Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/06/21

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Build Quality of Lenses
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2000 15:19:30 -0400

Fair enough...I just get tired hearing about the legendary "glo," which is,
optically speaking, legendary inferiority - the reason, in fact, that many
PJs in Korea and even later where mounting Nikon and Canon lenses on their
Leicas. But of course there are times when that kind of sharpness just
doesn't cut it (forgive me, Steve!:-) )
B. D.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Steve
> LeHuray
> Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2000 12:08 PM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Build Quality of Lenses
>
>
> > The "look" is the optical inferiority of lenses of that era.:-)
> They have
> > more flare, more fall-off at the edges, etc. etc. Call it Leica
> glow, call
> > it Coke Bottle Bottom, the bottom line is that it isn't something lens
> > designers were trying to achieve, it is simply the best they
> could achieve
> > given the tools they had.
> >
> > One may like the "glow," but it doesn't make a lot of sense to
> tout it as
> > "superior" to the images produced by modern lenses.
> >
> > I note that having gone from the Pre-asph 21 to the ASPH 21 for
> the M, while
> > I was thrilled with the pre-asph when I used it, the results I
> get with the
> > ASPH are far superior, in terms of edge-to-edge sharpness, lack
> of flare,
> > and lack of light fall off...
> >
> > B. D.
> >
> >
> B.D.
> I do not disagree with anything that you say about the 'look' in fact I am
> pretty sure that I understand (finally) everything (well almost) Erwin has
> said on this point. To me the razor sharpness of modern lenses is not real
> important to me for everything that I shoot. We have all heard about the
> 'glow' and, I think there is something to that even when I compared my
> current Summicron 50mm with a Nikor 50/1.4 I could see a glow
> that the razor
> sharp Nikor did not have. For me what lens I use boils down to what I am
> shooting and the effect that I would like to achieve.
> Steve
> Annapolis
>