Dear Phillip, please don’t see praise as a burden! See the attached quote that I saw yesterday from an excellent review by jackwang.com.au (I sent you that in a PM)
Video title: Thypoch Simera 50mm f1.4: A New Legacy?
We can all see ourself as being happy - blessed indeed to be alive in times of such exceptional optical designs at reasonable prices! Got my 55/1.8 from the FM board for a mere $300 - exceptional value used! “Old but gold” 🫶🏻 And won’t sell that lens for anything - no matter how many tennis balls are lying around 🤣
Sony knew that they needed to WOW with their first serious portrait lens, and it still excels (got it for IR shooting in the first place where it performs second to none - Tamron 28-200 a close contender in IR)
Now I’m leaning heavy into the Simera line - time will tell if the 75 simera will replace my “pirate looking glass” 75 nokton (as another fm user aptly described it starting with the simera 50 that I bought today, looking at the 28 next before the simera 75 comes into question.
Still; the 75 nokton is spectacular but I do stop it down for optimal resolution & contrast. It’s still good for walk about run&gun as it’s light and the helicoid adapter allows the VM version to be used at a decent close up focusing without IQ setbacks. And it is light! For a 1.5 optic!
The VM version works very well on my Sony A7riii - not very good in IR at all.
Great to exchange perspectives! One liners have their place, but not so much on this forum with its sophisticated users and their extensive experiences in photography
Again Phillip, thank you for your contributions ; researcher par excellence
Eye bow 🙇🏻♂️
Dan
philip_pj wrote:
You put a heavy burden on my back, Dan! I'm glad you see yourself as being happy.
I really enjoy the CV 75mm stopped down at least a little. Lovely color, sharpness/contrast - a dreamy lens. (I actually like people just putting their thoughts down, we are in a distracted moment in history, and addicted to one liners.)
I feel that focusing is harder wide open with it than my Simera 75mm or Loxia 85mm before that (f2.4), but plenty of users love it on their M cameras (I have the VM). So that is a decision for you. I have a lot of time for AF for 75-100mm lenses, but they are so easy to use these days, you may get a different image.
To see more what others do with the CV 75/1.5, try these YT video titles:
'Best Leica Lens for Portrait Photography? | Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 Review (Nokton 75mm 1.5 VM)'
'Voigtlander Z 75mm f/1.5 lens review - The sweet sweet sweet Bokeh'
'Voigtländer Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Review' (analog insights, traditional guys)
'Voigtlander Nokton 75mm F1.5 Review | Zeiss on a Budget?' (Abbott, not many people shots)
'Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Nikon Zf' F-stops here, good for model images
'Voigtlander 75mm F/1.5 Nokton Hands On - The 75mm Your Leica Needs' (Bobby Tonelli)
'The Best Portrait Lens for Leica M under $1000? | Voigtlander 75mm f/1.5 Nokton Review'
It's disappointing that so many YT'ers never photograph a range of human subjects in varying light, but they do tell you what they think quite often. Most are more of intro presentations. If I did this, I'd have a cast of folks to do 20-30 high quality images to show the lens off well. Putting this list together, I realised how much the Chinese makers have changed things in the time since the 75/1.5 appeared. They are very active at 75/85mm too.
But really, for street people work you kind of have to take control of the situation to get them to stay still, so it comes down to your standards for the result (near misses) and what any lens can do for these 'technical' near misses, and that is a secret design art the cine people have more under control. It's why I moan about the lack of people photographs. Maybe the lens producers will slant their designs to inanimate material, as a result.
It's surprising Sony et al have not made the final solution, fully capable AF adapter for MF lenses.
starting with the simera 50 that I bought today, looking at the 28 next before the simera 75 comes into question.