Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/01/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hello friends! I recently bought a 35/1.4 and an 80/1.4 to go with my R8. In fact, they are the only 2 lenses I have at the moment. I wanted to report some results of informal testing I have done with my lenses. Wide open, during daylight conditions, neither lenses are stellar performers. The 35 introduced visible corner vignetting at 1.4, which was completely gone by 2.8. I suppose one would not expect the 1.4 lenses to be excellent at 1.4 during the day. I used the 80/1.4 in Bangkok at a Thai dance performance inside a dimly lit restaurant and it got good images I could not have gotten with a 2.8 lens. From a distance of 15 feet, the 80/1.4 worked very well in low light (no vignetting whatsoever) at capturing details in costumes and subtleties of makeup on the dancers. The 35/1.4 also worked very well wide open at night to capture scenes of a street market in Bangkok, lit only by street lamps.....no vignetting here either. Any slower lens would have required a long shutter speed and a tripod.....I was using Velvia. If you will never use these lenses in low-light or at night, I believe it is not worth the money for the 1.4. I have heard the f/2 version of the 35mm is excellent wide open, and never vignettes. Can anyone comment? The 80/1.4 does VERY well during the day at apertures smaller than f/4. Focusing with this lens is VERY critical, and if you are not exactly on target, you will get an unsatisfactory image. It definitely takes practice, and I have still not mastered the art of focusing this heavy lens. Does anyone else agree that the 35/1.4 is not that great wider than f/4, or is this a technical fault of mine? Francesco fls@5senses.com Francesco Sanfilippo, Five Senses Productions webmaster@5senses.com http://www.5senses.com/