Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Sorry. Didn't notice until too late. Julian - ----- Original Message ----- From: Julian Koplen <jkoplen@mindspring.com> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 1999 7:04 PM Subject: [Leica] Re: With regard to your use of matt screens on the SLR. Does it work out well with focal lengths of 35mm or 50mm--and in dim light, such as an indoor living room? Thanks.......Julian - ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Bryant <tbryant@pars5.gsfc.nasa.gov> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 1999 6:32 PM Hi Luggers, Some desultory comments for you. On lens coatings: I have heard that lens coating color may well be a function of the dyes Having several colors in the MgF2 coating! (From Roland Christensen, who makes astronomical refractor objectives). It also depends on its thickness. Multiple colors in a lens do not, in general, indicate that a lens is multicoated. On matt screens for SLR: Ted Grant is absolutely correct about matt screens being best for an SLR. I find them superior to microprisms or "rangefinder" wedges. It's all I've used for years. On Lens coverage: Here is a table of some popular focal lengths with their horizontal x vertical coverage, along with their diagonal coverage for the 35mm format: The units are decimal degrees. 14mm: 104.250 x 81.203, 114.182d 55 mm: 36.244 x 24.616, 42.943d 15mm: 100.389 x 77.320, 110.527d 75 mm: 26.991 x 18.181, 32.180d 17mm: 93.273 x 70.435, 103.678d 90 mm: 22.620 x 15.189, 27.032d 20mm: 83.974 x 61.928, 94.493d 135 mm: 15.189 x 10.159, 18.208d 21mm: 81.203 x 59.490, 91.702d 180 mm: 11.421 x 7.628 , 13.706d 24mm: 73.740 x 53.130, 84.062d 200 mm: 10.286 x 6.867 , 12.347d 28mm: 65.470 x 46.397, 75.381d 300 mm: 6.867 x 4.581 , 8.249 d 35mm: 54.432 x 37.849, 63.440d 400 mm: 5.153 x 3.437 , 6.191 d 50mm: 39.598 x 26.991, 46.793d 1000mm: 2.062 x 1.375 , 2.479 d On F stops: Here is a table of full, third and half stops full, + 1/3, + 1/2, + 2/3: full, + 1/3, + 1/2, + 2/3: 1.000 1.122 1.189 1.260 1.414 1.587 1.682 1.782 2.000 2.245 2.378 2.520 2.828 3.175 3.364 3.564 4.000 4.490 4.757 5.040 5.657 6.350 6.727 7.127 8.000 8.980 9.514 10.079 11.314 12.699 13.454 14.254 16.000 17.959 19.027 20.159 22.627 25.398 26.909 28.509 32.000 35.919 38.055 40.317 45.255 50.797 53.817 57.018 64.000 71.838 76.109 80.635 90.510 101.594 107.635 114.035 I have found these tables useful over the years. Enjoy! On the Noctilux f/1: Well, Erwin should get another spiff, as should Mitch. I have bitten the bullet, and bought a Noctilux. Yoikes! It's a big un. 2 cm shorter than my 90mm Summilux, and larger in diameter. My old Summilux is 2.5 cm shorter than the Noct, and the diameter is about sqrt(2) smaller. It's a much more portable lens, and it has the wonderful reversing, metal hood. The Noctilux has a *plastic*, non reversing hood. The lens cap is awful. I've replaced it with a 69 cent plastic and elastic bowl cover. I won't be getting rid of the Summilux in any great hurry. I'll be getting a roll through it presently, and will report on what that glorious extra stop is like. I have yet to stop the lens down. On the M3, it handles very well, as well as the Summilux. It's extra weight and inertia make it a fairly steady lens to hand hold. Overall, I'd say that for situations that don't require f/1, the Summilux is the better lens, as it's a mite sharper (see photodo.com for details) and much more portable. If I always shot on a tripod or outside, a Summicron would be the lens of choice, being even sharper and more portable. You guessed it, I rarely do either, with the M3. That's all for now!