My used copy of this lens in black just arrived from MPB this afternoon. It was listed as Ex+ and has all the original boxes, paperwork front and rear caps, and hood. It is a beautifully made lens and MPB was accurate in its listing. I really can't tell it from new. I am really surprised and pleased with the size and weight of this lens. Unless I find some optical objection it will become the staple long lens in my kit. My VM 75mm f/1.5 Nokton will become a special use Character lens (love it too much to sell it). My travel kit for most destinations will be 21mm, 35mm, 50mm (i know too close but I love the lens), and 90mm. Everything latest version Leica lenses except this Voigtlander. Not much that can't be handled with this setup on my M10/M11 bodies.
I find that I can focus it well enough, and quickly enough with the rangefinder in most situations. Easier that I thought it would be,and noticeably easier the the 75mm Nokton. I am pleasantly surprised with how little blockage there is of the RF window, but that 90mm frame line is small. For critical stuff (portraits wide open etc) in low light, at close distances I do much better with the rear screen and Visoflex. Fast and easy to focus doing it the mirrorless way.
So far I have tested it at infinity wide open and stopped down to f/5.6 and f/8. The infinity hard stop appears to be correct, so hopefully everything else is good too. I will shoot it live this weekend. I will not do pixel peeping testing however. If I like the real World images that is what I am after. I will post some results.
Today I went to the local Tet celebration to try out this lens shooting casual portraits. AS always when I have a new lens to learn I go out with only that lens. I am forced to try and shoot whatever I see with the lens.
I anticipated having trouble focusing with the RF. Surprisingly I did not. I shot all day with the RF and had very few misses. I think the incredible smoothness and great handling of this lens is a big help with focusing. Just the right amount of drag and throw on the focus ring, and nice solid clicks on the aperture ring. Easy to just revert to f/2.8 and count the clicks to set aperture exactly where I want it. This is the first VM lens where I think the ergonomics are as good as my Leica lenses. How did they make an APO f/2.8 90mm so compact? They did a great job with that on this lens.
My biggest issue came from composing properly with the tiny 90mm rectangle in the RF viewfinder. I also had difficulty choosing the proper distance to shoot from. I am so used to shooting 35mm and wider on my M that I will need to work hard to execute my vision when working with the 90mm focal length.
Anyway here are some of my shots from the first time out with the lens. So far I am very pleased with my new acquisition.
!bwana1, your 90mm examples feel 'alive' to me. I really like the colors and expressions and the environment you captured.
I enjoy this lens and also wonder how they made it so compact! It it the only lens I have in this focal length. I use it one my M8.2 and my Sony A7R5 with great joy and no complaints on either.
Thanks for showing us these images!
1bwana1 wrote:
Today I went to the local Tet celebration to try out this lens shooting casual portraits. AS always when I have a new lens to learn I go out with only that lens. I am forced to try and shoot whatever I see with the lens.
I anticipated having trouble focusing with the RF. Surprisingly I did not. I shot all day with the RF and had very few misses. I think the incredible smoothness and great handling of this lens is a big help with focusing. Just the right amount of drag and throw on the focus ring, and nice solid clicks on the aperture ring. Easy to just revert to f/2.8 and count the clicks to set aperture exactly where I want it. This is the first VM lens where I think the ergonomics are as good as my Leica lenses. How did they make an APO f/2.8 90mm so compact? They did a great job with that on this lens.
My biggest issue came from composing properly with the tiny 90mm rectangle in the RF viewfinder. I also had difficulty choosing the proper distance to shoot from. I am so used to shooting 35mm and wider on my M that I will need to work hard to execute my vision when working with the 90mm focal length.
Anyway here are some of my shots from the first time out with the lens. So far I am very pleased with my new acquisition....Show more →
I strongly suggest using the LLL 1.4x magnifier. I've been using it with my telephoto lenses, and my rate of in-focus shots has significantly improved. Personally, I found it challenging to focus with the CV 90/2.8 because it has a short focus throw. Also, I couldn't find a copy that was perfectly calibrated with my RF camera.
Bertrick wrote:
!bwana1, your 90mm examples feel 'alive' to me. I really like the colors and expressions and the environment you captured.
I enjoy this lens and also wonder how they made it so compact! It it the only lens I have in this focal length. I use it one my M8.2 and my Sony A7R5 with great joy and no complaints on either.
Thanks for showing us these images!
Thank you for taking the time to post and the nice comments. Always appreciated.
I will have to try it on my A1 I seem to have better results when adapting longer FL lenses.
d.s. wrote:
Have you considered a viewfinder magnifier?
I have looked at those on line, but never had the opportunity to try one. Since I mostly shoot my M cameras wide it didn't seem necessary. Maybe it would be a good addition to my kit now that I have this lens.
gordec wrote:
I like to use 020 with it. It solves the tiny frame line problem. Also makes focusing a little easier.
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Fred Miranda wrote:
I strongly suggest using the LLL 1.4x magnifier. I've been using it with my telephoto lenses, and my rate of in-focus shots has significantly improved. Personally, I found it challenging to focus with the CV 90/2.8 because it has a short focus throw. Also, I couldn't find a copy that was perfectly calibrated with my RF camera.
The magnifier seems to be getting a lot of recommendations for shooting long lenses. I will have to give it a try. Pop Flash looks to be having a sale on them right now.
Do you guys take it on and off when changing lenses? It sees to me it may ceate some problems seeing the frames when shooting 35mm and wider?
Since long landscapes are one of the primary anticipated reasons for adding this lens to my kit, I stopped by to take a quick handheld seascape at La Jolla's Children's Pool area. If anyone is interested in photographing the area the Pelicans are in full breading color, the Seals are having tons of pups, and all the other birds are here in plenty right now.
This was shot at f/8 with focus just using the infinity hard stop on the lens. Seems OK to me.
In real useage I will probably shoot on a tripod using the rear screen to focus, bracket, or stack, for best rests. But nice to know tha handheld is a viable option.
I hope to shoot some city scenes, architecture, and a portrait with lights later today. If it handles all of these situations well it will end up being a great addition to my travel kit.
The magnifier seems to be getting a lot of recommendations for shooting long lenses. I will have to give it a try. Pop Flash looks to be having a sale on them right now.
Do you guys take it on and off when changing lenses? It sees to me it may ceate some problems seeing the frames when shooting 35mm and wider?
You can see the 35mm frame line, but it's like using a 28mm without the magnifier. I typically use it with longer lenses, but it's also great with normal 50mm lenses. It helps you nail focus as long as your lens is well calibrated with the rangefinder.
I did a quick single light clamshell with a white reflector for my studio test of the lens. I think it does well here. The problem with shooting these fake heads is that the skin is plastic so there is more shine on it, the color is a bit weird, and the eyes are painted on so not a good focus or sharpness test there. But the hair confirms the sharpness.
I think it will make a great headshot lens. I usually shoot these from the rear screen at f/5.6 or 6.3 so focus is not that difficult.
Still liking what I see from this copy of the lens.
The magnifier seems to be getting a lot of recommendations for shooting long lenses. I will have to give it a try. Pop Flash looks to be having a sale on them right now.
Do you guys take it on and off when changing lenses? It sees to me it may ceate some problems seeing the frames when shooting 35mm and wider?
I would get the magnifier if I don't have the 020. Overall taking the EVF off may be easier than taking the magnifier off. Also works well when you use your 21 SEM.
gordec wrote:
I would get the magnifier if I don't have the 020. Overall taking the EVF off may be easier than taking the magnifier off. Also works well when you use your 21 SEM.
Yes, I do already have the VisoFlex 020. Both composition and focusing are very easy using WYSIWYG like any other mirrorless camera. That is probably the best solution.
1bwana1 wrote:
Do you guys take it on and off when changing lenses? It sees to me it may ceate some problems seeing the frames when shooting 35mm and wider?
The Leica 1.25 and 1.4x magnifiers come with a chain that can be attached to the nearest eyelet or an o-ring if you’re using a strap. If your strap measures up to 13/16” w, there’s also a little snap pouch you can attach to it. If you’re using an M10 or later, an additional adapter is required. If memory serves, the 1.4x reduces contrast and darkens the view some, but any of that is negligible with the 1.25x. I wouldn’t recommend either magnifier for focal lengths wider than 40mm.
The beauty about the LLL magnifier compared to the Leica is that it has a built-in diopter!
It also comes with a thread adapter so you can use it on all Leica cameras from film to the latest version.
Like @d.s. wrote, the Leica has a chain and leather pouch so it's easier to keep it with you at all times. The LLL version only comes with metal caps.
For 50mm, I find Leica 1.4x magnifier immensely helpful. I have used 1.4x with 35mm too without any issues or loss of contrast, but generally longer than 50mm is what they recommend. For wider than 50mm, I now don't use any magnifier, but use +0.5 diopter (Leica correction lens II-M) instead, which has made it very easy to focus on 18mm, 28mm and 35mm without glasses. Leica viewfinder diopter is set at factory to -0.5. Use of diopter (type and its strength) will depend on your eyesight.
I want to shoot a long landscape and some architecture with this lens to see the resolution and sharpness. No opportunity for that today. So I decided to combine that and shoot the San Diego skyline from the live aboard boat dock. Couldn't stay long enough for sunset, but the late afternoon light was nice today too.
This is shot from my travel tripod, fully manual, ISO 64, F/8.0, shutter adjusted for changing light, and focus set to the infinity hardstop. Looks good to me. I don't feel like I will miss many landscape shots traveling with this as my longest lens.
This lens seems sharp across the entire image. At least it is when stopped down at infinity, which is what I want for architectural and landscape use cases.
1bwana1 wrote:
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The magnifier seems to be getting a lot of recommendations for shooting long lenses. I will have to give it a try. Pop Flash looks to be having a sale on them right now.
Do you guys take it on and off when changing lenses? It sees to me it may ceate some problems seeing the frames when shooting 35mm and wider?
You can try the magnifier... For me it was not a useful solution. I tend to change lenses frequently and simply found the magnifier a PITA to use with the way I like to use the M system. IMO just a hassle to screw in and remove multiple times - small and fiddly. I also use a diopter correction lens on the viewfinder, which has to be removed to thread in the magnifier. And as you likely know, the diopter is very small and easy to misplace, or outright lose. I also dislike how the magnifier sticks out from the back of the camera and kind threatens to poke into your eye, if not careful.
I found I much prefer having the correct diopter correction on the viewfinder eyepiece. After I did this, RF focus was generally easier and more consistent. For challenging lenses such as a 90, if feasible, I prefer to use the accessory EVF. Easy to slide on the hot shoe and comfortable to view through. Yeah, it adds more bulk than the magnifier, but IMO is much more flexible. For example I can quickly switch between RF focus and composition to focus and/or composition confirmation with the EVF, if desired. Or I can just ignore it. When installed, the magnifier is always there on the viewfinder, affecting the RF experience. And to reiterate, is a hassle to switch it in/out.
In playing with the 90mm focal length I found it useful for discretely shooting from far enough away that the subjects to know they are being photographed. With the shorter focal lengths they usually do notice, so the moment is often in reaction to that. Maybe I will get better at capturing more authentic street images.
I also played a bit the perspective and compression using 90mmm. Very useful stuff.
I have so much to learn about shooting many subjects long. I need a lot of practice seeing opportunities.
This traditionally dressed family out for an afternoon had no idea I was photographing them. I sat and had a Coke while I took images of what was going on around me. Very civilized photography. LOL
90mm gave me the reach to shoot this out the drivers side window as I was driving through Little Italy.
