[Leica] Comparing SAs/Big Leicas (very much off-topic)

[Alex Hurst <corkflor@iol.ie>]

Hi LUGnuts.

I'm by no means a purist as I'm also a TLR fan. Occasionally I dig out a
Mamiya 330f Pro or a Rollei 2.8E (Zeiss Planar). The only relevance of MF
to this group is the Rollei, which, of course,can be a 35mm. portrait
camera in its own right with a Rolleikin kit. On the rare occasions I have
thought far enough ahead to use the Rollei in 35mm. mode, I have never been
disappointed. After all, an 80mm Zeiss lens is a pretty good focal length
for portraits. That said, you can achieve an effect almost
indistinguishable by enlarging a similar area from a 120 neg. Or on the
Mamiya, you can use the 180mm., which is a totally different experience.

However, back to Leicas and Super Angulons.

I've had the 21/3.4 SA M for a long time. It's one of the greatest, and it
isn't even a Leitz designed lens.

Recently (courtesy of a fellow LUGger) I now have a a 21/4 SA R  for my
Leicaflex SL (also non-Leitz. but from the  same stable.)

Colourwise there's little to distinguish them. Distortionwise, the reflex
(retrofocus) version is ever so slightly worse than the M version in the
extreme  corners.

In the acid test of producing real examples which show off the virtues (and
drawbacks) of these two. they're both excellent working lenses.

Haven't seen too many 21mm MF (or even equivalent) lenses around....

Slan

Alex




Alex Hurst
Waterfall
Nr. Cork
Ireland

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