Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/07/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]- ---------- > From: Alan Bearden > > 1. In comparing lenses of the same focal length and different maximum > apertures, it is extremely rare for a small f-number maximum aperture > lens to have better optical properties as it is stopped down than a > lens of smaller maximum aperture. Thus, the f:1.4 or F:2 lens is only > worth the expense (and weight, bulk, etc.) when one needs the larger > aperture for light-gathering or smaller depth-of field reasons. This *sounds* right, Alan, but my own experience with the 50mm lenses has been that my old Elmar f/2.8 was never very sharp, so I seldom used it. The Elmar was about a 1968 lens and was no where near the quality of my other Leica lenses from the same era. In fact, I have only recently "rediscovered" the 50mm perspective with a Summicron DR: one stop faster and one order of magnitude sharper. Gary Todoroff