Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/08/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Doug, The way this lens was explained to me, Leica is using the Sigma optical formula, but with their specified glass. Construction is by Kyocera and is very high quality. Sigma may have quality control problems due to their marketing in the lower price ranges, but that does not necessarily reflect on their lens design expertise. Their high end lenses in particular are supposed to be pro quality. I'm currently using this lens and its performance is excellent. Sharpness and color saturation are Leica quality. There is little barrel/pincushion distortion on the short and long ends on the zoom range. This is a very good "everyday" lens, although a prime lens would be better suited for reproduction and architectural subjects for best accuracy. The current 35-70 (?) is supposedly better optically, with an aspheric element in its design. I chose to compromise because I value the 28mm short end and its close focussing distance (.3 meter I think). Cheers, John