Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/10/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Henning and Marvin, I have tried several of the various 28's available. Current inventory includes a 28/2,8 Elmarit 3rd version and a 4th version, as well as the Orion 28/6 and my latest toy, the Ricoh GR 28/2,8. The Orion is a great little "pancake lens", the aperture ring is difficult to see and operate ( communism did not include ergonomical design parameters), it is very sharp and makes a great point and shoot lens for the M2. The 28/2,8 Elmarits are really good, particularly the latest version. Extremely sharp across the neg and contrasty. The Ricoh 28/2,8 is very much like the Summaron 28/2,8 in size and although I haven't had a chance to print from it yet, the negs look good. Today the weather seems to co-operate and I will shoot some Tech-Pan with it and really try it out. It has 2 Aspherical surfaces and is very well made. It feels like a Leica lens, brass barrels and hood. The finder is OK ( also brass and weighs a lot) but could have better bright lines in it. I got this lens from a friend in Tokyo, it is available there for yen 98000 in chrome and yen 105 000 in black ( limited supply of this version), complete with finder/hood etc. The only reason for using it over the Leica lenses is the physical size, the 28 Elmarits are fairly large and cumbersome lenses. The Orion has a fairly high contrast and suffers from that Russian malaise of using aluminum barrels, they tend to become sticky if they are not relubed regularly and used frequently! Somewhat dramatic fall-off at the corners wide open but a fully usable lens. As for availability of Roussar 20's in Chech republic. I was there in May and could not find a single one and the result was the same in Warsaw a couple of weeks later Tom A