Review of LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90

For the provided lens LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 many thanks the store ProFotoSale.

In short

LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 – a classic short telephoto lens of the film era for SLR cameras with a Leica R mount. Primarily intended for portrait photography. Compact, with high-quality assembly and good image quality.

There are several subversions of this lens:

• LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90
• LEITZ SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 E55
• LEICA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 E55

Basically, the subversions differ in the type of built-in hood and the method of transferring the aperture value to the camera (the so-called 1-cam/2-cam/3-cam and R/ROM models).

Very important: LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 ASHP. The E60 (2002) uses a different optical design and is a receiver for the LEITZ SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90.

Some Leica R-mount cameras, as well as lenses for these cameras, were developed/manufactured jointly with Minolta. As a result, the opinion was firmly established that the Leica R is “not quite a real Leica.” Leica is also more associated with mirrorless/rangefinder cameras, and much less often with DSLRs, the Leica R and Leica Leicaflex series.

Main technical characteristics of LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90:

Name of instances from review	LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 2949807
Basic properties	Lens designed for full frame film cameras Manual focus only Automatic aperture control (with suitable cameras) Metal case Multi-coated optics (although there is no MC marking) Leica – inscription on the cover
Front Filter Diameter	55 mm, metal thread for filters
Body materials	All parts of the lens housing are made of metal
Focal length	90 mm
Diagonal viewing angles	27° for full frame cameras
Zoom ratio	1 x
Designed by	for film cameras with Leica R mount
Number of aperture blades	8 straight (not rounded) petals
Tags	markings on the focusing ring with focusing distance in meters and feet, there are marks for 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.7, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 20 meters and an infinity mark (white m marks) + 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6,8, 10, 15, 25, 50 feet and infinity mark (orange ft marks) A ring with aperture values, there are marks for F/2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16. You can set one additional intermediate value between each pair of numbers. When you rotate the aperture control ring from F/2 to F/4, there are exactly 4 clicks, and from F/2 to F/8 exactly eight clicks (it’s convenient to blindly set the F/4 and F/8 values, video on this topic) DOF scale for F/2, 4, 8, 16 yellow inscription '90mm' LENS MADE IN CANANA on the back of the lens red dot for lens installation
Diaphragm	from F/2 to F/16. The lens has an aperture control ring
MDF (minimum focusing distance)	70 centimeters, maximum magnification ratio 1: 6
The weight	515 grams (measured, only the lens itself)
Optical design	5 elements in 4 groups. The lens does not use special optical elements. The image is clickable. Varieties.
Lens hood	Built-in, telescopic, retractable, metal (video)
Period	The model was produced from 1977 to 2000
Manufacturer country	LENS MADE IN CANADA, the lens is made in Canada, in the city of Midland
Price	They don't sell new. In the used version. approximately 700-1500 USD

LEICA/LEITZ generally uses class 90/2 lenses as analogs/replacements/alternatives for more common 85mm lenses other systems (by type 85/2, 85/1.9, 85/1.8, 85/1.5, 85/1.4, 85/1.2). A modern representative of this line can be considered LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-SL 1: 2/90 ASPH., announced in January 2018.

Assembly, control, focus

LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 made with high quality. The filter diameter is only 55 mm. The focusing and aperture rings are non-rubberized, metal with “sharp” notched edges. The focusing ring is narrow, only 8mm wide. During intensive work, the focus ring can rub the skin on your fingers; most likely, this is due to the poor pitch of the notch ribs of the focus ring (needle design).

There is a built-in retractable telescopic hood, which consists of two sections. There are pleasant characteristic clicks when extending or folding. The lens hood does not fit securely. To extend the hood, remove the front protective cover. In the active position of the hood, access to the light filter is lost.

When manipulating the lens hood, it is very easy to unscrew the front decorative part of the lens housing.

The front part of the lens, which is covered by a hood when folded, differs in color from the rest of the lens body; its color is lighter, with a shift to blue. This spoils the overall nice and finished look of the lens.

The middle part of the body, on which the depth of field scale indication is located, also has notched ribs on the sides. At F/2, the ribs coincide with the ribs of the aperture control ring on one side, and at F/16, on the other (view).

In one place the bevels of the lenses are poorly blackened (can be seen in the video here). In some places the markings are filled with very ugly paint (view), there are screws on the focus ring (view), which spoil the overall design. Was “LEITZ CANADA” really careless about the assembly?

The LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 focusing ring rotates approximately 270 degrees (3/4 of a full rotation). During focusing, the front lens (together with the thread for filters) moves forward 15 mm, but does not rotate. Focusing is pleasant and smooth. There is microplay when changing the direction of rotation of the focus ring.

On the body there is a focusing distance scale in meters and feet and a depth of field scale. There is no tag for working in the infrared spectrum.

LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 has a slight 'Focus Breathing' effect (changing the viewing angle while focusing). When focusing towards the MDF, the viewing angle decreases.

Focus peaking with LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 and Sony α7 III, Sony a3500 works well at F / 2.0.

Looks like on camera lenses like this.

Sample photos (Full Frame)

The pictures in the gallery were taken with a camera Canon EOS 5D (Full Frame, 13 MP), which has already become a “digital classic,” and an adapter Leica R -> Canon EF.

Original RAW photos (Canon '.CR2') can be download / watch this link (40+ photos, Google Drive gallery).

Sample photos (APS-C)

Camera used Nikon D40 (legendary sensor Sony ICX-453-AQ 6 MP APS-C CCD). All for the sake of color!

Some photos were taken in pairs with macro rings.

Video review

Here.

Results

LEITZ CANADA SUMMICRON-R 1:2/90 – classic, with good image quality.

10 main advantages

1. retractable two-section built-in hood
2. balanced combination of aperture and focal length
3. small size
4. small MDF (only 70 centimeters)
5. ease of adaptation to mirrorless systems and mirror systems
6. good resolution at open and closed apertures
7. multi-coated optics, good performance in back and side light
8. beautiful bokeh
9. LEITZ CANADA – is it good or bad?
10. looks good on Nikon D40

10 main disadvantages

1. fairly heavy weight (more than half a kilogram)
2. only 8 aperture blades
3. The focusing ring is not the most convenient (narrow, metal, with notches that rub your fingers during intensive use)
4. It is very easy to unscrew the front decorative part of the lens housing
5. the screws on the focusing ring are almost in the center and look strange and out of place (view)
6. some marks are unsightly filled with paint (view)
7. The hood does not lock well in the active position; when installing the hood in the active position, the front protective cover flies off
8. there is no tag for working in the infrared spectrum (quite strange for a classic manual lens from the 70s)
9. The bevels of some lenses are poorly blackened/not blackened at all
10. minor optical imperfections, such as a small amount of chromatic aberration

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram