Re: Re: Any ideas?

[John_McLeod@designlink.com (John McLeod)]

Donal Philby wrote:

I used to own one of those Nikon 85/1/8s.  Absolutely stunning 
sharpness.  Have done 16x20 prints from FP4 that rivals sharpness of my 
6x7.  And one day it disappeared out of the studio.  The 105 Macro I 
replaced it with doesn't even come close.

Donal:

I had the 85/1.8 back when I was in my mid-20s and would carry it around on a
Nikkormat or F2 wherever I went.  I didn't have a wife or a baby or a
mortgage then, but I did have a lot of time.  Shot Plus and Tri-X and
developed it in a makeshift darkroom.  Most of the Nikkors were pretty good
back then, but I could ALWAYS tell when looking at a print just out of the
developer when it was shot with the 85 -- TACK sharp, no bones about it.

Lazy guy that I am now, I don't do the black & white developing & printing
that I used to so I really don't know if the Leica lenses on my M's and R's
(e.g. the Summicron M 50) are as good or better than that 85.  I will never
forget that lens though.  I still have a few of the photos on the wall at
home and people say "wow, was that shot with an 8x10 camera?"  Just kidding,
but it WAS good.  At the time, the 105/2.5 had THE reputation, not the 85. 
But I always thought the 85 was the better lens.

Just to attempt to bring this back on-topic, might there be any modern Leica
lenses out there that are equally unsung or unrecognized.  There are so many
alleged experts in the San Francisco Bay Area who will always respond when
asked which Leica lens to buy, "Get the Summicron".  This has always seemed
like over-generalization of the first order.  Anyone care to comment?

John McLeod 


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