[Leica] X Pro Question

[dstella1 at ameritech.net (Dante Stella)]

Hi David:

Yes; I have also shot it against the 35 Summilux ASPH on the X-Pro. The 
short of it is that on an X-Pro (which has no compensating microlenses), the 
Leica lens did not do as well (nor, really, do most Leica-mount wides). To 
be fair, the Leica lens is fantastic on digital M bodies whose sensors are 
set up to accommodate older lenses. The XF 35 is one of the sharpest lenses 
I have ever seen, so it's a tough contest to begin with.

http://dantestella.com/technical/xpro1.html

I don't think there is really a division between "film" lenses and "digital" 
lenses.  There are, however, some other divisions:

1.      Lenses that are designed around the tighter tolerances of digital 
(flat imaging plane, microscopic image plane depth, delivering light rays 
perpendicular to the sensor, pixel peeping that equates to magnifications at 
which people never printed pictures). The wider and faster the lens (<35mm 
and/or >f/2), the bigger a factor these seem to be. The Rokkors are not 
wide/fast enough to present problems; they worked fine on my M8.

2.      TTL focusing systems that can compensate for focus shift vs. blind 
rangefinder systems that have to pick a compromise for lenses whose focus 
shifts as they stop down (75 Summilux, for example).

3.      Lenses that can be designed to project rays straight into a sensor 
vs. systems sensors with microlenses offset to compensate for ray spread of 
more symmetrically designed (older) lenses. That compensation is not uniform 
for every lens - which is why lens optimization is an issue for the M8, M9 
and M.

My studied opinion - even having an M240 coming next week - is that mixing 
old lenses and new bodies is not likely to yield the best possible results. 
The best possible results will be new Leica glass on new Leica bodies or 
Fuji lenses on Fuji bodies.

Dante

On Aug 24, 2013, at 1:18 AM, David Ching wrote:

> Have you tried the Fuji 35mm lens considered the best lens by many? 
> 
> Your point about Leica M lenses being compromised is very interesting. The 
> view that there are lenses for digital and for film holds true for you 
> then. I do own both the Rokkor M 40mm and 90mm. As they film lenses? 
> 
> What do feel about the crop factor of the Fuji? Perhaps this exaggerates 
> the quality of the lenses. Until we get a FF Fuji, it seems unfair to 
> somehow "discount" Leica M lenses or compare them.
> 
> Always read your articles with much respect. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> David Ching
> 
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