Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> I have not had my 35mm f2 ASPH very long but I have > had the 50mm f2 through a few rolls. My first > impression is the same as yours, that is, the 35 ASPH > is a cut above in sharpness. I am still working the > 90 ASPH and cannot comment yet on that one. One thing I have learned in just six months of reading the LUG is that for every post you find claiming lens x is better than lens y, you find another one just as vehement that lens y is better than lens x. Of course "better" is as loose a term as "sharper" and highly subjective. There _does_ seem to be one consistent pattern, however: those who favor the (newer) asph lenses vs/ those who prefer the (older) spherical computations. In the one camp, the lenses held in highest esteem are the asph's 24, 35 and 90; in the other, the lenses most praised are the 75/1.4, the three 50's, and the 28 elmarit. The extremists? Those who are waiting for the 28 asph and hoping for a 50 asph summilux on the one side (let's call these the leftists), and those who hunt down the seven element, pre-asph 35 summicron on the other (the hard core conservatives; you know who you are!). The lenses of choice in the middle seem to be the 35/2 asph, the 50/2, and the 90 elmarit. The conservatives talk a lot about tonality and bokeh, tend to shoot with older bodies (M6 classic over TTL, M2 or M3 more than M6), and prefer b&w print film--typically Tri-X. They sigh a lot and lament the current trends toward asph lenses and digital this-and-that. The leftists' definition of "better" usually revolves around resolution and contrast--and they're more apt to shoot transparencies and study the corners under a loupe. For them, every new lens design in a cause for celebration. They favor the Hexar RF over the M6 and the R8 over the 6.2 (or AF SLRs over the R's altogether). Those in the middle complain a lot about all this talk of lens x being better than lens y and beg those who waste their time in such discussions to spend more time actually using the equipment they've got. They usually shoot with a .72x M6TTL and whatever lens happens to be on hand. Okay, now that I've made these sweeping generalizations, which category do YOU fit in? :) Dan (conservative at heart, but often seduced by leftist propaganda)