Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 05:12 PM 07/09/2000 -0700, you wrote: >Has anyone seen, handled, bought and/or used a 280mm f/2.8. Yes to all of the above. Mine arrived about three months ago as this year's birthday present to me. It is indeed big and heavy as well. I've found that this is a piece of glass that requires a monopod at a minimum. It is not a lens that offers the utmost in portability. When I take it on birding walks, I unfortunately find myself sspending too much time securing the monopod-body-lens assembly so that I can use my binoculars. As originally shipped, the lens included a 1x ND filter which, Leitz said, is to be used at all times except when shooting into the sun. I found that this filter did nothing but attract dust which, in turn, affected image quality. So it stays behind. I will admit that I am still learning to use it. I am more than happy with the images taken wide open. If I do my part, I'm getting fine delineation of the feathers and markings of the birds I'm aiming the thing at. In fact, even an overexposed slide of a sparrow on the backyard fence at a 30 foot distance gave enough detail to establish that the bird was new one for the yard list. Also, when used with an R8, the 2.8 aperture will appear in LED display as 3.4, but the metering appears to be on the mark. Roy