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Elmar 90mm f4
This is a fine portrait lens. It is flattering at 5.6 and downright
charitable at f4. It gives creamy skin tones with excellent micro-contrast. It is not as sharp as Leica's later
lenses in the 90mm length, but there are good reasons why it stayed in production for thirty-three years.
Here's a mother-child shot. The baby was my focus plane, and the shallow
DOF at f 5.6 allowed the mother's face to go slightly soft. This gives the shot another dimension: she seems to
recede.
Elmar 90mm f4
Elmar 90mm f4
This again is Portra 400UC, which--as advertised--delivers good skin
tones. I did not have to alter the colors in Photoshop: the Elmar tames the UC enough for heightened realism,
but not enough to even approach banality. This is a superb lens/film combination. Note
the three-dimensionality of the baby's nose. Yeah, well, it's a big nose ...
Here's another example of the color rendition and an introduction
to the bokeh. This was at f4, wide open on the Elmar. Notice the acute sharpness of the print on the first jar,
and how the shallow DOF affects the second jar.
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| In a park near the United Nations |
This shot turned out so ugly that I've cropped it to just the
upper bits. It was taken as a test, but even test shots shouldn't be dogs. I'll replace this thing as soon as
the trees here come up with foliage. Meanwhile, you can get an idea of the Elmar's bokeh by looking at the bare limbs.
This lens almost makes them into a decent background. Click on the thumbnail
for the full effect. Be glad I didn't post the bottom part.
The final shot on this page shows what sharpness the Elmar achieves
at f8, even hand-held.
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