Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/02/02

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Poor Mans Nocti
From: spamski at mac.com (spamski@mac.com)
Date: Fri Feb 2 17:33:59 2007
References: <200702022331.l12NUDk2075381@server1.waverley.reid.org>

Your last paragraph answers your question.  If you get a Canon 50/1.2 that 
left the factory properly shimmed, it's actually not bad wide-open.  If you 
get one that is "off," which, unfortunately, is fairly common, the world at 
F1.2 will be very soft.  I have a "good" one and am very satisfied, even 
impressed, with the quality of the images at F1.2.  My favorite aperture, 
though, is stopped down a 1/2 stop to F1.6.  Things really come together 
nicely at that aperture.

Jim Bielecki


>About the softness. There is no question that it is soft wide open.  
>Objects have a hard core with a halo around them, probably due to  
>uncorrected spherical aberration. But when the lens is stopped down  
>beyond f 2.0, the halo disappears and the image becomes quite sharp.  
>Not as good as an older f 2.0 Summicron, but better than an f 3.5  
>Elmar. Except for the weight, I would mount it on the M3 all the time.
>
>I've heard so many varying opinions about the Canon, some mutually  
>contradictory, that I'm wondering about variability in lens  
>manufacturing. Are all Canons alike?
>
>Larry Z