Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/14
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Dan S wrote:
>
>The new Hexar 50 is as good as the Summicron M 50?!? I think this should
>rock some boats...Especially since the rumor mill had Leica leaving the 50
>alone since it could not be improved at a reasonable cost to the
>consumer...Now a "nobody" comes out of the blue and puts together a lens of
>similar quality for a lower price! Can it be SO?!?
The 50mm has been around for a long time so I am not surprised that the
lens design is about near perfect in terms of sharpness. However, if we are
talking about the other attributes of a lens (like bokeh, contrast,
saturation, colour rendition, etc), then there may be more room for
dissecting their differences.
For example, my 50/1.8 Nikkor is a very very sharp lens, and the lens is
tough as nails (having dropped it on numerous occasions) but it cannot
produce the leica-look in my shots compared to my 50 Summicron.
IMO, many leicaphiles have progressed (or evolved if you like the term to
describe ourselves) beyond mere sharpness. At least 90% of photographers
that I meet still continue to "wooo...wah" over lens sharpness even though
they have been into the hobby for umpteen years. By virtue of being able
to appreciate and exploit the use the older lenses of past vintage, leica
users have been into photographic artistry for a long time. I think nothing
of plonking a 50 Summitar on my M6 to produce the shots reminiscent of the
1950s. In fact this is probably our best kept secret because it makes our
hobby so much more enjoyable.
Dan K.
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