Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 12:19 PM 3/2/99 -0500, you wrote: > It's a retrofocus design. The M allows the designer to use less of the >retrofocus principal when designining the lens. Translation: less flare, >greater sharpness. But you said Leica hasn't ventured beyond 21. This is not true. The superiority of retrofocus to true wide angle used to be true. I believe Erwin has said that retrofocus is no longer a detriment. Or maybe it was Mike Johnston. This lens (second generation 19mm Elmarit) proves that is no longer the case in practice. This lens can compete with any wide angle lens out there for image quality. Note I didn't say ultra-wide. It compares to my 35 Summicron ASPH very favorably for brilliance, sharpness and what makes Leicas so special. It has some fall-off in the extreme corners, but no doubt a tradeoff for more important correction elsewhere. Photoshop and a good darkroom technician can fix it no problem. Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.