Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4

By Thorsten Overgaard. February 2, 2004. Updated July 22, 2022.

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By far my favorite lens of all. Because it's beautiful, a piece of diamond to hold and because it creates dreamlike - sometimes almost religious - images that allow me to focus the viewers attention towards the center of interest.

It has the qualities, Leica lenses are known for: Works in low light, distinguishes light beams very preciesly (why you can use it even when the sun is behind the subject), and it has a 'fingerprint.'

It's a very tricky lens to learn to focus correctly. I often have trouble seeing if I misssed the right focus or if the shutter was so slow, the camera moved. Sometimes it's a great effect, at other times you want it to be tack sharp! The technique I use, is to trust my intuition to know if it is in focus. In any case you can't trust the center of the focusing screen (microprism); you have to use the ground focusing screen around the center microprism. And then remember; if you focus, then turn the camera, it will be out of focus again.

Yet, it's my favorite.

Panasonic Lumix DC S1R with Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Layla Bego. Leica R9 DMR with Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4 . © Thorsten Overgaard.

Panasonic Lumix DC S1R with Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Panasonic Lumix DC S1R with Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Sunset in Clearwater FL. Leica R9 DMR with Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4 . © Thorsten Overgaard.

Kolkata Book Fair, India, February 2005 (from the afterthetsunami.org project)
80mm Summilux-R @ f.1.4 on Leica SL Mot using 100 ISO Fuji Astia @ 200 ISO.
Scanned on Imacon/Hasselblad Flextight Photo scanner.

Panasonic Lumix DC S1R with Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4 BC. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Leica R glasses on Canon 5D Mark II
Here's a video from the Copenhagen Fashion Week AW11, February 2011 where Danish videographer Morten Bo Johansson used two cameras to capture the atmosphere on the runway and backstage the fashion week. The runway video was made with Canon 7D using the 70-200 f/2.8 canon zoomand the backstage shot with Canon 5D Mark II using the Leica 80mm Summilux-R f/1.4 - mostly at f/2 - f/2.8.

Robin
80mm Summilux-R @ f/2.8, 200 ISO, Leica R8/DMR.

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Robin
80mm Summilux-R @ f/2.4, 200 ISO, Leica R8/DMR.

Robin
80mm Summilux-R @ f/2.4, 200 ISO, Leica R8/DMR.

Dr. Jaysinger, January 2005
Leica 80mm Summilux-R f.14 @ f2.0, Leicaflex SLmot, 100 ISO Astia, Imacon/Hasselblad Flextight scan.

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