Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]So, do we really believe that the old Olympus 90 is as good or better than the new APO-Summicron? For that matter, according to this site, the old Summicron 90 R is nearly as good as the new APO. I own the R and while it is fine for it's day, it sure as hell is not going to match the new APO. According to the rating scale, a c rating indicates the performance is unacceptable above 5x7 enlargment. Quite a suprise to many APO and non APO users Im sure, as they will now realize that their lenses should not be used at f2 for anything larger than a 5x. Jeepers, time to toss my slides. Some of the Leica lenses are VERY old, and are being tested on Olympus bodies. While I agree from experience that some of the Olympus stuff was/is quite good, it is a little far fetched to say they were/are at the top of the game. Sorry, but this is a test site that doesn't pass the test of good science. Ahh, the internet, where myth and science are one... Best wishes Dan States > > The Olympus OM system also has a good reputation for macro work. The 50 > > mm f/2 and 90 mm f/2 are reputed to be the equal of Leica glass. The 4T > > body is available (used) for about the same $$ as the Contax, and a "2" > > series for around $200. You could also pick up a 50 mm /f3.5 for $160, > > and get a 50 mm f/1.8 for another $30 for non-macro work. The 50 will > > get down to 1:2 on its own, and 1:1 with a 25 mm extension tube. > > > > See this site for a detailed OM lens tests: > > > > http://members.aol.com/olympusom/lenstests/default.htm > >I'm glad someone mentioned Gary Reese's OM lens test site. While the >site is largely devoted to lenses for the Olympus OM system, Gary has >several Leitz/Leica lenses on the site as comparisons. There's also a >few Nikkor, Canon, and Minolta and Pentax lenses. Kyle's favorite >bargain rangefinder (Canonet QL-17) is there, too, and it doesn't come >off badly. > >Gary uses a large USGS topographic map of the Grand Canyon as the test >target at 1:40. The target has low-contrast as well as high-contrast >components. He evaluates the resulting slides on a good projector. The >result is a very consistent and real-world evaluation. He also shows >how the mirror and automatic diaphragm on an SLR significantly affect >picture quality. > >Anyway, if you want to see how a few Leica lenses compared to the >others, check out Gary's site. He includes the 50mm Summicron-M and 90 >APO Summicron-M, and the 28mm Elmarit-R and 90mm Summicron-R. > >Of course, bokeh, "glow," "look," and Pride of Leica Ownership are not >included in the tests. :-) > >--Peter Klein >Seattle, WA _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp