Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi B.D., On Fri, 26 Mar 1999 16:16:53 -0500, "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net> wrote: >I've seen this lens listed on Ebay. It certainly looks impressive in the >photo, but does anyone know if it actually is impressive? All I have to offer is heresay, namely that this lens (and the Avenon 21/2.8-28/2.8) fall into the "decent and affordable" category. "Decent" being not all that close to "impressive." I think Dan Khong had one of the 21mm lenses (either Kobalux or Avenon), and said that it was OK but lacked the "punch" of his other Leica lenses. As I remember he got rid of it, bit the bullet, and bought an Elmarit-M (Dan---please correct me if I'm wrong). A few others on the list tried them and moved on; I think a couple may have bought and kept one. I haven't seen any raves about performance, either here or in the magazines. The pickings in superwide-ish alternatives to new Leica-M lenses are kind of slim. The Leica/Super Angulons are not much cheaper than new Elmarits and don't meter on an M6 without surgery. The Russar seems to have a very nice price/performance ratio, but you may have to try several samples to find a good one, it doesn't rangefinder focus, and the aperture ring interface doesn't look very convenient. The Kobalux/Avenons are available, and seem to be decent, but it's hard to get excited about them. Rarity and high prices make Contax/Nikon/Canon L-mount alternatives unattractive. Ricoh has a new GR L-mount 21/3.5 lens coming out in Japan this week, and magazine buzz so far is pretty favorable. Ricoh seems to have traded even illumination for compactness, though, with not only magazine reviews but Ricoh's own ads pointing out that corner fall-off is noticeable. All this, plus a limited production run and limited availability outside Japan, for $US900+. I waded into 21mm by getting a Zeiss Biogon 21/2.8 for my Contax G1/G2. I found I liked the focal length, and used it more than I expected. So I bit the bullet and got an Elmarit-M 21/2.8 Asph for my Leica Ms. If you like to use wide apertures a lot, and you like what you see at wide apertures with your current Summicrons/Summiluxes/whatever, and if 21mm is going to be more than a couple times a year lens for you, there may not be a lot of wiggle room out there. Let us know how it goes, PB Paul C. Brodek Kobe, Japan pcb@iac.co.jp