[Leica] widest lens used?

[s.dimitrov at charter.net (slobodan Dimitrov)]

The main thing that makes my 21mm C/V loiter in the camera bag, is that it 
has a look reminiscent of 60-70's Nikon glass. It's a bit brittle in the mid 
range. 
Can the lens be re-centered aftermarket?
S.d. 


On Apr 3, 2010, at 10:52 AM, Henning Wulff wrote:

> Some years ago I did a comparison for the LHSA Viewfinder of four 21mm 
> lenses: the CV 21/4, Ricoh 21/3.5, SA f/3.4 and Elmarit ASPH f/2.8. I used 
> to have the older Elmarit, and had compared that lens to the ASPH and SA 
> separately, indicating that that lens would have ended up in last place. 
> Some other 21's such as the Kobalux lenses also would not have touched the 
> ASPH, but some samples were quite good.
> 
> The Ricoh was the poorest in most respects, but not by a large margin, and 
> the ASPH was definitely the best in most respects. The SA and CV lenses 
> each had strong points and weak points, but both were very useable. Since 
> then I've tried a number of newer lenses like the Zeiss 21's, both of 
> which can compete very well with the Elmarit ASPH and are definitely 
> better than the CV 21. But again, they're larger, and the Biogon is even 
> slower.
> 
> The main problem I've seen with the CV is decentering, which unfortunately 
> affects many other CV products. A lot of samples need some stopping down 
> to bring some corners into good performance. That's were a lot of the 
> money goes with Leica lenses.
> 
> In comparison to the 15 and 12mm lenses, I find that the 21 a) has a lot 
> of competition, which the others don't, and b) there's not a lot of 
> difference in performance, and certainly the 21 and 15 have a quite 
> similar character.
> 
> As for Ken Rockwell's 'tests' and 'opinions', the less said the better.
> 
> 
> 
> At 1:42 AM -0400 4/3/10, Mark Rabiner wrote:
>>> Rabs, I said "BY ALL REPORTS" competitive since I have no idea whether 
>>> it's
>>> competitive or not; just telling you about the *reviews* out there. Gandy
>>> for one but ok he has an interest in the matter. But -- since you've 
>>> already
>>> mentioned the technically knowledgeable though aesthetically wanting, 
>>> often
>>> goofy, and I suspect on other fronts dumbass closet right wing, Ken 
>>> Rockwell
>>> , I offer first this:
>>> 
>>> *<<This Voigtl?nder 21mm lens is the best 21mm lens ever made for Leica
>>> cameras, regardless of price....This lens is tiny, and works at least as
>>> well optically as anything ever sold by Leica.....It is as sharp, and
>>> sometimes sharper, than the $4,300 Leica 21mm f/2.8
>>> ASPH<http://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/21mm-f28-asph.htm>to which I
>>> compared it directly.
>>> *
>>> 
>>> *How can this be? Probably because this Voigtl?nder lens is only f/4, 
>>> which
>>> is far easier to design and manufacture than trying to push things with 
>>> the
>>> modern f/2.8 ASPH lens from Leica, which has to be much bigger and much 
>>> more
>>> expensive just to retain the same optical quality. It costs a lot in many
>>> ways to add just one stop of lens speed. *
>> 
>> 
>> I've been harping on this for years on the lug what you just said. The
>> wonders of slow glass to the effect...
>> Every once in a while Leica gets smart and gives us a slow option. Instead
>> of listening to the marketing people and making us pay 8 grand for a huge
>> thing you'd not want to carry around all day and have a filter size which 
>> is
>> the same size as the platters at the Yankee pot roast family restaurant.
>> Traditionally  in the Leica catalog you got a slow medium and fast option
>> for about very focal length.
>> The slow lenes are slow.
>> But will have less flare and result at least as well as not better than 
>> the
>> high priced spread. Compact.
>> So there is a gap which Cosina has filled with the help of the typefaces &
>> fonts from  Voigtl?nder and Zeiss family heirlooms. And the power of mind
>> over matter on the part of their customers who want with all their might 
>> to
>> think they are buying a Zeiss lens for a few hundred dollars.
>> I do wish I had some of these options when I was getting my glass in the
>> 90's
>> We keep forgetting that  we don't need 1.4 to see thought the darned 
>> thing.
>> It can be a 5.6 our viewfinder rangefinder is just as bright and sharp.
>> For many photographers they don't know it but that is their real speed
>> issue. They just want a bright groundglass.
>> Well we don't need no stinkin groundglass. We can get sharp as  tack
>> focusing with an f 11 lens. If anyone ever made one. If the did I'd buy 
>> it.
>> But I'm been using my twinkie light.
>> 
>> [Rabs]
>> Mark William Rabiner
>> 
> -- 
> 
>   *            Henning J. Wulff
>  /|\      Wulff Photography & Design
> /###\   mailto:henningw at archiphoto.com
> |[ ]|     http://www.archiphoto.com
> 
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