and that is a red/green fringing in the near-focus foreground/background. Mostly this shows up when I'm taking pictures of something like water or chrome in sunlight at a distance, and I focus at infinity rather than almost-infinity due to sheer laziness. Overall, the lens' dominant character is gentle and forgiving. Bokeh is very smooth and is almost entirely free of coloration. High contrast edges (near-clipping highlights to near-clipping shadows) have a visible transition at normal viewing magnification, although the edge itself is clearly defined and honestly I like how this mimics my own eyes' rendering of a scene. This flare might not be seen to the same extent in later copies of the same lens due to improved coatings. Resolution isn't a concern to me with this lens; at f/4 with a straight adapter on my NEX-7, which has similar density to the 5D-S, per-pixel contrast is very high for most of the frame and even the corners (at least with distant subjects) are quite good; with the lens set to f/5.6 on a Speed Booster, the corners are showing some astigmatism and more CA, and high contrast subjects have fallen to about 2 pixels, some of which is from the Speed Booster and which is still very good compared to the wide-angle lenses I primarily use. I've posted a few samples in the last few pages of the Leica R thread; PM me if you'd like higher resolution or DNG copies. So, it is not a perfect lens, and it can look downright poor in comparison to its APO siblings, but still impressive and more than enough for my needs.

Cheers,
Jon



Mar 29, 2015 at 11:12 AM
OpticalFlow
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Your Opinion: Zuiko 100 f2.0 vs Summicron 90 E55


Wow. I thought this thread was about to disappear from the front page quickly and now
I received all these very informative, well thought out posts. Thanks gentlemen !

Without addressing everything that's been said I want to respond to a few of the suggestions.

Rich, I've considered the Leica Summarit - but it is too expensive and doesn't give the extra f-stop. I have a few good lenses that are one stop slower - Elmarit 90 (M mount from the 1950s), Elmar C, Elmarit 90 for Leicaflex SL, Contax G90 - still waiting for an adapter, and not least the superb Nikkor 105 2.5. I just don't have anything that performs acceptably at f2.0 or faster in outdoor light. The idea is to have something that still allows for subject isolation at slightly larger distances - the extra stop would be really helpful.

I heard good things about the 100 mm Zuiko in this regard and the comments in the thread here confirm this.
With the Summicron I know I can't go wrong - it is also sure to hold its value.
Given that I should always be able to sell the Zuiko for a Summicron I think I should give it a go.



Mar 29, 2015 at 03:13 PM





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