Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Apo-Summicron-M 90/2.0 ASPH tested by CDI
From: "Henning J. Wulff" <henningw@archiphoto.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 14:48:52 -0800

At 5:03 PM +0100 2/13/00, dominique pellissier wrote:
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Pascal <cyberdog@attglobal.net>
>To: LUG <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
>Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2000 6:58 PM
>Subject: [Leica] Apo-Summicron-M 90/2.0 ASPH tested by CDI
>
>
>> CDI latest issue (221 Feb) has a test of the Apo-Summicron-M 90/2.0 ASPH.
>> The lens obtains 5 stars for quality, 2 for price/performance and 2 for
>> "cote d'amour" (= subjective likening of the lens).
>> Compared to its predecessor, the quality differences are as follows:
>> - better in the field wide open
>> - a little bit better in the field at 2.8
>> - better in the center at 4.0
>> - almost identical at 5.6 and 8
>>
>> My conclusion: don't throw away your "old" lens (it got 4 stars at the
>> time).
>> CDI reminds us of the inherent deficiences of a lens of such focal length
>> on an M body (small viewfinder image, sizeable obstruction of the
>> viewfinder by the lens barrel and hood) and puts into question (as always
>> with a Leica lens) whether it is worth the money...
>>
>> Pascal
>> NO ARCHIVE
>>
>################
>On the official Leica site, there are some MTF tests.
>If you see the test of the apo90, there is no doubt : at full aperture, this
>lens is not an absolute winner.
>
>Conclusion : don't buy the apo90 if you have the old90.

Do you have both? I do. The new 90 is a _LOT_ better (sharper, contrastier,
less vignetting, etc.) than the old one at f/2 to f/4. In fact, the new one
is still better at f/2 than the old one is at f/5.6, although there the
difference is minimal. If the MTF charts corroborate this, fine; if they
don't, fine as well. That's the result on film for me.

   *            Henning J. Wulff
  /|\      Wulff Photography & Design
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