Re: [Leica] Alpa question

[Seth Rosner <sethrosner@direcway.com>]

Buzz, the resolution of this lens is phenomenal while, as you correctly
point out, the contrast does not compare with current lenses. Sharpness is a
concept that is less easy to quantify as it is subjective. High contrast can
give to an image the impression of "sharpness" even when the actual
resolution is not high. The Macro-Switar resolves exceptionally well;
according to Kern data, area-weighted average resolution at full aperture is
175 l/mm while axial resolution wide-open is 450 l/mm !!

Seth          LaK 9

- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buzz Hausner" <buzz.hausner@verizon.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2003 7:16 PM
Subject: RE: [Leica] Alpa question


> Some thirty-five and more years ago I was taught photography by an old
> woman named Litze Von Miklos.  Litze was a professional and made much of
> her income illustrating garden and nature books and articles.  She used
> Alpa for all of her small format work because, she said, they were
> always "there" when she needed them and the lenses were the best
> available (in 1966) for single lens reflex cameras.  In particular, she
> needed a macro to take flower "portraits."
>
> I had the privilege of free use of Litze's kit and took many fine
> pictures with the Kern Macro-Switar.  I can't put my hands on any of
> those images right now, but I recall they had a bokeh which made
> macro-photographs of individual flowers just "pop," which was the
> quality Litze sought for her published work.  When I bought a very early
> Nikon macro (55mm/f3.5 me thinks?), Litze said, "...those are very nice
> pictures, Buzz, but they show no heart."  She was right; the
> Macro-Switar was a very soulful lens, indeed.
>
> I hope you can find a body on which to mount your Macro-Switar, if you
> don't expect the edge carving sharpness and contrast of modern lenses,
> you should find the results very pleasing and impossible to reproduce
> with contemporary units.  Too bad all of the late
> -Sixties-oh-so-nearly-pastel Ektachrome is gone.
>
> Buzz Hausner
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of animal
> Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2003 6:23 PM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: [Leica] Alpa question
>
> This question :
> > Does anyone remember the 35mm-SLR ALPA?
>
> from Jean-Michel Tomaschett made me realize that i had an Alpa lens
> somewhere which was my fathers.
> Eventually i found it it in a box in the furthest corner of my basement
> where i have stored the radioactive lenses recently after advice from
> Michael Briggs,
> http://home.earthlink.net/~michaelbriggs/aeroektar/aeroektar.html
> Anyhow the lens is rather unusual in that the focusing scale is very
> long ,a
> few turns and it also states the magnification factor.
> It is marked Kern macro switar 1:1,9/50 AR made for alpa.
> Does anyone have experience wih this lens?
> Thanks
> simon jessurun
> amsterdam
>
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