Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/02/06

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Monster High-tech 50mm 1.4 from Sigma and everyone else -distortion
From: freakscene at weirdness.com (Marty Deveney)
Date: Fri Feb 6 19:28:29 2009

>Well I'm afraid I don't agree as they've in effect come out with a line of
>wide angle Noctili.

I mentioned the ratio, not the absolute size.  I agree that those are large 
lenses for a compact RF camera, but they are very compact _for what they 
are_.  It gets harder to make a lens compact and perform well as speed 
increases - harder than the physical aperture size increase dictates.  It 
also gets very hard to keep the lens compact when the designs are required 
to have very wide fields of view.  The Nikkor 28/1.4, for example, which has 
a narrower field than either of the new Leica wides, especially since it is 
about a 31mm lens, weighs 520g, has a 72mm filter ring and is about 85 mm 
long (I can't find an official figure so I measures mine with a tape 
measure).  The Leica M 24/1.4 weights about the same but takes a Series VII 
filter, which is about 49mm in diameter, and is 58.5 mm long.  If you put 
the Leica 24/1.4 next to the Nikkor 28/1.4 you'll see why I mentioned the 
size:specification ratio, not simply the size.  The same applies for the 
Noctilux and the now defunct Canon EF 50/1 lens, the 35 Summilux asph and 
the Canon EF 35/1.4 and so on.  Leica are putting a lot of effort into 
keeping things compact, while retaining performance.

Marty


Gallery: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/freakscene


-- 
Be Yourself @ mail.com!
Choose From 200+ Email Addresses
Get a Free Account at www.mail.com



Replies: Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Monster High-tech 50mm 1.4 from Sigma and everyone else -distortion)