[Leica] Erwin on the new M-50/1.4 ASPH

[jonathan at openhealth.org (Jonathan Borden)]

Dan Cardish wrote:

>Yes, he likes it, but he also notes "Bo-ke aficionados will have mixed
>feelings about the performance of the lens".
>
>This is what I fear about the new lens.  The old lens had beautiful bokeh,
>but from the way he describes it, the new one is awful.  
>  
>
It is fairly well known that spherical (and other) aberrations can have 
a decidedly pleasing effect on photographs, particularly portraits. For 
example the Kodak Portrait lens was *designed* to have aberrations wide 
open, improving when stopped down, such that one could select how much 
effect was desired.

Of course not all aberrations are visually pleasing, so the design of a 
good portrait lens, as is the design of a lens with pleasing "bo-keh" 
remains an art form. I am not surprised that the latest and greatest 
aspherical computer designs -- which seek to eliminate aberrations -- 
may not always provide the most pleasing of the intangible renderings of 
an image.

The old 35/1.4 with its flare and all wide open, still has a warm and 
cozy place in my camera bag. As I recall this is a symmetric design 
modulo a thin meniscus and and consequently I'd expect a fairly 
rectilinear image.

Jonathan