RE: [Leica] Viability of Leica; my 2 cents

[Alexey Merz <alexey@webcom.com>]

Peter K wrote:
>Have you had any reports on the Konica glass for their rangefinder yet?
>Konica makes extremely good optics, so I would hope they would be
on par
>with the Contax.
>They have made Planar-type lenses (45 and 50mm) that are very bit
as good as
>the current Contax G-series 45mm lens. So it will be interesting to
see 
the developments going forward.

You'll note that I posted this assertion with question marks to
indicate that
I was guessing. So far I've only seen the MTF data on their web
site. 
Based on that, the current Contax G and Leica lenses win. But of
course we 
know that there are other characterisitics that make a lens desirable,
and who knows? Maybe a Konica KM lens or two willend up in my bag, especially
as they become available on the used market. Certainly Konica SLRs
had some 
very good glass, often better than the Nikon equivalents; though I would
like to see some hard data to back your assertion that Konica has made
lenses as good as the current G Planar. After all this lens is
reputed by
many to be the *best* normal lens ever made for a 35 mm camera (at *middle*
apertures - calm down, fellow Summicron-M fans!!!).

At any rate, it is clear that Konica made some odd design choices on
the 
H-RF. In the end I think that the entry of other makers will
strengthen 
Leica's position by growing the RF market, even if they steal some
share. 

I think that I am not alone in the perception that modern SLRs are
not the
right tools for the photography that I want to do. 

- -Alexey