Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/06/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hans It isn't so much that Leica now makes lenses which are "inferior" to former designs. It is more that Leica now makes lenses which are supposed to produce adequate images but cost less to manufacture. It's not quite the same thing. And some Leica M designs -- the two aspherical 1.4/35 Summilux designs and the current 2.8/90 Elmarit -- are improvements over past formulations. But the two sticklers in the bunch are the 2/35 and 2/50 Summicrons. In both cases, a fair number of users seem to prefer the earlier designs -- the first eight-element design for the 35mm and the rigid or NF design for the 50mm. The Japanese tests come from a publication entitled CAMERA REVIEW: ALL ABOUT HISTORICAL CAMERAS, issue 24. Most of this is in Japanese -- which I do not speak! -- but I have a brief precis in English with a few of the charts deciphered. Simply put, the results showed: First rigid design (1959) 280 center resolution 181 surface resolution second (1978) 180 98 current (1981) 180 116 There are a slew more charts but the translation of them is a task! Further information can be had from my source, Mr Joel Tlumak, publisher of RFinder Magazine, at jt@jmbm.com -- I just suggested to Joel that he should subscribe to LUG. Marc msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!