[Leica] Summarit press release

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

> I see no reason a lower price on the new lenses would lead to lower 
> quality.
> The new 28/2.8 asph is half the price of the lens it replaced and the build
> level and optical quality is very much the top quality of the rest of their
> lenses.  I love mine and I see no lowering of quality and build level at 
> all.
> I expect the new lenses will be just as good as we have come to expect of
> Leica quality optics.
> 
> I find it interesting that everyone complains about the price of Leica's
> lenses and keeps demanding lower pricing, and when they do, everyone starts
> whining about lower quality and Leica not keeping to their old ways.  Even
> before anyone has even had one in their hands.  It seems to me that they 
> are
> doing just what everyone has asked them to do.  So now its our turn to 
> step up
> to the counter...  Maybe I can get my wife to get me the new 90 as a
> retirement gift come January.  ;-)
> 
> Gene
> 
>

The way I've see it its a 2.8 not a 2.
An Elmarit not an Summicron. So its the slow economy offering again the
faster premium offering.

In the Leica catalogs of pervious era's a couple of which I just landed from
the Leica Gallery in Greenwich Village and have next to my bed and at night
and put under my pillow when I sleep at hopefully night you see the lens
offerings.
And there are different price points built into the fact that there is a
slow medium and fast offering of each. Or at least a slow then a fast.
The slow lens is the in effect economy line and the fast one the premium
one.
And that was before most of the names strictly meant a certain f stop.
Now we have a Summarit line. And as its modern times that's gong to mean its
going to be an f 2.5 line with no deviations from that f stop.
But as its the weekend the 2.5 line is under track maintenance and you need
to take the bus. Till 12:01 AM Monday. Whatever that means.
But its not that easy as a 2.5 50 is a medium speed lens while a 2.5 90 is
on the fast side. As would be a wide wide angle. The extra examples being a
2.5 would make a very high end hunk of glass for a 300mm;
or 15 mm lens.

I just don't want them to forget the slow end.
The Local. For us every day Joes. And Josephine's.
Who need to stop and smell the roses.

After all you don't have to look through the darned thing.
You look through the little window on the side.
Things are not brighter and pop into focus better when they are faster
glass. 
In the dominate SLR world that is the real lure of speed.


Faster also means 
bigger heavier and off balance more expensive and more prone to flare.
And longer before I can save up and get it.


Mark William Rabiner
Harlem, NY

rabinergroup.com