LEICA APO SUMMICRON R 90mm ASPH.
Rare R mount medium telephoto lens
Review and photo examples of APO-Summicron-R 90mm ASPH. , a telephoto lens for Leica R
Table of contents
Gallery
- Photo example 1: LEICA M typ240
- CANON EOS-1Ds MKIII
- HASSELBLAD X2D
Review
1．Usage
The APO-Summicron-R 90mm ASPH. (hereinafter referred to as APO-SUMMI 90R) is a medium telephoto lens for Leica R with a focal length of 90mm.
The lens uses the latest aspherical surface and is resistant to backlight, so I often choose this lens when it’s important among the several medium telephoto lenses I own.
The image circle is wide and completely covers the range of the 44*33mm medium format digital sensor used in the HASSELBLAD X2D (X1D / X1DII / X907 / FUJI-GFX). There is plenty of room when used with a 35mm sensor.
The APO-SUMMI 90R is one of the rare lenses with a fairly high level of difficulty in obtaining it. After all, it is rare to see it on the used market. As of 2024, the M-mount APO-Summicron 90mm ASPH. (hereinafter referred to as APO-SUMMI 90M) is a current product, so it can be purchased new, which is a very different situation from the situation where it can be seen quite often on the used market.
The Apozumi 90R can be found on eBay, so if you really want to get your hands on one, you’ll probably have to source it from overseas. However, with the depreciation of the yen in the 2020s, it’s no longer cheap to buy.
2．Lens overview
The Apo-Summi 90R has five independent lenses in five groups, with three lenses in the front group and an aspherical lens in front of the third lens. Sonnar-type lenses have two or three laminated lenses in the place of the aspherical lens, and it is assumed that the use of aspherical lenses optimizes the amount of correction and eliminates concerns about balsam cutting. The rear group has two lenses, and since the conventional Summicron had a single lens in the rear group, it is thought that the correction in this area has also been optimized.
When used with the digital mirrorless Leica SL typ601 and the Leica genuine mount adapter, Leica R-Adapter L (16076), the focal length and aperture value are recorded in EXIF, which is very useful for lazy people. With the DMR (LEICA Digital Module R), only the focal length is recorded in EXIF.
The Apo-Summi 90R uses a 60mm filter diameter, and the lens barrel is thicker and more solid than the old Summicron R 90. However, it is about 180g lighter than the Summilux R 80mm, one of the most popular R-mount lenses, so it balances well when attached to a small mirrorless camera.
The lens barrel is equipped with a retractable hood at the front, but it is only extended a small amount and does not provide a high light-blocking effect, so it is rarely used when shooting.
The lens barrel design is a straight shape with no bumps, which is common to the new generation of R-mount lenses, and differs from the M-mount version, which tapers towards the mount. I really like the fat, straight design of the lens barrel.
The rear lens of the Apo-Summi 90R does not protrude much, so it worked without any problems when attached to an EOS-1Ds MKIII via a mount adapter.
3．Comparison with competitors
The lens configuration of the Apo-ZM 90R and the Apo-ZM 90M appear to be the same. When I had both at one time, I took pictures with them and compared them. The Apo-ZM 90M was sharp in the center and slightly softer around the edges, while the Apo-ZM 90R was flat across the entire screen and had a consistent sense of resolution. I felt that there was a surprising difference. This may just be what the author saw, or it may be the individual characteristics of the lens, so the photographer will have to try it out for themselves.
The biggest difference between the specs of the two is the minimum shooting distance, which is 0.7m for the Apo-ZM 90R and 1m for the Apo-ZM 90M. For a medium telephoto lens with a focal length of 90mm, this difference of 0.3m is a big advantage of the Apo-ZM 90R.
The minimum shooting distance of the Apo-ZM 90M can also be adjusted by using an extension tube or by using a mirrorless camera and attaching an auxiliary helicoid. However, it appears that Leica has not taken into consideration the imaging performance at distances shorter than 1m, which can result in degradation of image quality.
Specification and Competitor
| Item | APO SUMMICRON R | APO SUMMICRON M | SUMMICRON R |
| focal length(mm) | 90.9 | ← | 90 |
| Maximum aperture | 2 | ← | ← |
| Minimum aperture | 16 | ← | ← |
| Leaf blade | 8 | ← | ← |
| Lens configuration | 5groups 5elements | ← | 4groups 5elements |
| Minimum distance(m) | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Lens length(mm) | 59.3(R-mount) | 78(M-mount) | 61.4(R-mount) |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 71 | 64 | 69 |
| Filter diameter(mm) | 60 | 55 | ← |
| Weight(g) | 520 | 660 | 522 |
| Release date | 2002-2003 | 1997- | 1970-1995 |
| Production Numbers | 2,000- | 14,820 (~2005) | 37,954 |
Reference links
Update history
- 2024.9.17
- 2024.02.13:Update article
- 2022.11.02:First draft
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