RE: [Leica] One Day in School

[Henning Wulff <henningw@archiphoto.com>]

At 11:32 AM -0400 10/14/02, B. D. Colen wrote:
>The problem with going downmarket with a 21 is that the distortion can be a
>killer. I make no bones about using non-Leica equipment, but I am also quick
>to say that when it comes to the 21, nothing begins to touch the M 21 ASPH -
>including the non-asph M 21 2.8. I have a 17-35 AF D Silent Wave for the
>Nikon, as well as a 20 1.8 Sigma AF - which is cheap as dirt. Both produce
>sharp, contrasty images. But both produce really marked, unpleasant
>distortion at the edges of the frame - while the 21 ASPH M does not.
>
>If you are going to shoot full-frame with the 21 for anything more serious
>than your own entertainment, I'd say plan on trying to find a used 21 ASPH.
>
>B. D.

A 21mm lens is very important for me, and I am quite fussy about the 
quality of images that these lenses can produce.

While the 21ASPH is definitely the best of all, the 21 Cosina is a 
close second among all the lenses I tried. In various comparisons 
over the years, I've tried probably 25 different lenses in the 
20-21mm focal length, and to be #2 in that bunch after the ASPH isn't 
bad.

Distortion is a non-issue, even for quite critical work. The 
distortion levels of the 21ASPH and the Cosina 21 are as close to 
identical as any practical (non-lab) test can determine. If you 
really need the very lowest levels of distortion available, a 21/3.4 
SuperAngulon is best, and better than either the ASPH or Cosina.

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    *            Henning J. Wulff
   /|\      Wulff Photography & Design
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