Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I hate to weigh in on this discussion armed with nothing but my own personal experience, but here goes. There is an issue of how sharpness is rendered that comes into play in the comparison. Lately I have been using a Sylvestri with a 47mm XL super angulon and film in a linhof 6x9 back, and my leica Ms. At a full magazine spread there is no question that the 6x9 trans yields a better looking image all the way around, Better color saturation, smoother tones, great detail. It's a 425% enlargement vs. a 1400% enlargement. kind of a slam dunk. But, when I have drum scans made and output them to 20x30 prints from the lightjet 5000, the leica lenses appear to have crisper details, like there is better separation when the lens reaches it's resolution limit. The 6x9 trans from the 47XL SA get progressively, and evenly softer, but without any snap. Erwin can probably explain this, and I'm sure is has something to do with lens design. It seems as if the Leica lenses are designed expecting the limits of the format, and creating a perception of sharpness just where the film can't hold it anymore. The 47XL SA will resolve to any limit of the film stock, with no point where the lens stops trying to resolve at very fine levels. Tom Thomas Kachadurian - ------------------- www.kachadurian.com