REVIEWS - Leica 90mm F2 Summicron-M APO

OVERVIEW

The 90mm focal length has been a staple of the classic Leica rangefinder system since 1937 with the market introduction of the 90mm F2.2 Thambar (recently re-released by Leica).

Partly due to World War II, the world would not see its first Leica 90mm F2 Summicron M until 1957. The next Leica 90mm Summicron-M update in 1980 radically reduced the size and weight, bringing us the form factor still used today for the current APO version.

In 1998 the Leica 90mm F2 Summicron-M APO was introduced. While a simple lens consisting of only 5 elements, the Leica 90mm F2 Summicron M APO is a very high performing lens and often considered amongst the M system's best lenses.

I have used the Leica 90mm F2 Summicron-APO since around 2006 / 2007, starting with the Leica M8. Since then the Leica 90mm Summicron APO has a staple in my kit.

BUILD QUALITY

One only needs to handle the Leica 90mm APO for a couple moments to appreciate the design, manufacturing precision, materials quality and attention to detail:

• Construction:  Other than the lens caps and red dot, the 90mm APO is all metal and glass. There is no wiggle, wobble or play in the lens body. Fit, finish and gaps are superb. Metal work is smooth with no CnC ridges or milling marks. The knurled edges are crisp, well machined. The satin black anodized finish is flawless, though somewhat delicate (edges can brass easily).
• Focus Ring:  Given that the focus ring is moving a larger mass compared to lenses like the 35mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH FLE or 50mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH, the focus weight is a bit heavier, but still a light action. Resistance is smooth and even throughout the range. From the minimum focus distance to infinity is about 135º of rotation. When trying to “nail” focus at F2, this amount of focus ring travel is helpful for finessing smaller adjustments.
• Aperture Ring:  The aperture ring clicks cleanly from stop to stop in half-stop increments. There is no rattle or play when the lens is shaken. The aperture ring will rotate about a 1/4 stop past F2 and F16 detents. This is normal and most Leica M lenses exhibit the same. There is always a bit play in the aperture ring because there cannot be a rigid connection between the aperture ring and the delicate aperture blades.
• Lens Hood:  The lens hood simply slides in and out. It does not twist and lock into position like the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. Internally there is felt lining to provide some resistance and the keep the lens hood in place. On older lenses the lens hood may pull out a bit unevenly as the felt wears.
• Markings:  The distance scale, aperture values, etc., are all engraved and hand painted. Should the lettering fade, flake away or get discolored, it is very easy to refresh with lacquer paint sticks (available at your local brick & mortar hobby store).

LENS HANDLING

Nowadays I mostly use the 90mm APO with the Leica M10 Monochrom and Leica M10-R with Match Technical's Thumbs Up. With a Thumbs-up the 90mm APO feels lighter than the 480 gram specification suggests. I also like using Arte di Mano half-cases because the leather makes the camera body feel more "grippy".

The slide-out lens hoods are among my favorite features of the Leica M lenses because they are space savers, impossible to lose and always there when needed. While the built-in hoods are convenient, their effectiveness can be marginal, especially if the light source is just outside of the frame. For example, when taking night shots and a street light is to the right of left of the frame (outside of the frame), there is a risk of flare and/or veiling. This is pretty typical of all Leica M lenses.

The biggest “gotchya!” with the Leica 90mm F2 Summicron-M APO is nailing focus on a consistent basis; especially at wider apertures like F2 and F2.8. Back in the Leica M8 and M9 days I rambled on and on about using a Leica 1.25x magnifier or Leica 1.4x magnifier to improve keeper rates, but those days are passé. Nowadays the Leica's Visoflex (Typ 020) Electronic Viewfinder is decent. That said, if using an EVF is not an acceptable option:

• With close subjects I set focus to the minimum distance and then focus. When the patch first appears sharp WITHOUT going past it, I stop.
• With distant subjects I start at infinity, work my way backwards and when the patch appears sharp - I stop.
• Rocking focus back and forth has proven to be a hit or miss technique (for me), so I try to avoid doing so.
• If recomposing after focusing and placing the subject right or left of center, a bit of front of focus is needed to offset for the recomposition. The amount of front focus is a guess, but gets easier with practice.
• Using the hyper focal distance scale can work surprisingly well. Generally its suggested placement has proven better than my focus efforts if trying to get the whole scene within the depth of field. With a 90mm focal length, this technique is for F5.6 and smaller. Zone focusing at F2 is futile.
• If the optical viewfinder looks blurry, you may need a Leica diopter correction lens. Unfortunately, as we age our eyes have less and less ability to correct and diopter adjustments become increasingly necessary.
• When all else fails... stop down the lens.

LENS PERFORMANCE

When comparing high performing lenses, the differences are often minute and saying this or that lens is better borders on nit-picking. The following bullets are really just going by the numbers, and frankly, in most cases stating the obvious:

• Sharpness and Contrast:  The 90mm APO is both sharp and contrasty. Of my M lenses, the 90mm APO is probably the sharpest, wide open “portrait” lens I have used - beating lenses like the Zeiss 85mm F2 Sonnar ZM, Canon 100mm F2 Serenar LTM and Leica 75mm F1.4 Summilux-M. The 90mm APO’s wide open sharpness is comparable with the Zeiss 100mm F2 Makro-Planar and sharper than the Canon 135mm F2 L.

Unlike the Leica 75mm F2 Summicron-M APO, the 90mm APO does not have a floating lens element (FLE). That said, the 90mm APO still performs exceptionally well at distances in the 5 to 6 foot range at F2. At stopped down apertures, landscape images at F4-F8 are ridiculously sharp. Overall, the 90mm APO’s sharpness and resolution are superb.

The 90mm APO has a reputation for being soft at near distances. I attribute those softness claims to the limits of rangefinder focusing. "Nailing" focus at F2 is very do-able today with the EVF's and live view. My 90mm APO is wickedly sharp at near distances (near distances = 6 feet in my opinion) and can go toe to toe with my Zeiss 100mm F2 Makro-Planar.

• Bokeh:  Netting a highly abstracted background requires effort. If the subject is within a couple meters, then it is fairly easy to blur the background. If the focus point is 3-4-5 meters, then the background will look softened, but still mostly recognizable. Generally speaking, I usually wish the 90mm APO’s bokeh had more oomph to it. More abstraction. More wow.

The Leica 75mm F2 Summicron-M APO is capable of more extreme bokeh due to its .7M minimum focus distance vs the 90mm’s 1M minimum focus distance. However, the net bokeh between the two is quite comparable because what the 75mm APO achieves via a shorter minimum focus distance, the 90mm APO achieve via its added 15mm in reach.

Like most Leica aspherical lenses, the 90mm APO's bokeh can have a double image or “nervous” look if the background is relatively close and consists of a busy patterns such as long weeds, brush, twigs, small leaves, tall grass, etc.

• Aberrations, Distortion and Flare:  In all regards, the 90mm APO is extremely well corrected. Thus far chromatic aberrations have been non-existent, nor have I seen any distortion. Again, I would probably rate the 90mm APO as one my top performing lenses in this regard. The 90mm APO will veil if shot into the sun, which may be desirable if trying to get soft glow / rim light if shooting a backlit portrait. Leica M lenses have short lens hoods, so they may show veiling more often than a comparable SLR lens with a deeper, wider lens hood.
• 3D Effect:  The 90mm APO has a mild 3D feel from time to time. The 3D look is definitely the exception rather than the rule. The strongest or boldest 3D effect I have seen from the 90mm APO are the candids on the previous page. The 75mm Summicron-M APO may have an edge in this department. Again, going back to the “oomph” wish, I wish the 90mm APO produced a bolder, 3D type of look.

I tend to use the Leica 90mm APO for its sharpness, detail and contrast on landscape shots; especially so with the Leica M Monochromes. With portraits and such, I have mix feelings about the lens' bokeh. Also portraits tend to be shot handheld in a fluid setting - the subject moving, I am moving, etc. Nailing focus at F2 is not easy with rangefinder.

CONCLUSION

When this review was first published in 2011, the Leica 90mm F2 Summicron-M APO was a mainstay in my kit. As EVFs became available with the Leica M-240 generation and subsequently improved with the Leica M10's Visoflex (Typ 020), the Leica 75mm F2 Summicron-M APO and Leica 135 F3.4 Telyt-M APO saw more use, essentially sidelining the Leica 90mm F2 Summicron-M APO. That said, I am always blown away at how sharp the lens is and come away feeling, "I really need to use this lens more often!"

For portraits and such, for many years with the Leica M8 and M9 I used the Leica 90mm F2 Summicron-M (E55 version) non APO. I remember that lens having a bokeh that seemed more flattering or befitting of portraits. But that was also a long, long time ago. Whether I would feel the same today on the Leica M10-M or M10-R is an unknown.