Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/05/30

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Holy Wars Redux: Leica vs. Zeiss (long)
From: Jeff S <4season@boulder.net>
Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 19:59:57 -0600
References: <Pine.GSO.4.21.0005291316380.99-100000@echonyc.com>

I like the 80/2.8 Zeiss Planar as a macro lens! Around 1:2 it's got
wonderful bokeh. Otherwise, I am mostly shooting landscapes with my
Zeiss optics and don't generally get into shallow depth of field. With
the possible exception of the 38mm Zeiss Biogon (does it have bokeh? I
don't know!), I've always felt that my Zeiss optics erred on the side of
smoothness but in a pleasing sort of way. I haven't used any of the 35mm
Zeiss glass.

In a somewhat unrelated note, I've been thinking of getting a 35mm SLR
again and find that the sub-$1300 pricing of the "Code U" R8s makes them
a very interesting possibility indeed! This, a short lightweight zoom
and a long macro would do nicely.  I've been doing some comparison
shopping and have noticed that when it comes to primes, Leica overall
seems to have the most modern optical designs, but there's a growing bit
of competition from...Pentax! The FA-Limited 43mm and 77mm lenses
feature good bokeh as a major selling point, but hopes of buying into
the system for pocket change were dashed when I tallied up the cost and
came out with a $1200+ pricetag for ZX-5n body and both "Limited"
optics.

Doug Cooper wrote: 
> I've heard complaints about Planars in normal focal lengths -- and found,
> personally, that my 50/1.4 and TLR Planars can be distracting O-O-F -- but
> Mike is the only one, to my knowledge, who has come out against *the
> entire Zeiss line*.
> 
> In fact, the perceived wisdom seems to be that German optics have nice
> blur, as opposed to Japanese optics (a blanket statement that I also
> consider absurd); certainly the Japanese feel this, and it's the
> foundation for their obsession with *both* Leica and Zeiss.

- -- 

Jeff Segawa
Somewhere in Boulder, Colorado

In reply to: Message from Doug Cooper <visigoth@echonyc.com> ([Leica] Holy Wars Redux: Leica vs. Zeiss (long))