Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/04/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>I just completed a comparison between the Voigtlander Nokton 1,5/50 and=20 >the Leitz Summarit 1.5/50.=20 As now more and more non-Leica lenses becoming available in M-bayonet, i.e. 15mm Zeiss/Contax Hologon conversion (Schaja/M=FCnich) 21mm Kobalux/Adorama 28mm Kobalux/Adorama 28mm Ricoh 35mm Konica (Y.K.Optical Works Ltd., Yokohama -Kobalux- is apparently working at a Hologon type of lens for Leica-M) It may be interesting to test these new lenses together, including their Leica equivalents, to get a feel for relative quality. This could be additionally important as German, and probably other countries glass testers (Foto Magazin, Color Photo, POP Photo, etc.), will be heavily biassed towards key advertiser Leica. Just an idea. With regards to visual overload, here are my thoughts, for whatever they are worth. Even the best lens cannot render more detail than the subject has available. A theoretically 100% perfect lens renders 100% of the subject detail (MTF 100 at all frequencies) and in that sense visual overload doesnot exist. There cannot be more detail than existant in the subjext. Every photographer can make a good lens render details like a bad lens. The contrary however is not true. It is easy to produce images like the ones produced by a patented "Flauzeichner" like the 50mm/1.5 Summarit fully open with a Summicron 50mm/2.0 at F/5.6 (vaseline, Duto, stocking, etc). IMHO, we need better lenses given the fast improving quality of film, which each photographer can individually set-up for the type of images he likes. Sharp or unsharp. High or low contrast. Saturated or diluted colors. Whatever. I like the combination Leica lenses and Kodachrome film. As Kodachrome is less saturated than other slide films it reduces the "bite" of recent Leica glass somewhat. Gerard Captijn, Geneva, Switzerland. Fax: +41 (22) 700 39 28.