Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/09/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Mon, 14 Sep 1998, Dan Post wrote: >I am amazed at times when we go off on these threads! It's fun! So in th= e >spirit of things I'd like to say that my favorite Leica lens is the one = I >need at any particular time in order to get the image I want! >They say disagreements are what makes horse races, and such gentlemanly >disagreements make for interesting reading. What I would like to know, when >we expound upon the merits of our "favorite" lens, is what is the subjec= t >for which you favor that lens? What conditions make that lens a favorite= ? Dan, This sounds like fun! Here are my favorites: 1) Kids in the classroom: 35mm Summicron-R. A beautiful lens, especially= wide-open. Quick and easy to use, outstanding sharpness and flare resistance, wonderful separation between the foreground "characters" and their background peers. I like it most on the R4sP in averaging mode. 2) Kids outdoors: easily, the 90mm Summicron-R is my favorite. Stunning color rendition and a fully usable f/2.0 aperture are the most obvious qualities of this lens. This was my 2nd Leica lens, purchased used in 19= 79 & converted to 3-cam. My non-photographer wife made me swear never to se= ll it. Hey, twist my arm!! I use it on either the SL or the R4sP. Either way it's a beauty! 3) Medium- to large-sized mammals: the 280 f/4.8 Telyt-V on the SL. I lo= ve the SL's viewscreen with the longer lenses. Mammals usually let me get close enough to use the 280 and I like the 280's perspective more than a longer lens. I use it with a collapsed monopod tucked under my armpit, like a shoulder brace. Next paycheck I'll start looking for a Televit. 4) birds, me in the open: the 400 f/6.8 Telyt on the SL, with the shoulde= r stock. With the SL's viewscreen, the 400 snaps into focus with hardly an= effort. Follow-focussing birds in flight is no big deal. The sharpness = is excellent, the color quality and "3-D effect" are amazing. This was my first Leica lens. No wonder I got rid of the N**** stuff. Like the 90, = my wife has insisted that I never sell it. 5) birds, me in a blind: the 560 f/6.8, on a tripod. I never seem to pla= ce the blind close enough. Optically the 560 is every bit as good as the 40= 0 but using it hand-held is more of a chore. Using the 400 on a tripod see= ms like a perversion of everything that is just, good and true but I can justify using the 560 on the tripod 'cuz the results are so nice. The SL= is my body of choice. Doug Herr Sacramento