Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Seth Rosner wrote: > Doug wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- From: <wildlightphoto@earthlink.net> > To: <sethrosner@nycap.rr.com> > Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 8:46 PM > Subject: Re: 60 Macro > > >>> An amazing lens that remained in the Leitz/Leica catalog from >>> 1972 until a year ago. >> >> >> It's no longer in the catalog ?!?? It's time to either fly the flag >> at half-mast or watch for a new 50mm APO-Macro-Summicron-R. > > >> Doug > > > I think I'm right about the 60 Macro-Elmarit being gone, Doug. OTOH, > there are a ton of these lenses appearing on eB** at very reasonable > prices; can't quite figure out why. What if it was for the lack of an R9.2 Diesel to go with it? > > Of course I could be wrong, but if Leica brings out another 'normal' > focal-length macro-lens, I'd be a bit surprised if it were designated > APO. 30 years ago I was in correspondence with Geoffrey Crawley, then > Editor-in-chief of the British Journal of Photography, about lens > design and performance. A propos the 50 Summicrons and Switars, he > wrote me that while Kern (Alpa) "have always made a bit of a fuss > about being Apo's" in his opinion, all modern normal focal-length > lenses from the top manufacturers were of apochromatic design. OTOH, I > would be quite surprised if such a new Leica Macro-R lens were not > aspheric. My issue with some current ASPH lenses - and please don't > jump on me, gals and guys, it's an impression - is that they are of > such high contrast that they not only sacrifice resolution to some > extent, they provide a somewhat hard, edgy image, some would say > harsh, that departs from the plasticity of the images made by Leitz > lenses from the mid-1950s to 1970s. That may be very desirable for > reportage photography but for other photographic purposes it departs > from the imagery I prefer. I ought to add that the reputation of those > earlier Leitz lenses for flare and only medium contrast is seriously > overdone. Stop them down two stops and their contrast is excellent > across the frame, comparing very favorably with all of the later > 'high-contrast' Leica lenses, though not the latest ASPH renditions. > > Seth > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >