Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/09/19

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Critical test reports by CDI
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 09:04:08 -0500

At 03:14 PM 9/18/98 -0500, you wrote:

>Likewise, if a lens priced at the top of its class truely does deliver a
>performance comparable to lenses costing a quarter the price, the lens
>designer's intentions are irrelevant. As a potential consumer of the lens,
>still assuming I find the magazine's testing credible, that is valuable
>information to me.

I disagree. The Noctilux is an abject failure according to many "tests."
Yet it's extremely popular with users. Why? Because they testers don't know
why Leica chose to do what they chose to do to make the lens perform they
way THEY want it to. Leica, Zeiss, Nikon, Canon etc. all know what they
design their lenses to do. Tests are second guesses at worst, and somewhat
accurate at best. And the failure of Leica lenses consistently to live up
to their reputation in Pop Photo's tests is a perfect example of what I'm
talking about.
- -- 

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO
http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

Women who seek to be equal to men lack ambition.