Re: [Leica] Re: Old or new Summicron tested?

[Stephen Gandy <Stephen@CameraQuest.com>]

Hi Larry,

I have close to a complete set of Moderns, they form the backbone of my Photo
Library.  From time to time they refer to the test, sometimes in "Too Hot to
Handle."   It was indeed the DR.

Stephen Gandy

LRZeitlin@aol.com wrote:

> Steven Gandy writes <<the Summicron Modern tested out at 105 l/mm was a 50
> Dual Range>>
>
> Steven,
>
> Your information may be better than mine -and if so, I stand corrected.
> However, the Modern Photography lens test article of October 1978, which I
> have before me, makes no mention of the specific type of Summicron lens used
> to reach 105 l/mm. A decade before the article appeared, Leica had changed
> the formula for the 50 mm Summicron emphasising contrast and even
> illumination over resolution in the newer 6 element model. Since I was
> curious about which Summicron was used, I called one of the article’s
> authors, Bennett Sherman. He told me that since the purpose was to illustrate
> the highest resolution that could be achieved, they fudged by using the older
> 7 element lens. It was a long time ago. I wasn’t there when the lenses were
> tested and certainly my recollection would be classified as hearsay by one of
> the many LUG lawyers. My personal experience is that the older Summicron is
> marginally sharper than the newer one so I would not be surprised to find
> that it was the one used.
>
> Regards,   LarryZ