Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/01

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] Bokeh - Leica myth.
From: "dante@umich.edu" <dante@umich.edu>
Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2002 00:47:20 -0500

I think we are talking at cross-purposes.  My comment was that Leica AG (and
Leitz before it) is purposefully vanquishing aberrations, and in doing so is
designing bokeh "out" of its lenses.  As you and I are aware (and yes, I
read that article several times over the past year), other companies (Nikon,
Konica, and Zeiss) are indeed designing it back in.  It was a statement on
Leica's core values in lens design, not on the ability of someone to design
for (or against) bokeh.


> From: "Austin Franklin" <darkroom@ix.netcom.com>
> Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 00:08:53 -0500
> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> Subject: RE: [Leica] Bokeh  - Leica myth.
> 
> Dante,
> 
>> It is a myth that "bokeh" is an inherent or intentionally-created
>> characteristic of any Leica lens.
> 
> Why?  Do you have proof of this?  Did you read this:
> 
> http://www.darkroom.com/MiscDocs/bokeh.pdf
> 
> It clearly shows that one CAN design bokeh "into" a lense.  How do you know
> what characteristics of a design are intentional and not intentional?  Just
> because something is inherent, doesn't mean it wasn't intentional.
> 
>> What we call bokeh is a complex of aberrations in out of focus areas.  As
>> Erwin Puts is quick to point out, for about 75 years, Leica has
>> attempted to
>> design all aberrations out of their lenses.  As they become more and more
>> successful at eliminating them, the bokeh gets worse and worse.
> 
> I don't agree with that.  How come my Zeiss 110/2 has the best bokeh of any
> lense I have ever seen, and it's a very modern lense?  As well as my 85/1.4
> Zeiss for my Contax?  This may also be true with the Leica lenses, it's just
> that I don't have any of the latest designs, like the 90/2 to see if the
> bokeh is "worse", but it sure isn't "worse" on my 50/1.4 and my 75/1.4.
> 
> Austin
> 
> --
> To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html