[Leica] Re: Macro on SL

["Patrick Sobalvarro" <pgs@sobalvarro.org>]

    Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 20:38:27 -0500
    From: Jim Hemenway <jim@hemenway.com>
    Subject: [Leica] Re: Macro on SL

    Doug:

    Thanks for the advise and recommendations.  I don't know enough
    yet about Leica to know if I want to spend $1,500 for a macro lens
    so I'll look around for the f4.0 Elmar.

    Great owl shot by the way.  I used to live in Oakland 30 years
    ago...  never saw an owl there.

    Jim "still waiting for the incredibly-over-hyped blizzard in
    Boston" Hemenway

Jim, I have the 100/4 Elmar, and it works fine if you are
photographing small living things in the macro range, where center
sharpness is what you mostly care about and much of the frame is out
of focus.  Outside of the macro range I've found its performance a bit
disappointing -- it's softer than my other Leica lenses.

On the other hand, the 60/2.8 Macro-Elmarit-R generally gets rave
reviews for both its macro and normal range performance.  It often
sells for about $600 used, especially in two-cam form (which means
"set up for the SL and Leicaflex, but not the R metering system").

- -P.