Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Allan Wafkowski <allan@sohogurus.net> wrote: > > I respect Mr. Herr's photography and integrity. I have offered him a > slide from the Canon 100mm. I do not believe the 100mm macro Canon at > $579.95 will fare badly in side-by-side scrutiny with the Leica 60mm > macro, or with the 100mm $2,595 Leica macro [current B&H Photo pricing > for both lenses]. I don't believe you will be able to see a difference. I accept the challenge. In order to reduce the number of variables, please also send your subject and light. Allen, I don't doubt the Canon is a fine lens and a good value. I haven't used it so I don't know how good it is, so I'll take your word for it. There are always differences among lenses, be it bokeh, microcontrast, color rendition, flare control, or the casual lens tester's holy grail, resolution. Some people see these differences, others don't. Some photographic styles or working conditions illustrate the differences better than others. If, given your working conditions and photographic style, the Canon lens produces the results you want, who am I to argue? Given the conditions I work with the results I get with the 60 macro and (borrowed) 100 APO-Macro are very much to my liking. The 55mm f/3.5 and f/2.8, and 105mm f/4 Micro-Nikkors I have used are fine lenses too but given my working conditions the Leica lenses are more likely to produce the results I want. Part of what makes Leica lenses worth more to me is an intangible: Leica's track record of not making the lenses obsolete Leica will update an R-lens from 1965 to work perfectly on a new R8, so I feel confident that I will not have to replace the R lens I buy today in order to use it in 30 years on the R12 body. I also don't have to cherry-pick various lenses from a number of camera systems in order to get optimum performance over the entire focal length range. There are very fine lenses made by Canon, Nikon, Zeiss and others, but most camera makers also sell so-so lenses. Within the R system there are very few lenses that are not among best-in-class performance. So, sure go ahead and send one slide. Send the subject and light too, but a single slide is hardly a significant test. A track record of performance under the conditions I work with tells me if a lens is worth the money or not. Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://www.wildlightphoto.com - -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html