Leica Portrait Lens for SL2: Vario Elmarit 24-90 vs Vario Elmarit 90-280 vs 90mm Apo Summicron M

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A real-world comparison of Leica Lenses at 90mm Focal length using the Leica SL2. I did a test shoot with Actor David DeLuise and three of my Leica lenses. The Vario Elmarit 24-90, the Vario Apo Elmarit 90-280, and the 90mm Summicron M with the Leica M to L adapter. See what I learned on the 90mm and portrait shoots with Actors in general.
Products in this video:
Leica SL2: geni.us/Leica_...
Leica Vario Elmarit SL 2490mm F/2.8:geni.us/Leica_...
Leica Apo Vario Elmarit SL 90-280mm: geni.us/Leica_...
Leica Summicron 90mm M-Mount: leicacamerausa...
and maybe in my future: Sigma 85mm 1.4 DG DN Art: geni.us/sigma_...
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Disclosures:
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2. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
3. All products shown in this video are bought and not sponsored
4. All opinions are my own. Sponsors are acknowledged.
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00:00 - Intro
00:20 - What is the perfect Portrait lens? Is it the Sigma 85 1.4 Art Lens?
00:54 - The difference between the Leica Vario Elmarit 24-90, the Leica Apo Elmarit 90-280 and the Leica 90mm Summicron M
05:27 - Portrait Test Shoot with Actor David DeLuise
12:43 - Which of my Leica Lenses works best for Portrait Photographie?
18:03 - What is an Actor's point of view on his own Headshots? A conversation with David DeLuise
31:27 - What will I do? Will I need a new lens?
#daviddeluise #wizardsofwaverlypod #wizardspod #leica #leica24-90 #sigma #leicasl2 #leica #leicam
Thank you for watching "Comparing Leica 90mm Focal Length: Vario 24-90, Vario 90-280, 90M f2 - Test Shoot with David DeLuise"
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[@heinolauer9628]

Lieber Florian, lieber David, herzlichen Dank für dieses Video, das mir in technischer und fotografischer Hinsicht sehr viel gegeben hat. Viele Grüße, Heino

[@flofroschmayer]

Lieber Heino! Das freut mich/und sehr! Ich habe Dein Kompliment direkt an David weitergeleitet! Viel Spaß auf Deiner fotografischen Reise! Herzlichen Gruß. Florian

[@QuimVilar]

My favourite is the APO Summicron SL 90. Have you checked it? I'm lucky to own it and I cannot believe how good this lens is every time I use it. It matches the SL2/SL2s perfectly

[@flofroschmayer]

Nice!! I didn’t have the chance to try one out yet… you sound like it is even better then I expect.

[@wolfrainerschmalfuss3515]

Weather sealing was for me never an subject, since I am an amateur photographer since 1965! But my cameras became wet during this long time, but was never an issue at all!

[@flofroschmayer]

That sounds fantastic!

[@andyjones5192]

Just came across your channel for this interesting video of two lenses I own and use myself for portraiture. One thing you did not mention in regard to the 90-280 is the higher contrast compared to the 90mm M. I did some comparison shots in a studio setup and to reach the same level of sharpness and contrast like the Vario Elmarit you need to stop down the M lens for around 3 stops. Sure you can add contrast in post but still they way the Vario Elmarit creates contrast fall of is quite unique. Another thing is that the same aperture values don't necessarily mean the same amount of light being captured. The f number is purely a mathematical term while knowing the t-stop would be more precise in regard how brighter your subject will appear. Comparing the construction of the two lenses makes it quite obvious. While the M lens is a quite simple design using just 5 lens elements, the Vario uses 23 (!) lens elements in 17 (crazy shit) groups. So what's my verdict? I like to use both. The Vario Elmarit as it offers incredible performance for a zoom lens and a good AF and and extra flexibility like zooming in to 135mm which is another great focal length for portraiture. Downsides comes in at a hefty weight and the contrast and sharpness might not always be needed or to flattering to your subject. The 90mm M APO is less intimidating for your model, weight and balance on the SL is very nice, at f.2.0 its a bit soft but offering a gentle rendition and some nice glow while stoping down you get more sharpness and contrast. A jack of all trades. My focusing technique is getting once critical focus on my subject and then just moving my body forth and back like you would do it on the M. Works like a charm. David DeLuise is by the way a great guy to work with and seems to be fun and relaxed. It must have been a joy to have him in front of the camera. Cheers, Andy

[@flofroschmayer]

Hey Andy! Thank you for the additional information! Very interesting, I have to check out the contrast situation. My focus was mostly on how the depth of field reacts with the different lenses… David is a fantastic human being! Very funny and really cool to work with.

[@paulf3353]

I have 75mm APO SL, it is fantastic lens, I had 75/1.4 Summilux-M previously and it has similar vibe. I suggest trying 75 or 90 APO, optically it is a perfect lens, but more expensive than sigma of course. Another interesting lens to try maybe Panasonic 85/1.8. I saw nice pictures out of it.

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you for your tip! I‘ll check it out!

[@geoffreybassett6741]

I second the 75mm APO, perfect portrait distance and it has some magic to it.

[@DidierMOULINPhotography]

Without watching the entire video (too long) I can only recommend you to get the APO SL 90mm Or even better which I own is the Nikon 105 1.4 AFS E which works perfectly with an adapter on the SL bodies, keeping Auto Focus and Aperture

[@flofroschmayer]

Yes... The APO SL 90 is a dream... but out of my reach at the moment... I will try to get my hands on it to test it. Which adapter do you use?

[@DidierMOULINPhotography]

@@flofroschmayer metabones or novoflex I will check Works only with E Nikkor lenses

[@DidierMOULINPhotography]

It’s NOVOFLEX SL/NIK for E

[@madtom67]

The Leica L-mount zooms are fantastic! But the primes are nicer for portraits in my opinion, 75mm and 90mm are my favorites!

[@flofroschmayer]

Leica SL primes still something I have to try out… 🙌

[@sunyroxy3835]

I like any kind of portrait lenses for photography

[@flofroschmayer]

Okay. No favorites?

[@GamachePhoto]

Great test here, as for the 85mm f1.4 Sigma, I think shooting headshots at f1.4 would too much a hit or miss situation, especially shooting handheld, it’s a monster of a lens. Too bad you were not able to borrow the lens to add to your test shots. Agree that shooting the 90mm M lens would also be too many missed shots, would be ok for a single shoot but if you are shooting several people better to go AF on your SL2. Have a look at the Sigma 90mm f2.8, might be a good alternative or the Lumix 85mm f1.8, both of these are lighter lens so will help with handheld shooting. Best of luck. Love your channel by the way.

[@flofroschmayer]

Daniel! Thank you! I am happy, you like the channel. I used to work with the 85mm 1.4 Nikkor F Lens back in the days with my Nikon D4 and loved the hit or miss game for the results I got when it was a hit... I probably will try to borrow the Sigma one before I would buy it... Thank you for the other tips, I will check them out as well!

[@carstenklein7110]

😂😂😂 endlich einmal englisch was ich problemlos verstehe. Darum 👍🔔 und bis gleich, zur sl3. Gruß, Carsten Villa Petersberg

[@flofroschmayer]

😂 😂 😂 ... Jep... Ich werde mir weiter Mühe geben... ;-)

[@mantasaafrin7342]

Nice description

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you!

[@bobdamico1099]

This video gave me a laugh, with the comment from a Leica shooter that he needs an autofocus lens, so that one can shoot and engage with the subject. I might be off be a bit but I think for at least half my career shooting portraits, I shot with a manual focus slr, (in the beginning i did not even use focus aids like split screen but just the ground glass in the viewfinder). At the time there was no choice, even in the beginning of af cameras, it made life much easier and probably more accurate. Having worked through the time of no af options, I always find it funny when some claim a disconnect with their camera unless they shoot with manual focus.

[@flofroschmayer]

Hey @bobdamico1099 - thanks for watching the video... Sure, I understand. With your background, it might seem funny... I did not say I was disconnected from my camera. I said in my capability to work with AF, open aperture, and a 90mm lens, I have to concentrate so much on the technical aspect, so it is harder for me to connect to the person I am working with... on a human basis... for me, much of portrait shooting is creating an atmosphere where the person I am taking the portraits of feels secure and relaxed... So, if I am not relaxed because I am focusing. I also wonder, how you can work with manual focus with a 90mm and open aperture when the subject constantly moves. I am happy for any advice.

[@GillesQuennevilleGQ]

What is the aperture 2,8 limit ? Is it at 75 mm or 80 ?

[@flofroschmayer]

2.9 starts around 26mm.... 75mm is at 3.9

[@GillesQuennevilleGQ]

@@flofroschmayer when 2,8 finish ? 70 mm ?

[@flofroschmayer]

2.8 only at 24 and 25mm… 26mm is already 2.9…

[@humayunkabir4428]

Very nice content

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you!

[@nickcr3919]

M is definitely better.

[@flofroschmayer]

Yes… you are right. But no autofocus… that was my problem when shooting portraits with open aperture… Any tips?

[@nickcr3919]

@@flofroschmayer If the model is not moving with SL’s EVF focus is not an issue.You can push your joystick for magnification and nail the focus.If your model is moving with 90mm and open aperture it is almost impossible to nail the focus.

[@flofroschmayer]

Yes... that works... thanks... but still, I think it is not good if you always have to say to the model to hold still... that's why I think for me the manual workflow is not a possibility when doing portraits with lens longer than 50mm... especially with an open or almost open aperture.

[@wolfrainerschmalfuss3515]

Dient die Stirnleute für die Erhellung zur Motivsuche!

[@flofroschmayer]

Ne... ;-) Ist eine kleine Kamera für zusätzliches Video Material (aus sich des Fotografen), was ich aber nur einmal verwendet habe in dem Video.

[@Mel-95]

I like this channel, but I could not follow this video. Shooting, I felt the camera lenses would have been better on a tripod to standardize the shoot. Posing, not much direction. I recommend Peter Coulson (KZbin) for the idea that each pose is a "thought." The actor did not seem to know what you wanted from him, and he got confused with all the lens talk. At the end, I did not know what to conclude. Good attempt, but too muddled.

[@flofroschmayer]

Sorry for that… I guess an actor and a photographer have some different approaches when doing portraits :-) David checks out how he looks. I as a photographer have also technical and creative stuff that concerns me.

[@frankanda2049]

Maybe you should pay a little more attention to your background and distance to your model.

[@flofroschmayer]

Okay…

[@nicknico4121]

Pretending to look for a good portrait lens when you already have 3 vintage leica lenses in the 80-90mms....🙄🙄🙄

[@flofroschmayer]

not a "good one"... the perfect one... :-)