Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]When choosing lenses one needs to consider the intended uses. For me, wide open resolution does not matter that much. Color saturation, shadow detail and contrast are very important, however. Wide open shooting is usually hand-held shooting - resolution is a moot issue under those conditions. All Leica lenses I have used become very sharp when stopped down a couple of clicks. For critical photography where detail is an issue, a tripod becomes necessary - high lens speed and open apertures are no longer the issues. My lenses range from a couple of years old to 30. They all exhibit these characteristics. I use the M system for hand-held low light and the R for everything else. I have one APO lens- 180. 3.4 and it produces exceptionally sharp photos at all apertures. Nonetheless, my other R lenses compare favorably to it when stopped down. Therefore I really do not feel the need for the new APO lenses at this time. Bob Figlio