Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/01/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 08:57 AM 1/5/98 -0500, you wrote: > 4/ It may probably seem odd to some, but I would like to find > a lens that is IMMEDIATELY and OBVIOUSLY superior at > reproducing HUMAN EYE CHARACTERISTICS more faithfully > than other lenses (or brands?) in "waist up" casual > portraiture and photo-journalism style photography. > Flowers and landscapes is another "private interest", > plus close-range nature photography. We're talking SLR here. The Leica 90 Summicron (f/2) is superb for this kind of work. More flexible for closeup than, say, the 80mm 1.4. But for flowers, close range, nothing beats an SLR. The R7 would be a good choice, or R8 if you want to go first class. Forget the M system for thses kinds of pictures. It's second-rate for that. (In this case, second-rate isn't so bad, but it's still second-rate compared to the Leica SLRs). For landscapes, the M or R work fine. The absolute best lenses in the R system wide angle are the 19 Elmarit and 35 Summilux. Oh, yea, the 15mm lens too. And the new 28 is supposed to be very good. In the M line, the Aspherics will give you the best overall performance, if you ask me, in the 35mm range. Some will say the 21 Super Angulon is better than the 21 Aspheric, but I'd go with the Aspheric for the ability to use the M6's meter. The 28 Elmarit for the M (current version) is supposed to be really good too. > 5/ What impresses me most about Leica M is the unmatched quietness > of the mechanism. And the sturdy feeling. I agree. The R8 gives that feel too. And as far as SLRs go, pretty quiet. Solid as an M6, and more to the kind of work you want to do than an M6. Or do it like me and get both! M for landscapes and portraits and R for closeups. The best of both worlds. ========== Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch More hay, Trigger? No thanks, Roy, I'm stuffed!