Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/02/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My sentiments exactly, Pascal. I tried the 80/1.4 for about 2 months. I even took it with me when I went to Southeast Asia for my 3 week trip. I also was not entirely satisfied, and I have already made the switch to the 100/2.8 APO. Sure the 100 is slower, but I feel the lack of speed is made up for by AMAZING image quality AND the Macro ability (1:2 without help!). I found the 80/1.4 to be TOO critical when it comes to focusing. The times I needed the lens the most turned out to be the times when I wanted to capture a bit of slow moving action, and not landscapes. Even if you are a few millimeters off, you will lose the shot. I was also disappointed with the 35/1.4, and sold that as well. I am a happier man today with my new 50/2, 100 APO, and 180/2.8. At 10:30 PM 2/20/98 +0100, you wrote: >It is now almost six months I am using the Summilux-R 80mm f/1.4 ROM with >my R8. So far, the feelings are mixed. > >Positive about the handiness and relative compactness of the lens. It >goes well with the R8 and fits perfectly in my hands. A joy to use. Also, >the viewfinder gives a very bright image, which makes it easier to focus. >This is important as focusing wide-open can be very critical. > >Somewhat disappointed about the overall image quality. BAS reports' >diagrams for sharpness and contrast show this should be a very good >performer (except at 1.4), I am not entirely satisfied. My own feeling of >"subjective sharpness" tells me my images are not always as tack-sharp as >I would like them to be. Mind you, I would not call the quality bad. No, >it feels rather good or average. Nothing very Leica about it. >First I thought it was me not focusing precisely enough or shooting at >too slow a speed, but I have tested a few rolls of film (Fuji Reala) to >be sure to rule this out. I used large apertures as well as more average >ones, but my feeling was always the same. The pictures lacked crispness. > >This is especially a pity in view of the very high price of this lens. In >terms of image quality, I am beginning to feel as if I should have gone >for the Apo-Macro-Elmarit 100mm instead of the Summilux. I was hesiting >last year when making the choice, but I am slowly starting to regret my >decision. > >Anyone having anything to say on this? > >Pascal > >-------------------------------------------------------- >t h i n k d i f f e r e n t a p p l e >-------------------------------------------------------- ><<< PGP public key available on request >>> > Francesco Sanfilippo, Five Senses Productions webmaster@5senses.com http://www.5senses.com/