Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/01/23

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica 1.4 R lenses
From: Pascal <cyberdog@ibm.net>
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 98 22:23:28 +0100

On 22-01-1998 19:58 Five Senses Productions wrote:
(snip)
>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.
(snip)
>>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
>

Well, according to the recent test report that I saw on the Summilux-R 
35mm f/1.4 in the French magazine Chasseur d'Images, this lens performs 
well at the center of the image where sharpness and contrast are a lot 
higher than in the rest of the image, especially corners and borders.
The difference with the Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH is basically this: 
the aspheric element enhances the image quality, especially wide-open, 
and makes the image more even (less difference between corners and 
center).

I personally wouldn't think of buying the Summilux-R 35mm f/1.4, because 
it's price is ridiculous in comparison to its rather uneven performance. 
The M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH plays in a completely different league. Price is 
almost the same, but here you really get value for money. Of cours, this 
doesn't help you if you want a lens for the R8. I would go for the 
Summicron-R 35mm f/2.0 if you want a 35mm lens.

As far as the Summilux-R 80mm f/1.4 is concerned, I am also using this 
lens. Results so far are quite satisfying. I especially like the 
combination of the R8 + 80mm (in fact, it's my preferred combination). 
Heavy, but excellent balance and easy to hold (at least for my large 
fingers).
I have used the 80mm for portraits: great results between f/4.0 and 
f/8.0. The same can be said for landscapes. I am not yet convinced of its 
qualities wide open. The results I have shot so far did not quite 
convince me yet. But here, I really should practice some more before 
making a definitive judgement.
BTW: Chasseur d'Images gave the same star rating for both the Summilux 35 
and 80 mm (***, which is average, good but no more).

Pascal

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