[Leica] Re: Why a 35mm lens?

["Rodgers, David" <david.rodgers@xo.com>]

Dan

>>The thing to consider when playing with the Contax R at the store is that
the lenses may soon be obsolete (or at least, will never get any further
development), due to the new N1.<<

That's a point worth considering. But Contax isn't alone. Nikon has pretty
much abandoned manual focus SLRs. How many innovations has Nikon introduced
in mf? And how many people use older mf lenses on new AF bodies? Not many, I
suspect. The backward compatibility issue was probably important for a
couple of years, that's all. Now MF and AF are two separate systems. There
are still lots of Nikon mf users. And there probably will be for some time.
Using the Nikon example, the F3 probably has a longer useful life than the
F4, even if purchased today. In that vein,, 'd be more cautious about the
newer stuff than the older stuff.  

Kyocera certainly appears to have an eye on the digital market with the N1.
That's where lots of R&D is going. Personally, I can hardly wait for an
affordable tabletop scanner with quality that surpasses current drum
scanners.It's only a matter of time. It will make high quality Leica lenses
even more appealing. Particularly as film continues to improve. 

Even with a 2,700 dpi scanner, I can crop negs shot with my 35/1.4 ASPH M
way down and still end up with decent images (for on-line viewing at least).
Essentially the 35 can be a telephoto. The results are no different than
using one of the current digital cameras with small CCDs and 16-40 lens
(which is normal-to-tele not super-wide-to-normal). 

I like to hear about the technical limits of the current Leica generation
lenses. To some people it's "too much science in an asthetic environment"
for lack of a better term. After all, who cares if lenses perform better
than modern films? I'm sure that the original owner of my 50 DR Summicron
cared less that the lens was ahead of the films of the day. But here I am,
still using a lens that's 40-years-old. 

On a related note, servicability is a concern. And on that point, you're
right about caution. The way things are now days the safest haven from
obsolesense is probably the Leica M. 

Dave