When walking around with my SLR zoom I often find occasion to use greater than 50mm. I'd be intested in where others find the 90mm lens most useful? Types of shots, settings, light, etc.

I see comments here that people use and love their 90mm lens. Where does the 90 make good use.

Thanks

-- David Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), May 30, 2001

Answers

Here are a couple links which may help answer your question:

http://home.earthlink.net/~telyt/event2001/event2001.htm http://www.wildlightphoto.com/leica/90R20.HTM

Please note that in the first link the quality of the scanner and the skill of the scanner's operator are limiting factors (!)

-- Douglas Herr (telyt@earthlink.net), May 30, 2001.

landscapes, cityscapes, buildings, portraits of course, but quite limited for action photography.IMO.

-- R Watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), May 30, 2001.

David,

I find that my 90 pre-asph Summicron, with all its sharpness and abundance of details mostly remains at home, not even in the bag. I use it for portraits only: it is heavy and, in my opinion, upsets the camera's superb balance. Hence, it is only used on pre-planned portraiture.

-- Jean-David Borges (jdborges@home.com), May 30, 2001.

Clubs and theaters, closeup semi-tame wildlife, some "human landscape" type stuff. I find it hard to shoot fast-moving subjects with it unless they're at a bit of a distance. Frankly neither it nor the 75 see anywhere near the use that my 35 does.

-- Paul Chefurka (paul_chefurka@pmc-sierra.com), May 30, 2001.

David

I have tried the 90 Summicron for a while since the 85 was one of my preferred lenses on the SLRs, for portraiture mainly, because its restricted depth of field effectively isolates the foreground (subject) from the background. This benefit, which is perfectly controllable on SLRs through the viewfinder, is predictable only by tremendous experience with a rangefinder Leica. Adding the difficulties inherent in focussing moving subjects with a "longer" (than let's say 35mm) lens, I left my 90 at home by and by, just as reported by others in this thread. I switched to a 75 as my "second lens" because of its wide aperture (1.4) - which isn't at all easy to handle, either. But which (in combination with all the known advantages of the M gear: optical quality, incospicousness, silent shutter) allows me to make photos I wouldn't be able to make with my SLR. In combination with a 35 it enables me to make 98% of all photos I "see". (If you scroll down the thread list you will find the "Invitation" to my recent online-gallery with technical notes.) I think that M Leicagraphy is basically about "situations", "action" and wideangles, with an option to do some mild close-ups (landscapes, details, portraits) in between. For everything beyond (and I mean 90 and more stunning perspectives, sports, wildlife) SLRs have a clear edge.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), May 30, 2001.

With my M3 nearly exclusively, and for portraits and more candid people shots, and for isolating details in landscapes. When I was writing for some car magazines, the 90 was the perfect lens for pan shots with the M3. I'd shoot with both eyes open and get the moving car lined up in the 90 box as it came by and usually get a very high percentage of keepers (as opposed to shooting with an slr, where I'd chop off part of the car a lot).

I also like using the 90 with a Tiffen soft efx filter for adult portraits. Its not as hard to focus as an slr with the soft focus filter on. (try doing that with you AF slr!)

-- Andrew schank (aschank@flash.net), May 30, 2001.

Lets try that again 90mm pan shot

-- Andrew schank (aschank@flash.net), May 30, 2001.

I love my old, 90mm Summicron. It's very weight steadies my hand holding of it, resulting in sharper pictures.

I use it for portraits, stage photography, "close ups" (at 1 meter, you get the smallest field allowed by the Leica rangefinder outside of the DR Summicron, and an occasional landscape.

I've not had good luck with using it for sports photography.

For macro or telephoto work, a quality SLR with good lenses rules.

-- Tom Bryant (boffin@gis.net), May 30, 2001.

I use my Elmarit-M 90/2.8 when I need a longer lens. 90mm is a very long lens for me nowadays ... I more usually use a 24 or 35, even a 50 seems a mild telephoto. I've used the 90 for portraits, sports, scenics. Does a fine job.

Here are some examples:

http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/ photostuff/mpix1/mpix1.htm Municipal Wharf shots
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/mpix2a/mpix2a.htm
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/travel/mgp2000/1.htm
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/travel/mgp2000/2.htm
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/travel/mgp2000/3.htm
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/travel/mgp2000/4.htm
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/PnT/2.htm
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/PnT/6.htm
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/PnT/7.htm
http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/PnT/5.htm

It all depends what your eye sees.

Godfrey

-- Godfrey DiGiorgi (ramarren@bayarea.net), May 30, 2001.

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Thanks for the responses. I very much liked the pictures I viewed. I marvel at the skill.

I'll likely supress the urge for a 90 for the time being and use the SLR for the longer range stuff until I get better with the camera.

Thank you,

-- David Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), May 30, 2001.

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David: I last used my 90mm Elmarit over the Christmas holidays, in New York. There was some nice contrasty sidelight on a church roof, and I used the 90 to isolate that detail. Overall, I shoot most with the 35 and 28, 50 is next, and less frequently with 21 and 90.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), May 30, 2001.

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David: I think that what you will use a 90 mm for will depend mainly upon the kind of subjects you usually shoot but (my) natural options are cofee places, street photography and, of course, portraiture. I own only an Elmar 9 cm, f4 that I use on M3 bodies. And definitely love it. When I go out to make street photography it usually finds its place in one of my pockets.This particular 90 mm is somewhat limiting in low light situations but is extremely light, can be handled easily and is one of the most affordable lenses (used lenses, that is) within Leica range of prices if you want to try it. Further more, you can cut it in two and use the half with the glass plus a Leica close up attachment (kind of SLR adaptor for the M3) to get in a wonderful close up range for small things or tighter views of larger subjects; it becames an incredible macro. What a technology !! I'm coming back from SLR plus zoom lenses (Nikon bodies and 35 - 70 plus 70 -210 mm) myself and I can't help saying that a 90 mm is far from a zoom: fixed focals make you (me)work (see) in quite a different way than zooms. Worth a try, I think.

Cheers, David.

Iván

-- Iván Barrientos (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), May 31, 2001.

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