Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/09/10

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Subject: [Leica] 21/1.4??
From: leica at rcmckee.com (R. Clayton McKee)
Date: Wed Sep 10 21:49:36 2008
References: <004901c9136c$fc5a93c0$80f510ac@chris0436b6050>, <E2241B5E-EC85-49AA-8916-C4DCF69C107E@mac.com>, <002801c913c6$e01896d0$a049c470$@net>

Quoth the Frank Travel :

> Film users: DOF is negligibly different to an F2.8 for film guys,
> and there is good films at ASA 800 to use for dark shooting

And if DOF were the only reason for wide apertures, you'd have a 
point.  But there are considerable NONnegligible differences between, 
say, 1/2 @ 2.8 and 1/8 @ 1.4.  These differences may not be 
significant if you normally shoot sunny 16, 1/100 @ f16, but if 
you're pushing well below normal visible light for your images, 2 
stops of extra range is going to be a thing to kill or die for. I'd 
prefer a 24/1.4, but either one goes right to the top of my "I'm 
saving for a" list. 


> Digital Users: if you have an M8 ( or M9 or M10 or whatever it will
> be called) all you have to do is to up the ASA .... it is a dial
> issue.

Unfortunately at the level where the differences are significant and 
worth the money, there's a very sizable quality issue as well.  The 
M8 allegedly (I don't own one yet) runs out of top end around 640 for 
high-end uses.  That starkly limits what you can do in the dark with 
a 2.8 len.


> I am unimpressed from a marketing point of view.
> Technologically, I think it is genius, but genius does not keep the
> doors open.

It helps, especially if you're setting examples and showing off 
capabilities in the rarefied world of truly high-standards camera 
imagery.

--


R. Clayton McKee                           http://www.rcmckee.com
Photojournalist                               rcmckee@rcmckee.com
P O Box 571900                           voice/fax   713/783-3502
Houston, TX 77257-1900                   cell phone #  on request


Replies: Reply from red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Travel) ([Leica] 21/1.4??)
In reply to: Message from leicachris at worldnet.att.net (Chris Williams) ([Leica] 21/1.4??)
Message from imagist3 at mac.com (Lottermoser George) ([Leica] 21/1.4??)
Message from red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Travel) ([Leica] 21/1.4??)