My favourite lens on the Nikon FE2 was the 85mm2.0. Very compact, lightstrong lens and I made some of my best photos with that lens. So I wanted a similar lens for my M6. Of course I would like to have the pictured Leica 90mm2.0 summicron APO aspheric, but that one costs 4500 euro..

When I bought my Leica CL I got a Elmar 90mm4.0 with it, which is a nice lens and very compact but not so lightsensitive. A more lightsensitive lens was not possible on the CL because of the small rangefinder base and that was one of the reasons I got a M6. From a friend, Rodriaan, who collects russian cameras, I borrowed a FED Jupiter 9, 90mm2.0. It works on my Leica using a LTM adaptor I got on ebay. The lens is not too bad if stopped down, its short and a bit fat. But it is not coated and at 2.0 it is very soft, very low contrast, so I did not like that. Then at fotoabro, a very nice used photoequipment store in Zaandam, I saw this Leica elmarit 90mm2.8 for relatively cheap. It is pretty big, long, quite old, but looked quite clean. So I bought it and I am very very happy with it. It is the first 90mm elmar, from the 50's or the 60's.



Here you see the Leica elmar 90/4, theLeica elmarit 90/2.8 and the FED Jupiter 90/2.

But what matters are the photos. I love the sharpness, the contrast and the beautiful bokeh of the Leica elmarit 90/2.8.

Leica M6, Leica elmarit 1 90/2.8, Ilford XP2.

Tags: photography