[Leica] This here fancy 50

[jbm at jbm.org (Jeff Moore)]

2004-05-27-10:13:58 Ted Grant:
> The new one? Sharper? Crisper? And whatever other niceties come with it for
> better out of focus backgrounds? Ooohh sexy! Warm and cuddly! Will it
> produce better pictures? Nope! Certainly not, as it's only a new piece of
> glass in a nice shiny mount!

Okay, Ted, I don't expect you to cheerlead and drool over a new
potential future piece of equipment you haven't ever laid hands or
eyes on -- I don't remember your ever having done so in the past, and
I don't expect you to do so now.

But...  I have this niggling hint of a recollection there've been
newfangled things you stated several times there was absolutely no
need for but then bonded with after you'd had 'em in your hands and
found they helped you make nice pictures...  may I whisper,
f'rinstance, "autoexposure M"?

So I'll just sit back and wait to see how this plays out.

But as for me...  I want this here fancy 50, I want it bad.  I make no
claim of rationality;  but I've wished ever since I saw what kind of
pictures the newer 50/1.4 R makes that I could have the like on my
much-more-used M.  It'd be an indulgence, sure, but I'm really
interested in seeing what pictures from that new rumoured lens look.
I mean, I've taken portraits with the current Summilux-R, wide-open,
where the color and pattern of people's irises (like Ted says, focus
on the eyeballs!) just POP.  Sexy.  Makes my day, whether anyone else
cares or not.