Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/06/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 19:52 02.06.1998 -0700, Ben wrote: <<< .. but how is it at the other apertures, in brighter light? >>> Wonderful. Rendition of the current version is almost indentical to the current 50 Summicron, up to f 8. Only extremely small differences at corresponding f-stops, detectable in side by side projection. You'd never guess, that an f 1 lens takes that fantastic pictures. There are rumors, that coating was changed around 1980. Additionally, I noticed a slight improvement between a 1981 version and a lens from 1997 or 1998 (?, s/n 3.738+ mio). My most favored f-stop is f 2.8. Forget wishes for distances below 1 m, since i.e. DOF is less than 1 cm at f 1.0. Additional advantages (specially of the current version): 1. Rich (color) details in shadow areas (frequently mentioned) ; 2. Balance of contrasts and colors in bright day/ sun light, better than from the Summicron or Summilux (sharpness comparable); 3. F 1.4 and f 2.0 become "true" usage f-stops, even to unexperienced users, because of the large reserve up to f 1.0 ; 4. Beautiful out-of-focus rendition (fequently mentioned) ; 5. Color increasement at true low light f 1.0 pictures, but color reduction at f 1.0 pictures in bright daylight ; 6. Small f 1.0 DOF area may be used to separate subject from fore- or background (frequently mentioned). Disadvantages: 1. Size and weight (best help: carry lens to the body) ; 2. Flares (strong), if sun directly on the upper edge of the negative (best help: avoid these pictures) ; 3. Slow distance adjustment (best help: pre-estimation of distance and RF fine tuning); 4. Price (best help: still searching - bank robbery didn't work) :) Alf - -------------------------------------------------- Alfred Breull http://members.aol.com/abreull/index.htm