[Leica] Camera-Lens comparisons

[digiratidoc at gmail.com (James Laird)]

Tim,

That's interesting but I was commenting on Henning's statement that
'putting a 24-105 zoom on the Canon is just giving away way too much
when the Leica sports a 50 ASPH.' Not a valid comparison in my
opinion. Now as I said I'm not a fan of Canon glass in any way, that's
why I use Leica or Nikon glass almost exclusively. But why not be
fair. At least use a Canon 24-70L for the test if you're going to use
a zoom, or maybe a Sigma 50/1.4 in EF mount if you really want a valid
comparison.

I just don't think that the sensor is the limiting factor here. I've
never owned a 1Ds Mark III but I do know it by reputation. I remember
dpReview's opinion of the sensor: 'simply stunning output when used at
low ISOs with good glass.' And that's just my point. Don't put a dog
of a lens in front of the sensor and compare it with a Summilux!

Jim

On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 10:18 AM, Tim Gray <tgray at 125px.com> wrote:
> On Nov 17, 2010 at 05:40 PM -0600, James Laird wrote:
>>
>> Yeah I don't get it. Why didn't they put a good 50mm on the 1Ds? They
>> compared apples and oranges (mind you, I am NOT a Canon fan, but hey?)
>> Would have been much more interesting. The Summilux did shine though!
>
> I just want to state this: I'm not picking on you specifically here.
>
> This is one of my biggest beefs with the internet: "They compared apples 
> and
> oranges." ?I hear that all the time. ?You're damn right they compared 
> apples
> and oranges. ?They are both valid options. ?And they have differences and
> similarities, which makes it a good set of things to compare. ?I like
> apples; my girlfriend prefers oranges. ?When I pack my lunch in the 
> morning,
> I think about which fruit I'd like to deal with during the day. ?Maybe I
> have a taste for a banana, but they don't travel so well, so if things are
> going to get banged up, maybe the apple is a better choice. ?Maybe the
> orange is too messy to eat today. ?Etc. ?It'd be really boring if every
> comparison out there was a comparison of one Gala apple to another Gala
> apple.
>
> The dude who owns the 1Ds probably wanted an AF, zoom, super automated
> camera to match up with his medium format system. ?It's a valid comparison
> because it's probably his typical usage scenario: Do I want the $40k big
> bulky, high quality, slow working camera, or the 'small' nimble fast 
> working
> camera today? ?What do I give up in making that choice?
>
> There are 'better' lenses than the 24-105. ?Most of them aren't as 
> flexible.
> Frankly, the EF 50/1.4 is nothing write home about. ?It's one of the main
> reasons I starting shooting M's to begin with. ?Sure, some will say, 'Put 
> on
> a Zeiss ZE!' but frankly, if I'm going to shoot manual focus, I'd prefer to
> do it on a camera that is actually designed to be used in that manner. ?I
> find MF on DSLRs to be an annoying experience.
>
> I will say this: It must have been nice to run comparisons in the days of
> film. ?Then at least you could attempt to control all the variables except
> for the one you were varying. ?Nowadays, it's near impossible to separate
> the lens from the camera brand from the sensor from the post processing. 
> ?We
> are really talking about testing integrated systems and need to somehow try
> to separate out various factors in our mind. ?That's a hard thing to do.
> Very little of this testing is any where near scientific, even when it
> claims to be. ?And when it is scientific, it's hard to interpret the
> results, because they don't always translate to the real world.
>
> There's a current discussion on fredmiranda that had a bit of talk about 
> how
> the Zeiss ZE line is superior to the Zeiss ZM line. ?I was somewhat
> surprised about those comments, but never once did anybody mention the
> possibility of sensor differences between the 5DII and the M9 having any
> influence. ?Not that they have to, it was just an oversight that I
> observed...
>
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