[Leica] Less you scoff at R lenses compared to 21st Century M lenses.........
Mark Rabiner
mark at rabinergroup.com
Sat Jul 8 20:17:46 PDT 2017
The 1974 24mm infamous on the LUG for being a Minolta rip-off and a recurring thread from days gone by now back again for one more go at it..
But check page 141 of Erwin’s Leica Lens Compendium (hard cover) he says though the original design of the 24 was Minolta made with Minolta glass other outside glass; the Leica version is made in Germany by Leica and I think he is inferring so is the glass you’d have to read it yourself in his words not mine as we know he hates to be misquoted.
This is 1974 folks. 2017 – 1974 = 43 earth years.
This is one old lens. With digital computer design and new coatings technology and glass designs they may as well have been wearing powdered wigs.
Lens design technology keeps moving on as far as I go I’m only nostalgic with my lens choice after I’m covered with the most cutting edge current designs I can afford.
Then I buy for a song used old stuff for their inimitable optical fingerprint and glow; in other words what they didn’t know then.
Personally when I want the look I get from my glass to stand out as different then I get a lens newer than everybody’s not older.
And what makes it interesting is how sharp it is not it’s quaint defects.
--
Mark William Rabiner
Photographer
On 7/5/17, 5:01 AM, "LUG on behalf of Frank Dernie" <lug-bounces+mark=rabinergroup.com at leica-users.org on behalf of Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com> wrote:
In that era it wasn’t only zooms that were Minolta. The 24mm f2.8 R lens was still the Minolta design up to the end of production, though again, I believe built by Leica in a Leica quality mount.
cheers,
Frank D.
> On 5 Jul 2017, at 09:57, Christopher Crawford <chris at chriscrawfordphoto.com> wrote:
>
> Some Leica R zooms were actually Minolta designs, and the earlier ones
> were actually built by Minolta. That’s back when R-series cameras were
> still based on Minolta designs (R3, R4, R5, R6, R7).
>
> --
> Chris Crawford
> Fine Art Photography
> Fort Wayne, Indiana
> 260-437-8990
>
> http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com My portfolio
>
> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-Crawford/48229272798
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>
>
>
> On 7/5/17, 4:47 AM, "LUG on behalf of Frank Dernie"
> <lug-bounces+chris=chriscrawfordphoto.com at leica-users.org on behalf of
> Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>> Interesting Frank, with respect to the R zoom I had always thought that
>> they were Sigma designs built by Leica to Leica tolerances in Leica type
>> mounts. Thanks for the update.
>> My main 50 is the f1.4 Leica on an M though.
>> cheers,
>> Frank D.
>>
>>> On 4 Jul 2017, at 23:07, Frank Filippone <red735i at verizon.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> #1. if you do not wish to read about techie stuff, quit now. This is a
>>> very
>>> nerdy test that takes absolutely no interesting pictures. It is a Lens
>>> test. Period.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> For a while I have been trying to cut the weight and bulk of my M kit,
>>> at
>>> the same time, making travel photography less complicated.
>>>
>>> My preference is towards the least user intervention in the photographic
>>> process. Changing lenses is a big distraction.
>>>
>>> Getting a SL and lenses, is not in my budget, even after they dropped
>>> the
>>> price of the body by almost $1500.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Museums and Churches are dark places. I want one fast lens to do
>>> Churches
>>> and museums. 50mm seems the right lens.
>>>
>>> To that end, I collected a bunch of lenses, and ( thanks to Doug, yet
>>> again)
>>> a Sony A7II body (24MP body).
>>>
>>> Using that body as my test device, I tested out my 50mm lenses for use
>>> in
>>> low light conditions.. Full open Aperture.. For zooms, they were only
>>> evaluated at 50mm.
>>>
>>> I used a tripod, self timer, manual focusing at max magnification,
>>> distance
>>> of about 12 feet, in bright light, ISO 50.
>>>
>>> My subject is the cedar fence ( now 45 years old) in my front yard.
>>> Lens
>>> Hoods were used in all cases.
>>>
>>> I took 3 images for each lens, keeping the best , and evaluated all the
>>> images through LRCC at 1:1.
>>>
>>> Only the center of each image is evaluated, at full aperture ( F1.4 or
>>> whatever) Because that is how I will use this lens. Full open
>>> aperture.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> For the results.. Best to worst.. This is all about central
>>> resolution, and
>>> ability to get fine detail...
>>>
>>> 1) Leica M 50mm F1.4 ASPH. Wins by a big margin optically. Fully
>>> manual
>>> operation, as are all M and R lenses.
>>>
>>> 2) LeicaFLEX Vario Elmar R 28-70 F3.5-4.5 ( 1990 design, Rom version,
>>> with Novoflex adapter. Fully manual) ( Stick that in your .. "old
>>> lenses
>>> suck". pipe and smoke it)
>>>
>>> 3) Sony 55mm F1.8 ( very close to the Leicaflex lens. Lightest lens
>>> in
>>> the test and it is AF and auto-aperture)
>>>
>>> 4) Leica M 50mm F2 ( early 1990's vintage)
>>>
>>> The next bunch are pretty close, but if you leave out 1 lens, the
>>> differentials are greater. so the lenses do decrease in capability
>>>
>>> 5) Leica M 28/35/50 Tri Elmar F4
>>>
>>> 6) Sony 28-70 F4.5-5.6 Zoom (AF)
>>>
>>> 7) Nikon 50mm F1.4 AF non D lens ( with Fotodiox adapter, no AF as
>>> it has
>>> a mechanical aperture connection to the body)
>>>
>>> 8) Nikon 50mm F1.4 G lens ( which will AF on the Sony body with the
>>> Fotodiox adapter)
>>>
>>> Big gap in image quality, but that is not the prime purpose of these
>>> lenses
>>>
>>> 9) 7 Artisans 50mm F1.1 Chinese (New, $369, 400grams, delivered in 1
>>> week!)
>>>
>>> 10) Noctilux 50mm F1.0
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Yes, the best lens of the bunch was the 21st century marvel. But you
>>> probably believed that before you started to read this.
>>>
>>> To me, the surprise was the Leicaflex lens doing so well... FYI, I
>>> believe
>>> this lens is a Leica design produced by Sigma in Japan
>>>
>>> And to me, the most rewarding part of the test is how well the Sony 55
>>> F1.8
>>> lens did..since that lens is part of my proposed new kit. Optically,
>>> it IS
>>> good enough to do what I ask of it..
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Remember, these results are specific to MY lenses and MY needs
>>> (wants?). If
>>> you were to evaluate your kit, or, even using my images, or making up
>>> new
>>> images using my lenses, may result in a different order. (YMMV)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Comments?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I also tested the Sony 16-35 Zoom lens against the Leica 16/18/21mm Wide
>>> Angle Tri Elmar.
>>>
>>> Hands down, the Leica lens is superior at 16mm. At 18mm, they are much
>>> closer, but the Leica is still better. At 21mm, the Sony lens is
>>> superior.
>>>
>>>
>>> At these focal lengths, manual focusing errors are more prone to
>>> happen, AF
>>> was used and results were gathered from the AF Sony images.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> BTW, my time to do this came about as I tend to my Wife, as she is now
>>> lying
>>> prone ( last 4 weeks) with back issues. so getting further than the
>>> cedar
>>> fence surrounding the house is an issue..
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Frank Filippone
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Red735i at verizon.net
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>
>
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