[Leica] leica mystique

[Dave Yoder <leica@home.com>]

I'm interested in this passage, and whether anyone can attest that it is true for
R lenses as well. I'm a relative newcomer to Leica and haven't used the M system
enough to judge it against the R system, and it is these qualities I was looking
for when I switched to Leica R from Canon.

Has anyone compared the below qualities between the two systems? I'm quite happy
with the R's, and I've heard the R lenses are just as good and in some cases
"better" than the M lenses, but I'm wondering about these qualities in particular.

Thanks,

Dave Yoder


> The Leica Mystique - by Carl Weese
> Reprinted from DARKROOM & CREATIVE CAMERA TECHNIQUES, July/August 1995
>
> Well, false.  Nikon, Canon, Zeiss and others make perfectly superb
> lenses that are in a general sense just as good as Leica glass.  But
> Leica M lenses are different.  They've been designed to foster a certain
> kind of image.  Many photographers find that prints from negatives made
> with Leica lenses are no sharper than prints from other major brand
> lenses.  However, they are smoother, richer, more luminous.  Shadow
> areas have more separation and are less likely to need dodging.  It is a
> subtle thing, but still it isn't uncommon to look at a set of prints and
> just know that the pictures were shot with M Leica lenses.