Re: Emotive lenses

["Dave" <gannet@cftnet.com>]

> Rather than *specifications* Leica lenses truly do have *character*.
> As hard as that variable is to scientifically quantify and
> replicate, to the frustration of many, it is no less true despite
> what some would have us believe. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ My
> friends on the Nikon list often post detailed quantitative
> discusions of their favorite or most-hated lenses. 
> 
> As light bending is pure physics, and film processing is pure
> chemistry, there (by definition) is an objective explanation for the
> effects sketched out above.

There may or may not be an objective explanation.  I speak as a
former mechanical engineer and test & instrumentation engineer (I do
computer programming now).

The fact is that scientists and engineers measure what they know how
to measure.  The universe is vastly more complicated than what we
can measure.  In fact, it can be said that the whole process of
science is to attempt to reduce the complexity of nature to a level
us mere humans can grasp.  Science does this by using reasonable
assumptions and approximations.  But they remain exactly that.  

Even basic, "irrefutable" physics like F=MA is an approximation.  It
ignores, for example, relativistic effects.  It is true that -for our
purposes- relativity has no meaningful effect at normal velocities.
Relativistic effects are still there, we just "throw them away" for
everyday purposes.

Back to lenses.  As a thought experiment, if we were to take a Leica
lens and a Nikon lens (for example), and managed to find two
specimens which tested exactly the same in every particular that
science knows how to test, does that mean that the images would be
completely indistinguishable?  Not necessarily at all.  It may well
be that the human eye-brain can distinguish yet-unidentified effects
that we don't know how to measure.  In fact, science may not even
realize they exist.  They may fall into the realm of things "thrown
away" by science as being "beneath notice".  Exactly. :) 

But what puzzles me is, assuming that Leica "character" is real (I
don't dispute it, as I have no Leicas - yet <G>), how the heck do the
designers design it in?  Are there Secret Black Forest Optical
Formulas?  Do they use trial and error to get the results they want?
Or do they know how to work with the things science knows how to
measure in such a way as to produce that "Leica character"?  In other
words, does Leica know something that the rest of the world's optical
companies don't?  Or could Nikon and Canon and Zeiss produce the 
"Leica look" if they wanted to?

Dave