Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/21

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Which Leica M lens is your favorite?
From: Ken Iisaka <kiisaka@pacbell.net>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 23:06:56 -0800

From: "Paul T. Collura" <pcollura@epix.net>
> I was thinking about the recent thread on MTF curves etc., when I
began
> wondering which lens out the Leica M lenses that I own never ceases to
> amaze me with its real world performance .  I don't care about it's
MTF
> curve or who has said what about it.  Which lens dazzles you?  I would
> have to say for me it is the 75mm f1.4 Summilux.  Mind you all current
> Leica M lenses are amazing but this one always puts a grin on my face.
I
> have just received a 90mm APO but have not used it as yet and maybe
this
> will knock the king off his throne.  I would be interested in how
other
> LUGers feel.

As far as I am concerned: ALL OF THEM!!!

I have at one point or another owned 10 M lenses:

first generation Summicron 35mm
Summaron 1:3.5/35mm
DR Summicron 50mm
Current Summicron 50mm
Noctilux 1:1/50mm
Summilux 75mm
First generation Elmarit 90mm
Fat Tele-Elmarit 90mm
Hektor 135mm
Elmar 135mm

The only one I was only lukewarm was the fat Tele-Elmarit which was
quite compact but did not have quite the quality of the earlier Elmarit,
though still excellent.  Those which remain in my camera bag are DR
Summicron, Noctilux, Summilux 75mm, and Elmarit 90mm.  I was amazed by
the quality of the 35mm lenses, but I always found myself not using this
focal length well.  I've always found it too short, or too long.  The
current 50mm was traded in for the Noct, and I got rid of 135mm because
they were really a bit too long to be used, at least for my taste, on an
RF body.  After eliminating the redundancy in 90mm, I am left with the
first-generation Elmarit which really is a remarkable lens.

Yes, I know: the current 50mm has far better performance than DR, and
APO-Summicron 90mm ASPH completely blows away the Elmarit.  Still, I
know that my equipment far outperforms me, and I am painfully aware that
my own limitations far exceed that of these lenses.  The reason for me
to unload these lenses has little to at all with these lenses.

I just unloaded a few non-Leica lenses to fund my next planned purchase:
24mm ASPH.  I've used a Nikon 24mm/2.8 which was an excellent performer,
as well as the latest 28mm/2.8 which focusses down to 20cm, which is
also a very good performer.  Still, I've found myself really liking
photographing with M bodies, and frankly, I've felt wanting more from
these lenses, however.  With Erwin's prodding that while Nikkor 24mm is
close in performance as the R 24mm, M 24mm is significantly better, I'm
afraid I've been bitten by the bug again.

Having said all this, if I were made to reduce my collection to one
lens, it would be the Noctilust, er Noctilux.  First and foremost, I
really like the 50mm focal length.  It can be used to take pictures
which look like they were taken with either a wide angle, or a long
lens, by careful aperture selection and composition.  While the weight
and size are an issue, an M body with a Noctilux is not at all bigger
and/or heavier than my Nikon F3/T plus the ethereal Noct-Nikkor 58mm
1:1.2 which I do not own, and certainly more compact than the Canon 50mm
1:1L lens alone.  Lastly, not only does Noctilux extremely well in
normal picture taking situations, it boldly goes where no other lens has
ever gone before.