Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/04/01

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Erwin's Leica Lens Compendium
From: SthRosner@aol.com
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 22:14:10 EDT

Fine, Henning, I have agreed with Erwin that this choice, optically, is a 
matter of taste. But let's not confuse construction quality with weight. My 
Leica Catalogue No. 39 (1966) gives the weight of the DR with close-focus 
optical unit as 14.5 oz. (few users carry it around with them). I have just 
weighed my close-focus unit on an accurate postal scale = 2 oz. Thus, the DR 
weighs 12.5 oz and the Rigid seven-glass 50/2 slightly less as there is a bit 
less brass in its focussing mount. Leica gives as the weight of the current 
black 50/2 as 240 grams and the silver chrome lens - necessarily of brass - 
as 335 gr. My conversion scale of 28.35 gr/oz puts the weight of the current 
chrome/brass 50/2 Summicron at 11.8 oz. Of course the black 50/2 is lighter - 
8.5 oz. - as its mount is largely alloy. 

Again it is largely a matter of taste or more accurately of choice. But I'd 
much rather have the reassuring solid construction of the DR (some have 
called it jewel-like) or, for that matter, of the current silver chrome/brass 
50/2 than the lightness of the black lens. And does a difference of 7/10 oz 
between the DR and the current silver 50/2 warrant the constant reference to 
the DR as a "tank," as though the current equivalent lens is so much lighter? 
I think not. No one could say that a user preferring the lighter black 50 was 
wrong. That's still a matter of choice.

Another myth dies. 

Replies: Reply from Henning Wulff <henningw@archiphoto.com> (Re: [Leica] Erwin's Leica Lens Compendium)