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Seeking recommendations for the sharpest portrait lens for Leica SL2.

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I finally saved up and bought this Leica SL2 because I wanted to take better pictures of my family, especially my daughter's graduation coming up in May. I'm honestly a bit in over my head though. I want that look where the person is super sharp but the background is all blurry and nice, but looking at the lens list is just making my head spin. I dont really understand the difference between all the numbers and letters. Is there one specific lens that is just the absolute sharpest for faces? My budget is around 5000 dollars maybe? I just want the best one so I dont have to buy another one later. Sorry if this is a really basic thing to ask but I'm just so lost with all the options...


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Congrats on the SL2, that thing is a beast of a camera. Since youre looking for that specific look where the person pops out from the background, you really need to look at the APO-Summicron line. Technically, what youre after is high micro-contrast and a shallow depth of field, but with Leica, the APO designation is the real magic. It basically means the lens is corrected so all colors hit the sensor at the exact same point, which makes things look way sharper and cleaner than a standard lens. I would suggest you look seriously at the Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f/2 ASPH. In my experience, its the sharpest portrait lens in the entire L-mount catalog, period. The way it renders skin texture while melting the background into butter is just... wow. But honestly, be careful with the 90mm because it is a bit tight. Youll have to stand pretty far back from your daughter to get her whole head and shoulders in the frame. If you want something a bit easier to use for general family stuff too, the Leica APO-Summicron-SL 75mm f/2 ASPH might be a safer bet. It has that same technical perfection and insane MTF charts but gives you a bit more breathing room. Just a heads up, these are heavy chunks of glass, so make sure to support the lens with your left hand while shooting. You wont ever need to buy another portrait lens with either of these... theyre basically peak optics.


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