Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/03/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I was thinking in my bed this Sunday morning... Leica should do some more effort for the R lens series. It seems, with the exception of the high-end modular Apo teles and Apo Zooms (which, quite frankly, are unaffordable for a non-professional user), that most effort for lenses has gone to the M series during the last couple of years. Just think of Summilux-M 35mm 1.4 ASPH, the Summicron-M 35mm 2.0 ASPH, the Elmarit-M 24mm 2.8 ASPH and Elmarit-M 21mm 2.8 ASPH. We have yet to witness such impressive lineup at the R side! I do not think that current R wideangles can measure up to their M counterparts (with the exception of the Elmarit 28mm 2.8). E.g. Summilux-R 35mm 1.4 has no aspherical elements, so it couldn't possibly be on the same line as the Summilux-M 35 1.4 ASPH. Same goes for the other mentioned wideangles. And although I heard that the Elmarit-R 19mm 2.8 latest version is an incredible lens, how could it compare to the Elmarit-M 21mm 2.8 ASPH as it does not have aspherical elements? Or, if there is no or almost no optical quality difference, we would have to conclude that the "ASPH" suffix is just a plain commercial ploy... Many lenses in the current R series seem like having a rather long history dating back to the beginning of the eighties, and seem badly in need of an overhaul (Elmarit-R 24mm 2.8, Summilux-R 80mm 1.4 and so on). I would be curious to know how they stand up to their modern and professional Canon L or Nikon counterparts. In view of the high premium prices, they should be the unquestionable top, but I rather doubt this is still true for a bunch of R lenses (again: I am not speaking of the lastest design lenses!). These are moments when you start to think that an investment in R series lenses is less well-sound than M series (latest). Sure, the R8 is a nice camera, but when you start comparing lenses... Pascal - -------------------------------------------------------- t h i n k d i f f e r e n t a p p l e c o m p u t e r - -------------------------------------------------------- <<< PGP public key available on request >>>