Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/01

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Subject: Re: [Leica] So now NIKON's perfect?!?
From: "Ken Iisaka" <kiisaka@attglobal.net>
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 15:16:39 -0800

> At 10:35 AM -0800 12/1/99, Ken Iisaka wrote:
> >From: Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>
> >> >>>>>
> >> At 07:12 PM 11/30/1999 -0800, Ken Iisaka wrote:
> >> >I concur.  I have been told that Nikon designers were tempted to
change
> >the
> >> >mount to remedy its deficiencies, namely the long distance between the
> >> >flange and the film plane, and the diameter of the mount
> >>
> >> Whoever they were are wrong. I have it from the head of NPS that this
is
> >> not the case.
> >>
> >> Eric Welch
> >> Carlsbad, CA
> >>
> >> Eric,
> >> I don't think this is correct--I think Ken is right. Several lens
> >> designers have told me that the diameter of the exit pupil is the third
> >> biggest limitation on the design of fast lenses for SLRs--first if you
> >> discount selling price and size, which are the two limiting factors
that
> >> usually beat it out. Have you ever seen a Canon 50mm f/1? It obviously
> >> uses every millimeter of the exit pupil.
> >
> >and if you see the rear element of a Nikon 50/1.2, 55/1.2 and 58/1.2,
every
> >millimeter of space is used.  As the mater of fact, the rear element is
> >trimmed a little bit for one of the tabs.  These rear elements are as far
> >back as they can be placed without interference with the mirror, and
there
> >is no physical way to implement a larger exit pupil that determines the
> >f-stop.
> >
> >The anecdote about the decision comes from a friend who is in the camera
> >design group at Nikon who shall remain nameless to protect his job
security.
>
> There definitely are design constraints placed on someone who has only a
> smaller diameter mount to work with, but it's the _entrance_ pupil that
> determines the f-stop, not the _exit_ pupil. The size of the Nikon's mount
> does not preclude a 50/1, it just makes it slightly more difficult.

Actually, the exit pupil diameter does matter.  In addition, the diameter of
the rear most element and its position determines the maximum aperture that
can be designed.

Leica can provide an f1 lens even though the mount diameter is small,
because the rear most element can be much closer than possible with an SLR.