Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/08/31

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Guess the Lens
From: "Steve LeHuray" <icommag@toad.net>
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2002 20:05:07 -0400

Peter Klein writes:

> No apology needed, Steve.  And that's one beautiful gir... er,
> picture.  However, I'm not sure your shot illustrates the Summilux'
> superiority over the Nokton.  Your picture is a finished Web jpeg.  What I
> posted were unaltered Vuescan scans with no curves or sharpening
> adjustments. Your picture had plenty of curves without adjustment.  :-)

Thanks Peter -- I am not very good on technical details or evaluating
pictures, so here is the tech stuff on that picture: shot with Delta 400 and
50/1.4 at f1.4 and 500th at a distance of about 8 feet. Taken at about 7pm
(magic hour). 8x10 print scanned on cheapie flatbed, minor tweak in curves
and sharpen, about a 10% crop. That is about it.

best,

sl
>
> Your subject also had a lot higher natural contrast than mine--dark hair,
> dark eyes and dark red lipstick, vs. greying blonde hair, blue eyes and no
> lipstick.   We also don't know your shutter speed, what film, how close you
> were or how much cropping you did.   I was about 4 feet away.  Marianne was
> taken at 1/60, and Susan at 1/30.  Are you sure yours was a wide open shot?
> There looks to be too much depth of field if your picture is indeed full
frame.
>
> Anyway, yours is a much more striking picture.  But there's too many
> variables for us to know what is attributable to your lens vs. mine.
>
> I posted the unaltered Vuescans so we would be comparing apples to
> apples.  If I had a Summilux, I would love to do a similar same-subject
> shootout to see how they really compare.
>
> I've worked up the sharper Nokton shot of Susan, with curves adjustment and
> some unsharp mask, so Susan's head  Here
> 'tis:  http://www.2alpha.com/~pklein/temp/susan2.jpg
>
> Anyway, a used Nokton came my way at a decent price.  Since the Nokton is a
> modern design and much less expensive than the 1960s-design Summilux, I
> decided I owed it to myself to to try the Nokton first.  This test is just
> a first impression--I'm not going to know whether I really like it until
> I've got a number of rolls of film through it.
>
> One thing I'm sure of--I'm keeping my 50 Summicron.  The fast lens is for
> when I need "low gear."
>
> --Peter
>
> B.D. said:
>> > Well, ain't that a hoot! Summilux! Summicron! Summaron! Leica! Leica!
>> Leica!
>> > And both shots were taken with Japanese glass - one a 50-year-old design,
>> > the other a modern lens which sells for $489 NEW at B&H.
>
> Steve said:
>
>>PULEEZZ, I really hate to see you keep making a fool out of yourself with
>>your constant anti-Leica stance. This Summilux 50/1.4 shot at f1.4 blows
>>away Peter's Nikkor and Cosina lenses by any measure you can think of:
>>
>>http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im120.jpg
>>
>>With apologies to Peter, who takes very good pictures.
>>
>>sl
>
>
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