Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/01/24

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 50mm lenses again
From: debugger <debugger@jps.net>
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 06:42:31 -0800

Please explain "residual field curvature means", how this is different from
"curvature of field" (which I think I know the meaning of), and, more
importantly,  why it is a "good thing".
Thanks,
Ben


Maria Speroni wrote:

> I'm trying to decide which 50mm M lens to get.  I've perused the LUG
> archives but I have an interesting (imho) twist to the dilemma that, as
> far as I know, has not been covered already.  As you might predict, I
> have been recommended the 50/2 as it's the sharpest 50 out there, but
> when one person said "in the same league as the 35/1.4 ASPH in every
> way", I hesitated.  The reason is that I have had two 35/1.4 ASPH, both
> sold because I ended up prefering the images from my 35/2 non-asph.
> While the images from the 35/1.4 ASPH were indeed very sharp, especially
> wide open, it lacked the "3-D" and pleasant out-of-focus rendition of my
> classic 35/2.
>
> My question is, does the 50/2 suffer from this "problem"?  I was
> investigating the 50/1.4 and found out that it has residual field
> curvature, probably of the same type as in the classic 35/2.  I wonder
> if this is why I prefer the classic 35/2, and if I should go for the
> 50/1.4 based on this.  Or is this too simplistic?  Any opinions from
> people who have used both 50mm lenses?  I'll probably end up doing a
> side by side test myself but I thought I would pick some LUG-brains
> first ;)
>
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