Re: Leica Lens vs Nikon Lens

["Jeff Segawa" <segawa@netone.com>]

>What makes Leica lenses so expensive other than the superb 
>     silky smooth barrel finish, when compared to Nikon and Contax lenses?

>     I am talking about the lens quality which determines the quality of 
>     image.  Thank you.

The Leica M system is a fine one, but not really competitive on the mass
market, I think. What does a company do when they've got a reputation for
quality, but lack the resources to keep up with the big guys? Go upscale
and have exclusivity figure prominently into the picture. The ultra-long
product cycles enhance the mystique, with the added benefit of making old
cameras readily repairable (parts are still being made) and much sought
after.

Image quality: As luck would have it, I just got back some slides taken
with the current 50 Summicron-M, 35-70 AF-Nikkor and my trusty little Minox
35EL. What's more, they were all processed at the same time, and all images
were from the same 100' spool of Velvia. Leica and Nikon shots were mostly
done on a tripod. Minox shots were exlusively handheld. Many shots were of
the very same subjects and taken under near-identical conditions. My
impressions:

Minox: Quite a nice little camera! Some tendancy for highlights to lose
definition: They look a little burnt-out, though under less contrasty
conditions, quality is very good. Some minor sharpness problems, probably
due to camera shake and plain ole user error due to guesstimated focus
system.

Nikon: Despite the fact that this is a zoom, and I've (rarely) seen ghost
images due to internal reflections, it controls bright areas beautifully,
maintaining a better level of detail in the highlights. Excellent sense of
detail and visual richness. Very, very sharp. Have used the Nikon system
since the late '70s and have always found the primes to be excellent, and
the zooms of the era to be sorta soft. Obviously, zoom technology has
advanced!

Leica: Very good control of brilliant highlights! Sharpness at around f/3.5
decidedly mediocre: Suspect my newly purchased M4 needs to have it's
rangefinder tweaked (will verify later using a bit of groundglass and a
loupe).  Towards f/8, the lens works great. This is not my first Leica M or
first M lens. Prior experience was that all offer very good, but not razor
sharp, images. I'll be trying the current collapseable Elmar in the near
future, thanks to the hefty rebate :-)

The Leica appeal: Rangefinder cameras in general simply do not seem to much
impress passers-by the way an SLR does. Lenses are compact, and the whole
system does not weigh very much. It's a real, interchangeable lens system
of good quality, yet it gets all the envious glances of a plastic
point-and-shoot, which is a very good thing. It's also a minor subculture
which is much enjoyed by it's like-minded members.
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