built-in hood
sharpness
well I am mot so professional
bokeh, as I like the one of my 35 mm summicron
no flare thanks to build-in hood
Very light in comparison with 645 and 67 for indoor use.

For sure the weight!! It is a little heavy for outdoor.
The size. I like to use my neopren bag (the short one) but does not fit ;-(

After all I have read about this legendary lens, I could not resist buying one.
It is quite expensive; but 1,000 Euro including manufacture service checkup was a good deal.
In fact I use an M2 with 35 / 50 / 90 for more than 10 years.
I also have a M6 TTL 0.85 for 1 year now, so with the 75 1.4 (Made in Canada) it is a perfect combination.

But the reason why I bought it is because my wife is pregnant. I am sure that the 75 1.4 is the best lens for portraiture in available light especially for new born babies.

Customer Service

No need

Similar Products Used:

Bronica 4.5 / 6 with 150
Mamyia RB 67 with 127

image quality is not equal to its size and price

short dept of field by f1.4. but it is the weakness or 75mm lens. At 2m it only has 6mm dept of field

It is my first leica M lens, It put me to limit on the worst light environment. I used in my friend''s wedding without flash. The output suprise me by its sharpest and white balance. I have never used such larger f no lens.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

35mm f.2 ASPH

Excellent portrait pictures. Also good for candid child photography.

Heavy and long comparing to other Leica M lenses.

I am a loyal user for 85 mm lenses. It is kind of my standard lenses. I used to use 85 1.4 Nikkor, and thought it is the best portraiture lense ever. Then come 75 f 1.4 (newest edition is 40 gr lighter than the canadian made). The Bokeh of this lense is legendary, it fits to almost any situation in candid, bourdoir, children, and old people photographs.
See http://LeicaM.Homepage.com for samples of pictures taken by this lense.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 85 f/1.4 AIS

Excellent performance on ALL aperture range, V.Good sharpness and color contrast at 1.4, unbeatable at 2.8 onwards.

Large ?? No problem in actual uasge.
Heavy?? Balance very well.
Expensive?? Worth every penny.

No words to say about this lens.

Customer Service

No need

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 85/1.4 AIS, Pentax FA*85/1.4, Contax 85/1.4 Planar

SHARP

A bit Heavy

The nicest lens I have ever used at this focal length, bar none. I find excuses to shoot it, I like it soo much. Sold all the others mentioned above once I saw the results. A GREAT OPTIC

Customer Service

Excellent

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 85 f1.4, Contax 85 f1.4, Canon L 85 F1.2

The best 35mm lens in its category built.

Weight is a little heavy for travel.

Without a doubt the best head shot lens there is out there at every f stop across the range. Shows every line of a person's face and really blurs out the background at 1.4. Bokeh,definiton, color gradation, contrast, color separation are simply without peer. Will last a life time and will always retain a high value when compared to the competition.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 105/2.5 , Minolta 100/2.8 Macro

-fast
-bokeh (the best, right there with the 35 mm summicron [old])
-contrast, you are not limited by the lens only the film
-flare is non-existent if you religiously use the hood (like your suppose to)
-balance is not quite up to the 90 APO ASPH but its pretty good to me

-$$$$$$$$$$$$ as with all Leica products
-weight (shave off 200 g and make an equivalent 2.0 lens and I'm there!!!)
-length ~ apparently this is the only non-true telephoto in the M lineup which means its longer than its focal length. It should be a true tele so that its easier to fit into my Domke 803 satchel.

This is a great lens if you do a lot of head and shoulders portraiture. I find that with the M system the choice of lens for my type of photography is really dictated on how close I can get to my subject without making them feel nervous. The 75 was a premier achievement by Leitz but I think an update is needed. Please, if it is at all possible make a true tele version of this lens. Compactness is one of the most revered traits of M equipment and something that alot of real world photographers are looking for when purchasing equipment.
That having been said I cannot complain about the results that you get with this lens. Provided you know how to use it properly it will yield first class results that many a 35 mm system would be hard pressed to duplicate (although the Nikon and Canon primes are just as good to my eyes). The difference between the rangefinder and SLR is elucidated in certain picture taking situations. I do most of my work on the street where people can get pretty hostile when you aim a photo-recording device at them for any amount of time. With my Leica 75 on a M body it can be done discreetly and with very little risk of commotion. Try that with a 35 mm SLR "paparatzzi hand-cannon" sometime, I hope you have insurance!!!!!

Customer Service

Never needed to test Don's resolve yet and I have confidence in the grey market stuff from reputable sources like Don Chatterton.

Similar Products Used:

-Leica 24 mm Elmarit ASPH
-Leica 35 mm Summicron
-Leica Tri-Elmar

*Leica M System
*Capable of recording the subtlest tonal/gradation variance
* Sharp
*Perfect focal length for portraiture
*Easier (for me) to focus than a 90
*The best portrait lens that I have ever used (any format)

Yes, it is expensive, but I bought this lens on Ebay for 1/2 price of a new lens (like new condition).

I live in an area that has a Leica dealer who would never keep the 75 Summilux lens in stock; therefore, I was never able to "test drive" the lens. I have seen such a difference of opinion expressed on the web, that I was intrigued and had to try it. I am certainly glad that I did. I find the 75 neither too large nor too heavy. In fact, I find that it balances quite well on my M6 HM body. The focus is not stiff like many have proclaimed, in fact it focuses more smoothly than my 90 Summicron APO ASPH. I like the focal length of the 75 and think that it is optimal with the rangefinder; the 90 is more difficult for me to focus accurately with my 48 year old eyes.

Customer Service

None needed to date

Similar Products Used:

Are there similar products? I own a 90 Summicron APO ASPH; it is absolutely top tier, but has a different signature than the 75 Summilux. I have owned other medium telephoto portrait lenses - in my experience nothing touches this lens.