Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/05/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The discovery that some M-mount lenses produced fuzzy edge images (I think Sean Reid noticed it first) led me to test the lenses I had on hand to see if I got the same results and could understand what was happening. I tested the following lenses: 14-45 mm f3.5-5.6 Lumix Kit Lens 15 mm Heliar 21 mm Elmarit ASPH 25 mm Color Skopar 28 mm Summicron ASPH 35 mm Summicron ASPH 50 mm Summicron (1970's version) The 14-45 lens, designed specifically for the camera, was included for comparison. I've posted the test images here: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/rtaylor/PICKS/G1_M_LENSES/ or http://tinyurl.com/qlh84o The first shot shows the DVD/CD shelves I used as a target. It was taken with the 15 mm Heliar wide open at f4.5. Then images from the center and worst edge for each lens are presented at full size (1:1) first with the lens wide open and next at two stops down. These pictures were all taken at a shooting distance of about 3-1/2 feet with the camera carefully squared to the shelves. They are all at ISO 200 with the camera on a stiff tripod and the shutter tripped with the self timer. The last three images are from a shot with the 28 Summicron outside at f8.0. First I show the full image and then full size crops at the center and worst edge. I omitted the 35 and 50 Summicron images from this post because the effect is minimal at 35 mm and almost gone at 50mm. The 14-45 kit lens is sharp at the center and at the edges. All the M- mount lenses show smearing in differing amounts at the edges when wide open. The smearing is worst at the widest apertures and gets better when closed down. Outdoors at small apertures it disappears entirely. It also seems to improve at greater distances from the subject. These results are pretty much what you'd expect from a sensor designed to accept light primarily straight on. So, for me, this limits the usefulness of the M-lenses on the camera but does not preclude using them. They are the only wide-angle large- aperture lenses available for it and in many situations the fuzzy edges won't matter. In bright light, stopped down, the M-lenses do very well, but on the other hand, so does the kit lens. Currently I plan on using the camera with 4/3rds optics when the light is even half way reasonable and use the M-mount lenses when the light gets dim and the edges don't matter, though that may change after I've had more experience with the G1 and the M lenses in actual use. It would be interesting to see how the camera performs with Leica R lenses and I'm hoping someone having those will buy the new R adapter for the G1 and post the results. The one test I ran with a Nikkor 20 mm f2.8 lens showed less difference in sharpness across the field than the M-lenses displayed but was also less sharp in the center than the kit lens. As a travel camera the G1 still seems perfect to me and I plan on taking it, the kit lens, the 28 Summicron, and maybe the 21 Elmarit along when I go to Japan in a few months. Regards, Dick off-list comments to r.s.taylor at comcast dot net please.