[Leica] More fuel on the fire

["Robert E. Woods" <woorob@email.msn.com>]

I've read the latest debate about lens quality with great interest, as last
year about this time my brother and I conducted a similar (concededly
unscientific) test.  Always using a tripod, we shot about a dozen scenes at
three prescribed apertures using a variety of cameras:  Leica R4, Leica M6,
Canon AE-1, Contax G1 and Minox 35GL.  We had all the pictures (shot using
Kodak color negative film) developed by Kodak, with 4x6 prints.

I'll be the first to admit this was a wholly unscientific test.  But every
single person who looked at the prints agreed there were differences.

The differences generally fell into three categories:  inferior picture
quality (Canon AE-1); generally comparable picture quality with some
camera/lens combinations clearly better than others (the R4 and Contax G1);
and discernable differences in color rendition.

The prints revealed distinct differences in sharpness, particularly
noticeable in shots of the detail found in downtown office towers.  The
Contax G1 with 45mm seemed the sharpest in absolute terms, with the R4 and
60mm macro in the same league.  Most other pictures were essentially
indistinguishable (including both those shot with a Minox 35GL and with an
M6 and 35 Summicron!).

Perhaps the most interesting observation was that there were discernable
differences in color rendition.  The Contax prints all exhibited a slight
yellowish cast, which we concluded must have been intentional because each
of three different Contax lenses (28, 45 and 90) yielded the same exact
color tint.  The Leica pictures were perhaps less sharp but all yielded very
"snappy" prints exhibiting a broader range of coloration than the other
lenses.  And interestingly, all Leica lenses seemed to exhibit the same
tonal characteristics.

So while this was a completely unscientific test, it left no doubt in my
mind that there are indeed discernable differences between and amongst
various lenses.  Not that one is necessarily better (whatever that means),
mind you, but that there does seem to be a common characteristic shared by
Leica lenses.

Bob Woods
St. Paul