Re: [Leica] lenses and saturation

[Jeffcoat Photography <jeffcoatphoto@sumter.net>]

Glad to see that you know what I know. I found this in a side by side test of a
Nikon 85 1.8 and My Summicron-R f2. The Nikon being brand new (at the time) and
the 90 a converted 2-cam.(so its at least 20 yrs old). Needless to say the
Summicron walked-stomped-all over the 85 1.8.
Cheers Wilber

Francesco wrote:

> My fiancee and I went to Southeast Asia and France together last year
> (2 separate trips of course), and I worked with my R8 and M6 while she
> worked with her F5.  I found the same differences between images we
> captured simultaneously.  Leica slides (Astia and Velvia) are much
> more vivid, crisp, and saturated, and I find much more details in
> shadows and highlights in the Leica slides as well.  Nikon slides seem
> to turn jet black and snow white quicker than Leica slides. In the Leica
> slides, the transition is much more gradual, leading to more visible detail
> the extremes.
>
> Francesco
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jim Laurel <jplaurel@microsoft.com>
> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> Sent: Thursday, July 08, 1999 2:33 PM
> Subject: [Leica] lenses and saturation
>
> > Hello all,
> > I'm just reviewing a batch of film shot over the last month in Southern
> > Spain and the Outer Banks of the USA.  As my wife and I are both photo
> > enthusiasts, we each took separate camera systems.  She used a Canon A2E
> > with 17-35 f2.8, 50 f2.5 macro, and 70-200 f2.8 lenses.  I had my M6 with
> > Elmarit 21 ASPH, Summilux 35 ASPH, and Elmarit 90.
> >
> > Needless to say, there were several occasions when we took basically the
> > same shots.  During my first (quick) pass through the photos, those taken
> > with the Leica seem to be quite a bit more saturated and rich in color.
> As
> > I hold the Canon L lenses in high regard, I am frankly surprised at the
> > apparent difference in general.  I'm wondering if it is my manual metering
> > technique with the M6 vs the Canon's 16-segment programmed AE.  We did not
> > take the time to make the same shots with identical exposures.
> >
> > It goes without saying that there is a visible difference in sharpness and
> > contrast in many of the photos.  In addition, the Summilux 35 ASPH enabled
> > me to keep shooting well into the best light of each day, handheld.
> >
> > Have any of you had a similar experience?  Is it just that the AE system
> in
> > my head is smarter than the Canon's or have you noted that the Leica M
> > lenses seem to produce richer, more saturated colors?
> >
> > Best Regards,
> > --Jim Laurel
> >