Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/09/27

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Downloadable Erwin Puts Book
From: Teresa299@aol.com
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2002 15:00:59 EDT

In a message dated 9/26/02 6:40:40 PM, dante@umich.edu writes:

<< 
Sorry I started this thread.  I didn't think of the conflict of interest
issue at all (really, Leica is adopting Puts' viewpoint, which is not
really a conflict).

1.  Leica must really have a problem with the "older-is-better" crowd,
since the booklet explicitly talks about how bad some of the older lenses
are compared to the new.  The fact that this appears in a Leica
publication is pretty significant. >>

I don't know.....maybe they're trying to sell new lenses and since the old 
lenses tend to be indestructible (and therefore still in circulation) they 
need to create a "need" to buy new ones.   I suspect that a problem for a 
company that makes quality product is that without built-in obsolesence you 
potentially lower your profit margin.

I still think that the "lesser quality lense" must equal "bad" equation is 
strange to me.  I look at some of the tech data and mtf charts and my head 
spins.  I'm kinda a luddite in that way.  But I do know that some of the 
older lenses have a certain quality to them that the ultra ASPH lenses don't. 
 Especially if one is shooting old emulsion type film and printing on old 
emulsion (black and white) enlarging paper.   For me, the goodness or badness 
of a lense relates to what it is that I'm trying to acheive.  I have a VERY 
old r-3cam, pierre angenieux 45-90mm 2.8 zoom.  I'm sure, compared to newer 
lenses, it's technical acheivements are suspect.  But it delivers a sort-of 
Alice in Wonderland type of (or maybe since it's French a sort of valery 
larbaud enfantines)look that is slightly softer and lower contrast than 
modern leica lenses but that serves me and the type of stuff I like to shoot, 
very well.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.


- -kim
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