75mm/f1.4 - a keeper!

["Richard W. Hemingway" <n5xrd@telepath.com>]

As I have previously mentioned on prior posts to this group, I have
purchased a 75mm/f1.4 M lens and have been testing (?) it to see if I wanted
to keep it in the stead of a 50/f2.0 and 90/f2.8.  I know that the 90 is a
teriffic lens but wanted to have the 75 instead of the other two.  The
weight is the same.

I took a series of pictures with the 75 and with the 50.   Im two of the
pictures the 50 image superior to the 75.  In three of the images the 75
images were better than the 50 and in the rest they were so close that I
couldn't tell any effective difference.  

I was concerned mostly with the focusing of close images and took close
portraits, interior and exterior (sunny) pics.

In three out of four of the closeup portraits the focus at f/1.4 was smack
on, although the images taken at f/4.0 were more pleasing with a little more
depth of field.  These were taken at f/1.4 @ 1/30th and f/4.0 $ 1/8 at the
minimum focusing distance, hand held, resting on a table.  Two were in the
camera store hand held of one of the clerks.  Hand held without  support.
One was in sharp eye focus and one was blurred.

One interior shot at f/1.4 @ 1/4 hand held without support was blurred and
one was not.

Exterior shots were sharp and not distinguishable betweem tje 50 and 75 with
compensation for distance so they were abt same shot.  Close up flower shots
at f/1.4 @ 1/125 hand held were surprisingly sharp with the 75.  

So what??  I am happy with the 75 and can use it instead of the 50 and 90
with results with which I will be happy. f/4.0 and above is equal of the
50/2.0.  At 1.4 and minimum focusing - care must be used to get a fair
percentage of good shots.

I examined the slides with a 8x loupe and projected them on a mat screen
surface with a Leica Pradovit 2002-P projector with a 90mm super colorplan
lens.  Since this the way I view my shots and this is the way I shoot, for
my purposes I find the lens satisfactory.

Several LUGs (LUGers?) who e-mailed me directly asked me to post my results.
With the 21/2.8, 35/1.4 ASPH, and 135/4.0 - the 75mm makes a fine M6 kit.

Dick Hemingway