Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/01/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Indeed, the new 35-70/2.8's optical performance seems to be impeccable which cannot be said about Nikon's or Canon's 28-70/2.8. But don't you find all lenses of this category are ridiculously big and heavy? Of course, it would be the perfect lens for the also ridiculously big and heavy R8. But one R8 without Motordrive or Winder (0.9kg) and a 35-70/2.8 (1.0kg) equals two M6 (1.1Kg) with a M 35/1.4 (0.25kg) and M 75/1.4 (0.6kg). At least the R8/zoom outfit would be 50% cheaper. For taking people pictures and in the focal range of 28mm to 90mm, I prefer faster and compact prime lenses which look less offensive than the chunky "professional" zoom lenses. You can change your position quicker than the lens. Moving closer from 5m distance to 3.50m distance has the same effect than changing or zooming from 35mm to 50mm. For landscapes, however, the popular, slow zoom lenses in the 28/35mm to 70/85mm range are quite nice. Used during bright daylight or on a tripod and stopped down, you need not to be concerned to much with regard to optical performance. If you want that mountain bigger on your negative, you pull the zoom rather than moving closer from 4km to 2km. The so-called "professional" zoom lenses, however, are nice and usefull tools for today's professional press photographers: you know, the ones that cover handshaking politicians and the arriving limos at the Oscar award, trapped in a crowd of other photographers, no space to move around, no time to change lens, only few seconds to make the bread-earning shot. With a supplementary flash and mounted on a motorised autofocus SLR such a lens will produce a series of reasonably sharp images with a safe depth of field even if the other photographers hit their elbows into your side. I very much understand that under these conditions nobody wants to use a Nocitlux at 1/8s handheld, although the pictures would catch the atmosphere better. After all its bread earning, not art. Hans-Peter