Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/01/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 08:55 PM 02-01-97 -0000, Claes wrote: >Thank you, Chris, Dan C, Ben W and Dan Kong! > >Disagreement always brings out the very best arguments. See my recent (and last) post on the subject of Titanium Leicas! I own both a recent version of the 35/1.4 summilux as well as a 35/1.4 aspheric (first version). It was my original goal to sell the old 35 when the aspheric arrived (I was on a long waiting list for it), but I find that for normal shooting the old lens is every bit as good, and is smaller and less obtrusive than the aspheric. It is also much less valuable and I worry less when using it. The old lens is terrible wide open (I mean real bad!), but is terrific once it is opened up a stop or two. I once made an 11x14 print from TMAX 100 film at a photo workshop. A fellow student thought that the print was made from 4x5!. Actually, the "badness" of the old lens at 1.4 can be used to interesting advantage (if you are looking for a soft focus lens, for instance). Used copies of the regular 35/1.4 are quite reasonably priced, and there seem to be lots of them available (it was made for so many years!). Unless you are wealthy, or really need that 1.4 f stop, or are crazy (me), then you should be quite happy with the non-aspheric 35/1.4. Dan C.