Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/08/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mark Rabiner wrote: "At one point it seemed half the people on this list thought the M6 was the price to pay for the use of Leica/Leitz glass. There will always be people who seem to feel that ones glass should cost a small fraction of what your camera cost. Two out of my 6 lenses each cost about the same as an M6 body, the 24 and the 135 3.4. Although I love the rangefinder way of shooting I value glass above all else. At this point all my glass is current but down the line I plan to do some shooting with Leitz glass of an earlier vintage for their respective interesting fingerprints. Now we have all these ASPH's which defiantly put us as the best glass in 35mm photography. I'm enjoying the use of my 50 Summicron, 24, 35 ASPH, 90 Elmarit, and 135 APO and knowing that in the realm of 35mm photography there is no where to go but down, image quality wise. I'm sorry but my opinion of buying Cosina glass for a Leica M camera is quite low. With the exception of maybe the 15, possibly the 75 2.5. My opinion seems to be "you want cheap glass? there is lots of used old Leitz glass out there." That's MY opinion, We've all got one!" *** We certainly do! And I don't expect any of this to change yours (or anyone else's for that matter; I don't care a fig if Cosina never sells another lens). But for me, a person who would rather shoot a rangefinder with a bottle glued on the front than the best SLR in the world, who can't afford five (or three or really even two) current Leica lenses, and who uses a Barnack camera as well as an M, my opinion is that the Cosina lenses are quite good value, even at list prices, which I didn't pay. As you hint, the 75 really is quite a lens. I think the 35 ASPH is very good too. Of the three, I'm actually least impressed with the 50. At any rate, everyone makes choices, and mine, when it comes to buying lenses, aren't intended to be statements about the merits of the ones I didn't choose to buy, or simply couldn't afford. They're just my choices and, as you say, people will think what they will. Apparently some will even think I'm a bad person, dissin' Leica glass for some unexplained but surely nefarious reason. Cheers, Matt Barker