[Leica] Is it just me, or are these new Leica lenses a huge step up?

[zoeica at mac.com (chris williams)]

So true. Never could get the 35/1.2 to work well with digital. Film - no 
problem.

Chris Williams
www.zoeicaimages.net
504-231-6261

On Mar 13, 2014, at 04:45 PM, Sonny Carter <sonc.hegr at gmail.com> wrote:

The 35 VC 1.2 was a fun lens with film, but once I got my M8, it became
maddening, especially with the things I like to shoot; close and low
light. I sent it to DAG and he shipped it back to me and said there was no
adjustment for what those issues. I traded it to a film guy.


On Thu, Mar 13, 2014 at 3:36 PM, Peter Klein <pklein at threshinc.com> wrote:

Nathan: All lenses have focus shift, but some more than others. The
original 35/1.4 ASPH without the floating elements is one, and it is my
principal lens on my M8. At f/1.4 and f/2, the RF is accurate. At
f/2.8-5.6, the actual point of focus is a bit behind where the RF says it
is. At f/8 and smaller, the DOF covers things. I confirmed this with
testing, but it was pretty apparent without testing. So if I want to shoot
it at f/2.8-5.6, I focus a little closer than I actually want. It bothers
me to have to do it, but the lens is so good otherwise that I put up with
it.
IIRC, you are using the Voigtlander 35/1.2 on your M8. That lens handles
focus shift in a very sneaky way. As you stop down, the actual focus point
oscillates back and forth around the point the RF is focused on, but only
very slightly. You can see it if you pixel peep, but not in real life.
When I first tested my 35/1.2 on the M8, I did pixel peep, and I couldn't
believe my eyes. I repeated the tests, same results. So I asked Erwin Puts
about it. He confirmed my observations. Erwin said that what the Cosina
designers did is a less expensive way of minimizing focus shift, but that
Leica would never do it that way, because there are some other optical
drawbacks to it (I think involving contrast).
So for all practical purposes, your normal M8 lens doesn't have focus
shift. So you don't notice it. :-)
--Peter
> I have never seen any focus shift on my M8 with any of my lenses.
Perhaps I
> don't know what to look for. Heck, I just take pictures.
>
> Cheers,
> Nathan