Customer Reviews

APO-Summicron-M 90mm F2 Aspheric Lens

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This is without a doubt among the most expensive medium telephoto rangefinder lenses currently being manufactured, but it is certainly well worth acquiring. It is the second fastest telephoto lens in the Leica M rangefinder camera system, but optically may be the best due to Leica's usage of special apochromatic glasses. It is amazingly quite sharp and contrasty, from its maximum aperture of f2. Ergonomically, it is essentially the same size and weight as the previous 90mm f2 Summicron, which is a fine optical performer in its own right, except wide open. If you are a Leica M photographer who likes to photograph under low light conditions or is interested in the finest optical quality possible with a medium telephoto lens, then this is definitely the lens for you. I have owned one for nearly five years and have not been disappointed with its performance. The only lens I have used which comes close optically is the Contax G-Series 90mm f2.8 Sonnar T* lens. In Leica's newly designed Summicron-M lens series, I would rank this lens alongside the 28mm f2 Summicron-M ASPH lens as among Leica's finest recent designs, surpassed only by the new 50mm f1.4 Summilux ASPH and the 75mm f2 APO-Summicron lenses.

The 90mm f/2 APO-Summicron-M ASPH is the finest lens you can buy at this focal length. I also own an older second-version 90mm f/2.8 Tele-Elmarit, and found myself always using the bigger, heavier lens for the sparkle and sharpness of its images, especially at f/2.

Add a Tri-Elmar 28-35-50mm f/4, and you have the ultimate travel outfit for a Leica M-series camera. The 90mm APO-Summicron is sharp to the corners at any aperture.

I find the 90mm focal length a little tight for portraits and parties inside the typical American home. I prefer the 50mm for most of those images. A 90mm also lacks the reach for my sports images, but works well for travel outdoors in less-congested urban settings.