Re: [Leica] Anthony's j'accuse

[RBedw51767@aol.com]

 I doubt it.  I've never had a need to take photographs of test charts, so how
 well the lens puts them on film is more or less irrelevant.
 
In my 35 years of photographic interest I have never had a reason to use a 
test chart.  I sure didn't want to and I hope that I don't have to in the 
future.  However, it was the only way I could confirm my suspicions.
 
 Tamron is a name I tend to associate more with low price than high precision,
 but perhaps things have changed.

Yes, I think things have changed.  There are obvious quality differences in 
the materials and the mechanics of the Nikon 28-70 vs. the Tamron.  At twice 
the price there should be.  Optically it is another story.  
 
 > ... there are Nikon lenses at one-third the price that
 > will out perform the 28-70.

I cannot speak of lenses that I have not personally had experience with.  
However I have owned the 24-120,  the 35-70 F2.8, 70-300 ED and the 80-200 
F2.8 ED (non-AFS) and currently the 80-200 F2.8 AFS.   All of these lenses 
are superior to the 28-70 F2.8 AFS.   My daughter still uses the 24-120 and 
the 70-300 with stunning results.  
 
 So how does Nikon manage to sell the 28-70?  It seems to be on perpetual
 backorder, and I haven't seen any used copies around in the trade magazines.

The 28-70 is an impressive lense.  It is superb in it's construction quality, 
and it is fast and quiet.  For someone that doesn't shoot in low-light as 
much as I do they may never see the wide aperture problems.  As far as being 
on backorder?   Almost everything you order from Nikon is on backorder.
 
 Did you replace it, or just give up on it?  Maybe you got a bad lens.

I actually traded it for a 20-35 F2.8 Nikkor zoom and an 85mm F1.4.
 
 I think my AF-S 28-70 is great.

I hope you never have problems with yours and I hope you get extremely sharp 
pictures with it.  I shoot  25-50 rolls of film each month in either 35 or 
120 formats.  I use mostly Delta 400 or Delta 3200 and often in low-light 
situations.   At wide open or close to it the 28-70 is very bad.  Stay out of 
those aperture ranges and you will not have a problem.

I use my Leica gear when I can.    Auto-focus is very impotant to me.  If 
Leica had an auto-focus camera with interchangeable lenses all of my Nikon 
gear would be gone.  

Bob 
 
   -- Anthony
  >>