Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/07/31
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Thank all of you for your insights on this product. Even more thank yous to the people who could show example pictures before ragging on it in favor of the ASPH. The following are my comments. 1. The people who like this lens tend to be the same ones who shoot at night or in frontlit conditions. The people who favor the ASPH lens point to pictures where the camera is pointing into the light source. It is my understanding (and has been since I was about 11) that you are not supposed to shoot into the light with anything. The person who told me this must have been using a 35/1.4. 2. In Rei's picture, the ASPH definitely has an edge - but it still has a ton of flare under those conditions. I would guess that a 35/1.4 is on the margin of what can be done with optics. Having the aspherical elements and more glass in a barrel tends to improve things... a little. But I have several 1.4 and 1.2 lenses (not 35mm) that don't quite whiteout like that when pointed into the light. 3. Somebody (Colen?) mentioned that higher contrast is better. I don't think that's the case where you are using superspeed lenses from the 50s and 60s --- the Canon 50/1.2 LTM is pretty flat wide-open in sunlight but in dark environments with harsh, low indoor light, it is fantastic. No matter how bad a lens has been alleged to be, I have never seen a drop in contrast such that jacking the printing contrast up a grade hasn't solved the problem. 4. I like what I am seeing, that the Lux has the right type of bleed - there isn't really a name for it, but the 50 Sonnars, Canon 1.2 and the Helios 85/1.5 all have it: http://www.dantestella.com/detroit/09.jpg http://www.dantestella.com/technical/cano5012.jpg http://www.dantestella.com/softworld/paw20.jpg http://www.dantestella.com/technical/10a.jpg It's not the flat precision of an uncoated Summar or an undercorrected Summarit; it's the glowing edges where local flare makes the highlights sparkle and undercorrection annihilates what lies outside the plane of focus. 5. Any lens they made for 35 years can't be all bad. So when does that damn thing get here?! Dante - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html