RE: [Leica] what happened?/180.2.8 lens

[dmorton@journalist.co.uk (David Morton)]

jeremy.kime@bbc.co.uk wrote:

> Thanks for that Al,
>  At the moment I'm using an old (East german) Carl Zeiss Sonnar which I
>   converted to fit a Viso III, and thereby also an SL (with adaptor),
> the   iris stopped working but it's only use is for concert photography
> where I   use it wide open anyway. It's very heavy and I have the
> option on a 2nd   version Leica lens for 550 GBP which sounds
> reasonable to me...
>  I've also seen an ad. for a 300/2.8 Russian, er sorry Marc, Soviet
> lens   (s/h) for 300GBP. Anyone encountered one of these? Anyone tried
> any   concert photography with a 300/2.8? I did see someone using one
> recently   but didn't get a chance to chat to him about it, it must be
> bordering on   the boundery of shakiness, even with a monopod...

I've seen an example of the Soviet 300mm f2.8 in its Nikon mount guise. It
was in SRS in Watford for *ages*. It would be in the window, then it would
disappear for a couple of weeks, then re-appear in the window, and so on
for months.

I never bothered to ask, but I'm fairly sure it was being sold mail order
on sale or return (SRS advertise in AP), and kept coming back, which
doesn't sound too promising.

I suspect that 300 f2.8 is really slightly too long and too slow for
concerts (and Nikon's 300 f2 is too heavy and too damned rare). For that
kind of work I'd prefer to shmooze the promoter into letting me get
reasonably close to the front of the stage, and then use an 85mm f1.4 or a
135mm f2 (this is on a Nikon, I'm not a fan of the R series Leicas). If
you can't get that close then Nikon's 200mm f2 is just about made for the
job, and can be turned into a 280 f2.8 with a TC14.

But I guess it depends on what sort of concert, and how much you can get
away with.

Which reminds me, SRS have a 200mm f2 Nikkor in at the moment, and I
haven't bought myself a present for *ages* :-)