Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/11/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Folks, Given the current context of events, and a fair amount of consolidation of gear ;it's time to share some thoughts ;-)! Leica optics that I would never give up, consider w/o peer for various subjective reasons; & are now my "core" Leica operating gear. Used with a R7 & R8. Starting with the obvious, my pair of R Apos; 100 & 180 f2.8. When it comes to optical "thresholds"; bar none, Leica has created the "benchmark" for these focal lengths;-)! In the not so obvious category, where weight & "character" come into play; my R 35 f2 & 90 f2.8. The 35 f2, although maybe not "super sharp"; yields slides with a beautiful color "ambiance" & is also great for low light B & W work. One of my favorite B & W photos is of my wife's mother (over 90 at the time) taken with her family at Thanksgiving time in a rather unevenly lit living room at night. No flash! Aside from the rather "Norman Rockwell" look of the photo; there is *no* flare from bright light sources. The 35 f2! The 90 f2.8,has brought back more than it's share of photos which display a "unique"combination of sharpness & color saturation. Tonal subtlety! On my wall is a "Cibacrome" from Portland Photo- graphic which captures a view of early morning fog, just beginning to recede, from a Big Sur coastline, near Carmel; showing a an amazing amount of tonal separation in the fog bank! A "magical" display. Taken with the 90 f2.8! The 35 f2 & 90 f2.8 are used with my R7/winder/grip combo. The Apo's balance exquisitely with the R8; in particular, the 100 Apo. Down to two bodies & four lenses with Leica ;-)! What I'm trying to say, is that when it comes to photo- graphy & all of its associated pleasures; Leica optics are w/o peer. Let's hope current events do not change the fundamentals ;-)! Tom D.