Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/01/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On 22-01-1998 19:58 Five Senses Productions wrote: (snip) >Wide open, during daylight conditions, neither lenses are >stellar performers. The 35 introduced visible corner vignetting >at 1.4, which was completely gone by 2.8. I suppose one would >not expect the 1.4 lenses to be excellent at 1.4 during the day. (snip) >>If you will never use these lenses in low-light or at night, I believe it >is not >worth the money for the 1.4. I have heard the f/2 version of the 35mm is >excellent wide open, and never vignettes. Can anyone comment? > >The 80/1.4 does VERY well during the day at apertures smaller than f/4. >Focusing with this lens is VERY critical, and if you are not exactly on >target, >you will get an unsatisfactory image. It definitely takes practice, and I >have >still not mastered the art of focusing this heavy lens. > >Does anyone else agree that the 35/1.4 is not that great wider than f/4, or >is >this a technical fault of mine? > >Francesco >fls@5senses.com > Well, according to the recent test report that I saw on the Summilux-R 35mm f/1.4 in the French magazine Chasseur d'Images, this lens performs well at the center of the image where sharpness and contrast are a lot higher than in the rest of the image, especially corners and borders. The difference with the Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH is basically this: the aspheric element enhances the image quality, especially wide-open, and makes the image more even (less difference between corners and center). I personally wouldn't think of buying the Summilux-R 35mm f/1.4, because it's price is ridiculous in comparison to its rather uneven performance. The M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH plays in a completely different league. Price is almost the same, but here you really get value for money. Of cours, this doesn't help you if you want a lens for the R8. I would go for the Summicron-R 35mm f/2.0 if you want a 35mm lens. As far as the Summilux-R 80mm f/1.4 is concerned, I am also using this lens. Results so far are quite satisfying. I especially like the combination of the R8 + 80mm (in fact, it's my preferred combination). Heavy, but excellent balance and easy to hold (at least for my large fingers). I have used the 80mm for portraits: great results between f/4.0 and f/8.0. The same can be said for landscapes. I am not yet convinced of its qualities wide open. The results I have shot so far did not quite convince me yet. But here, I really should practice some more before making a definitive judgement. BTW: Chasseur d'Images gave the same star rating for both the Summilux 35 and 80 mm (***, which is average, good but no more). Pascal - -------------------------------------------------------- Sent on a Macintosh PowerBook G3, the fastest laptop on the planet - -------------------------------------------------------- <<< PGP public key available on request >>>