Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/05/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> It would seem that since the Ricoh performs so admirably at the smaller > apertures, that their programs for designing ashperical elements needs some > work where the periphery of the lens is concerned! In turn, > it raises the > question- if the aspherical elements of a lens don't perform significantly > better than traditional elements with sphrical surfaces- why bother? Is it a > market ploy for some? > Any thoughts on this? > Dan > My guess is that the inferior (but still good) imaging of the Ricoh has a lot to do with constraints due to lens size and also (probably to a lesser degree) cost, rather than simply an inferior design. One group of optical engineers set out to design a tiny 28mm lens for a reasonably priced shirt pocket P&S, the other set out to design a top performing 28mm for proffesional use with fewer restictions in size and cost. The 28mm Elmarit would be massive on the GR1.