Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Alan: I would like to add another comment. I also own a Hasselblad Superwide which is very high on my list. The 38mm Biogon is known for it's phenomenal qualities. When the bubble level on the Superwide is centered you simply cannot find distortion. When the 21mm Leica is level it too produces straight lines and undistorted images, very similar to the Biogon. With the gigantic gains in film quality I am beginning to question the need for the larger negative. The 21mm is a remarkable lense. Bob << Bob (and Fernando) I must second the enthusiastic comment regarding the 21mm Asph. I was at first frightened by the idea of dealing with a second viewfinder. In reality, it does simplify life by giving an extremely easy (and large) way of composing the image. I never had any parallax or framing problems with it, even with quick 'n dirty shooting. The 21mm allows very easy pre-focusing because of its gigantic depth of field. So at the end of the day, one only has to check the exposure once in a while in viewfinder nr 1. That is all. It would be even easier to use if the M provided aperture priority automation of course. The resulting images are extremely 'lively' (focused action all over the frame), sharp (of course) and totally immune to flare or distortion. This is the lens that makes me believe some of the rap regarding the 'superiority' of Leica designs: compared to the 20mm Nikkor I used previously, there is a real, obvious, quality leap in the final images. It is a pleasure to use, a fun way of including people in the forefront of the image without anyone noticing, an easy way of making a boring subject look unique and spectacular. All in all, maybe the most useful lens in my M setup.... Alan RBedw51767@aol.com wrote: > > Fernando: > > Please don't overlook the wonderful 21mm Aspheric. I haven't decided which is > my favorite lense, the 21 or the Noctilux. The 21 is extremely easy to use > because of the viewfinder and it's clarity. The only negative part of the > viewfinder is that you need to go back to the M6 viewfinder to check meter > readings. There are no rangefinder images to align. The depth of field is > so deep that focusing accuracy is not an issue. You can take marvelous > pictures in the tightest of places and the sharpness is right there with the > 35/1.4 Asph. Needless to say, I love it. >>