[Leica] New 85 f4 ZM

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=864877

Jonathan Eastland has just reviewed this new 85 and the new 15mm CV M for
the The British Journal of Photography which I get regular emails from I'm
glad I can read British.
Its being called the

Zeiss ZM Tele-Tessar T* 85mm f/4

And its just out if its out yet at all!

It's a bit smaller than my 90 Elmarit, Jonathan says.
Which I take out with me when I'm looking for a more lightweight option to
my awesome 90 APO ASPH. But the Elmarit is still heavy as hell. Twice as
heavy as I normally like to have up front there.
The new Cosina made ZM 85 is for sure bigger them my LTM  90 elmar which his
also f4.
But smaller than the current yet discontinued Elmarit M designed for NASA.
I love f4 glass on my Leicas why?
Because I don't have to look through the darned thing.
Nothing is made darker and harder to focus at f4;
- it just makes for a super compact flare free optic;
Which cost less money.
For me that's getting my cake and eating it too.

Jonathan is impressed with the classic optical design of this new 85 for the
Leica M and what they've done to extend that.
He says it does better at f22 than older Leitz 90mm glass.
But I bet my Elmar does better at f32.
(the ZV only goes to f22)
I'm an f32 and be there kinda guy and yes I've heard the phrase "diffraction
limited".

Naturally I can get the adaptor and shoot my own tiny LTM Elmar 90 f4 on my
M's.
But it might look kinda silly.
Its kind of skinny thing like a pinky. People might laugh at me. And I'm
sensitive.

Slow compact glass is where its at I keep saying rinse and repeat.
But Mr. Kobayashi at Cosina always got it.
Now the Zeiss people he's working with also have got it. I bet he talked
them into it.
Zeiss in Germany has been offering a f/2, 85mm Sonnar T*  monster which cost
a fortune and really was a Zeiss lens made in Germany. Generally you can
tell by the price. If it cost $ 2,912.00  (B&H) then its made by Carl Zeiss
AG in Oberkochen.

We don't need all that size and weight in front of what's supposed to be
compact camera system, the Leica M. its nice to not have a blocked
viewfinder and a front heavy camera.

Fast glass is an SLR need. You're always wanting the groundglass to be
brighter. So you can then stop down a little and really get it.
People think they need speed where all they're looking for is "brightness"
and the leeway to know they've got their focus.

An M needs a complete F4 option from wide to tele.
Like it did in the day. The 50s and 60's.

So they've come out with this classic f4 and had Cosina do it.
I love the Zeiss chrome front rim design like on a Contarex.

Cosina always willing to come out with a more humane option for the monsters
the other camera companies make. But Kaufmann's catching on.
I do notice the new 18 and slow 24.

I don't think we need a whole lens line of f1.4's.
We need f4's not f1.4's.








Mark William Rabiner