Leica Showcase 7Artisans 75mm F1.25

Brian

Product of the Fifties
On the M9, quick tests right out of the Box. No adjustments required, I use a 1.25x magnifier for focus.

First impressions- this lens is FAST, and compact. Much smaller than my 50/1.1 Nokton. Click stops for the aperture mechanisms. Focus very smooth after a brief workout of turning from 0.8m to infinity a couple of times. Close-focus of 0.8m, focus is accurate on my M9 across range. The lens is optimized for wide-open use, this lens has a good bit of focus shift. If you plan to stop down, might be best to optimize for F2. Again- first impression. Edit- I fine-tuned the adjustable cam for my M9. This lens pushes the RF to the limits. Page 2 has many pictures with the lens after adjusting the cam.

Page 1- images with the Cam as set by the factory. Maybe a fraction of an inch off, but made a real difference shooting wide-open.

Wide-Open, close-focus.


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F1.4,
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F2,

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F2.8

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And at F4:

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The sun came out, some fall flowers in blossom. Leaves are green- but Fall is around the corner.

You need to nail the focus with this lens. Do not focus past RF coincidence, which is a natural tendency with me. I've nailed focus enough to know the lens is accurate.


Wide-Open

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100% crop:
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Focus was on the edge of the blossom. Spot-On.

Midrange, wide-open:

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100% crop:

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I picked this up on Ebay, from "ROXSEN". The lens is selling for $450. That's a bargain, considering the focal length and speed. I picked up a Canon 85/1.5 for about the same price. Next chance I get for a local trip, plan to compare the two.
 
Yes, that is correct- the tool is included. There is a video on the procedure. The focus is perfect across range on my M9. IF I use it with a deep filter (Y3 or Orange) on the M Monochrom, I will most likely need to calibrate it. Focus shifts towards infinity with deep contrast filters on the M Monochrom.
 
I was discussing in the other thread that I don't think I will ever experience focus shift problems because of the way I shoot.

There isn't any other fast telephoto for Leicas right? I think the only other fastest one is the 90mm summicron and that only goes to f/2.
 
There are several fast short-telephoto lenses for Leica, going back the the 8.5cm F1.5 Summarex. Nikon made the 8.5cm F1.5 Nikkor in Leica mount in the 1950s, and Canon made the 85/1.5 Leica mount lens into the 1960s.


The Canon lens goes for a fraction of the price of the Leica and Nikon lenses. The latter run easily in the $2000 range.

Voigtlander/Cosina has just brought put the 75/1.5, runs under $1000.

Reviewed here:


There is also the Leica 75/1.4 and Leica 75/1.25, the latter at ~$12,000.

SO: Fast/reasonably priced (under $500), the 7Artisans 75/1.25 and Canon 85/1.5. Next up, Voigtlander 75/1.5 at $1000. After that- several $1000 and way up from there.

My 7Artisans 75/1.25 and the Canon 85/1.5 lenses cost me less than the Voigtlander 75/1.5. I'd still like the latter, but will wait.

The Voigtlander 75/1.8 should also be considered as a fast/short lens, reasonable price.

Random Example.

I bet a lot of people are selling their lightly used Heliars for the new lens.
 
I bet a lot of people are selling their lightly used Heliars for the new lens.
That's what I think, too. But in all honesty, even then, the 7Artisans looks like a much better deal - the Heliar isn't that sharp and contrasty even stopped down, and it's an unwieldy lens, too.

I love my Summarit 75mm f/2.4 (did the SiJy with it), but the 7Artisans and the new 75mm Nokton both look very interesting; the Nokton is even smaller than the Heliar and clearly outperforms it (see Phillip's review). However, I'll probably abstain because I'm simply not using the focal length enough (and have a great lens already).

M.
 
The Canon lens often comes up for much less than $2000, with some patience you can get it for much less. The availability of the new 7artisans and 75/1.5 Nokton will drive the price of other lenses in this range down. I've seen several on Ebay in the last year under $650. I had a lot of patience, picked up one described as "shows use" but perfect glass.

On the "Completed Auctions", several went for under $700. Some Ebay sellers are delusional with their overpricing.


 
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Went to Old Town Manassas today, found a Car Show going on. These are Wide-Open. This lens is at my limits of focusing using the RF.
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