Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/10/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well stated Dan. I thought it was ironic that some people consider a 3.5-4.0 zoom too slow for practical use, since I generally shoot at 5.6 or smaller anyway. Also, millions of users seems pleased as punch with their 4.0-5.6 zooms because it is the focal lenght that they want. In daylight, a summilux is not any better to me than a summicron, and in lowlight, a zoom is generally not the first choice (even if it were a 2.8). The quality of faster films is getting really good, isn't it? I recently shot some Portra 800 and I was amazed, no, floored, by the results. I was expecting it to be an insult to my Leitz optics, but it turned out to be extremely pleasing (at 5X7 anyway). And Provia F400 is just stunning, in quality and price! I cannot wait to see the price they do put on this lense - unfortunately, my guess is it will be $2000 more than I can afford :-) - - marc - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 00:45:08 +0000 From: "Dan States" <dstate1@hotmail.com> Subject: [Leica]Lens speed complainers... Message-ID: <F95i95HFJ6E8WY8mD3j0001a2d4@hotmail.com> References: Regarding the carping on this list about the new wide angle zoom only being a 3.5-4.0 design...I don't see the point. Clearly if image quality were not an issue, Leica would have cranked out one of these years ago. Want F2.8...You got it! How about F2.5! Hell, they just have to buy a Sigma and stick on the red dots! The real point is that while you can make a lens with just about any aperture you want, getting the kind of optical quality Leica demands is another story. If the performance of the 17-35 Nikon at full aperture is good enough for you, and you can take the distortion, go for it. I for one would sacrifice a paltry half stop to get the kind of quality that would make the lens an everyday user. Provia 400f is so good that a stop loss is this case is not as crucial as distortion control and contrast. On a visit to Leica last year I enquired about a superwide zoom. The answer was "Every lens we make and every image they make is a statement of what we accept as Leica quality. We will make a lens of this specification when we feel we can represent ourselves properly". Finally, are we all really using our Nikon and Canon zooms in low light at full aperture? If so than I would say that optical quality is not one of our main beefs (this is not a dig, many great pictures are not technically perfect) and that we should not waste our money on expensive Leica lenses that will not change the quality of our images. I think we need to give this new product a break. Let's actually USE it before we condemn it to the bargin bin. Best wishes Dan States Madison WI - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html