Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/09/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>Any advice on any other particular lenses that you consider a must-have >for every R system is also welcome. Thank you. Well I like to have something in my armoury, which will be a bit unique. Something that allows you to do something that the others can't. Then again, I need that kind of advantage ;-D Examples include the Noctilux on the M series, the 50 distagon on the Rolleiwide, the hologon on the contax [I don't have this one- yet :-/ ] PC lenes [even for a Mac user :-o ] the 30mm Distagon on the 'blad [fantastic lens ;-) ] Leica thread mount lenses esp the thambar and summarex and I'm sure there are others. Before I bought the R series cameras, I bought the 15mm super elmar. It was a bit frustrating having this "must - have" lens and no body, but finding a good second-hand one swayed me in favour of trying the Leica instead of the Contax SLR's as a replacement for the Minolta. The 15 has a signature. It is one hell of an impressive fungi shaped protruberance to carry around and should be called a macro lens, it focuses so close. It is a bit similar to the 50 distagon F from Blad in this respect, only better. As for the image quality, it is a little dated perhaps. I've not used the latest offering in 19mm's, but am told that it is in the 21asph range of quality, but I like the "slight" faults of the 15. It vignettes [sp?] a bit, and despite the rave reviews it gets on this list, is a bit soft at the edges wide open. Stopped down a bit you would find it hard to know the image was taken with such a wide angle lens, the correction is so good, and it is this fact, and the close focus, which makes its images so unique. I will try to include a few examples on my next home page, but there are several on the current one from my trip to Japan. http://users.netconnect.com.au/~firkin/AGFhmpg.html The guy lying stretched out under the walkway is one, which is also on Jun Nakajima's "Imprint Wide_Angle" page at his fantastic Leica site. He altered the address recently but go to http://www2.magicalights.co.jp/dmakos/rolleitlr/index.html and then to the links page [once you have checked out the fantastic site, including images from my Rolleiwide] where you will find Jun under the links for the DJ site. Well worth the journey if you have not visited these great Japanese pages. While I'm on it the links also will take you to Club Hasselblad, should you want to check out the 30 distagon. Alastair Firkin, http://users.netconnect.com.au/~firkin/AGFhmpg.html