Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]><Snip> > limitations first hand. I think the 75 and the 50/1.4 more suit this type > of picture taking, and luckily I have them both. I'll have to find another > use for the Noctilux ;-) > > As an interesting note, the DOF for the Noctilux at 1M is .019M, and for the > 50/1.4 at .6M is .009...so if you are able to move in closer and focus > closer with the 1.4, the Noctilux looses it's shallower DOF advantage. > > Austin > Yes but they only recently made the 50 1.4 Summilux focus a lot closer. What was it's magnification before? Is yours an old or new one? I do an awful lot of shooting with the Noctilux racked out all the way and having it stay that way. That's a one meter shooting distance. Same as on my first camera I recall, a Voigtländer Vito BL. . Other Leica lenses would be .7 of a meter a 11.81 inches difference Which I'd round off to a one foot difference. I'd heard the Summilux was three instead of two feet. Two feet gets right in there. Three feet feels like you are an arms length away. In the highest respect to Ted and Tina I to approach the Noctilux as much as an all purpose lens as they and others do. I approach the use of the lens for me as shoot in the dark lens. The idea of using it to shoot very slow film on overcast days hasn't sunk in yet and may never. In black and white or color(neg) I standardize on ASA 1600. So i have to really feel like I'm getting into a real dark situation before i drag along the Noctilux. Dark as in night. I bring my Darktilux. Dark as in not outdoors. Bring it then too I guess if i need a higher magnification i could put on the 90 Summilux Asph apo. If i bring it along. When i shoot with a 35 SLR than i get used to the 6 inch distance but must have loads of fun shooting at 1 foot, 2 or 3 feet as the spirit moves me. This sure helps with wides and ultra wides. I think the close focusing distances of our otherwise superb wide angles is a real area for consternation. The shots are all at arms length; and you need to get right in there. You cant design them than good with an SLR configuration. But you can sure make them focus closer. Inches instead of feet! The real issue (I'm still typing!) is of course not how close you're getting. Although they say if you're not real close then get real close. That's what they say isn't it? "if you're not close enough then get closer!" "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful" "The heartbreak of psoriasis". The real issue is your subject magnification. How big your subject area is. I call it my grabbable area. This area is 220 x 330mm or 8.6x 13" with the telephoto's. But the 75 Summilux is 192 x 288mm / 7.5 x 11.3" which is way smaller then any other Leica M lens not including the old dual range which I bet gets closer. Jims been telling us this for a while now and I'm sure Austin already knew it. The 50's all give us 274 x 411mm / 10.7 x 16" with the excepting of the infamous Noctilux which gets us a 410 x 615mm 16.1 x 24.2 area. Now this area IS smaller than the area grabbable. with ANY wide angle lens 35mm to 21mm! Summicron Asph 35 419 x 627mm / 16.5 x 24.6" the Summilux is 420 x 630mm / 16.53 x 24.8 Summicron 28 apo asph 528 x 793mm / 20.8 x 31.22" The 24 is 630 x 950mm / 24.8 x 37.4" ...and 21 is 696 x 1044mm!! into the quadrupole digits! 27.4x 41" Great for copy work! Like the front of someones garage! But I have this yellow box of 30x40 Kodak color paper sitting right here. So the way I see it telephotos' shoot legal sized image. The Summilux 75 gives you a letter sized image. "Mommy what's a letter?" The normal 50's i round off to 11x14. A stretch on the long side. The Noct is 16 x 24.2 which is a cropped more to format on the short side 20x24 as I see it. The wides are: the 35 Summicron or Summilux a 20x24. 28 Summicron 20x30. Or stretched 20x24. (to format like when they stretch 8x10's to 8x12") 24 Elmarit a slightly cropped 30x40 inch print. That's the yellow box I've got right here leaning against the wall. The 21 is just a tad bigger filling the 30x40 size I'm so familiar with even more. Ausin's used to shooting 11x14's and then he puts on the Noct and finds himself shooting 20x24's! That Even skips the 16x20 size! Thing is Austin, I think is not really used to shooting 11x14's with normals. I recall he's used to having the 75 on his camera most of the time. So he's used to getting "letter sized" images which are a full notch smaller than 11x14's. And a a whole lot smaller than the Roughly 20x24 image one gets from the Noctilux at closed focus. A 20x24 image of a black cat on a bunch of coal at midnight! Zone III and be there. So those of you who read Austin's post and think he's splitting hairs think again. He doesn't want the whole football stadium. He just wants the football! (was going to say "cheerleader" but decided to play it safe for once) The obvious solution is just to go back to then the 75 if he's so familiar with it. And shoot Neopan 1600 in Xtol 1:3 or Fuji Super HR 1600 or Fuji NHGII 800 check out http://www.cameraboy.net/Gallery/Stories/iso800films/ for an amazing comparison of color neg films. The black and white comparisons at the bottom we don't even know what developer was used. So that's the world of numbers isn't everyone glad for espresso in the afternoon and my algebra teacher for summer school Mr. Bird! Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.rabinergroup.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html