Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/06/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Steve LeHuray <icommag@toad.net> wrote: > Johnny Deadman replied: > >> the pre-asph did indeed flare like mad but also wide open it >> was *extremely* soft. Nice pictorially in some circumstances >> but just no rendition of fine detail whatsoever wide open. >> Technically I think a combination of coma and spherical >> aberrations, 'classic' but sometimes frustrating. >> >> Much softer in my experience than say the 50/1.4 wide open. > > hmmmm.....that is curious about the 35/1.4 being *extremely* soft. > Early on with my weekly PAW I was going through an 'available > darkness' phase and posted these three photos all with the 35/1.4 > pre-asph and at 1.4. They are probably not up to ASPH standards > but I did not think the results was too terrible. Would love more > discussion on the 35/1.4. Please look: > > http://www.streetphoto.net/photo_of_the_week/wk4a.jpg > > http://www.streetphoto.net/photo_of_the_week/wk13.jpg > > http://www.streetphoto.net/photo_of_the_week/wk13a.jpg > > This last is the weakest of the three, but if the people had been > wearing lighter clothing it may have made a difference. Also this > was shot at 1/15th. Steve, these photos are right in line with the results I get with my old 35mm f/1.4. Wide open it is on the soft side but not extremely so. I personally love its particular type of softness...not unsharp but smooth & rounded. For available darkness shooting this quality is exactly what I wanted and is in fact the main reason why I bought the lens. Then again I'm fond of diffusion and other resolution-killing techniques that no doubt make some people here cringe. :-) At f/4 and smaller, OTOH, this 'lux is at least as sharp as my first-generation 35 Summicron, maybe sharper. - -Dave-