Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/31

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Subject: Re: [Leica] RE: I've seen teh Bokeh!!!
From: Dave Yoder <leica@home.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 19:39:08 -0700

From my observations I'd have to preliminarily agree with Simon. I got into
Leica looking for good sharpness and less contrast, and that's what I think
I've found.

Dave Yoder

Eric Welch wrote:

> At 11:07 AM 8/31/99 -0400, you wrote:
> >I suspect that Leica's approach is an expensive one. Without the high
> >resolution lower contrast images would look awful.
>
> Actually, Leica's lenses are not that outstanding in the resolution
> area.  Some are, some aren't. They're all great, but not much more than the
> competition. They tend to have high contrast. You are mistaking subject
> contrast for lens contrast. That is, the ability to discriminate the edge
> of a line, not the differences in the highlights and shadows and the "local
> contrast" as Ansel Adams and other refer to it, or tonal modulation from
> one brightness level to another. That's contrast controlled via film and
> processing. Contrast in a lens is controlled in the designer's computer. A
> decent lens in terms of low resolution, but great in terms of high
> contrast, will tend to make pictures that look sharper than the other way
> around.
>
> Any lens test that says Leica lenses are, as a class, low contrast, needs
> to be fixed.
>
> Eric Welch
> St. Joseph, MO
>
> http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch
>
> Okay, who put a  stop payment  on my reality check?