[Leica] The Zeiss Choice

[sethrosner at nycap.rr.com (Seth Rosner)]

Thanks, Bill, for your response.

From: "Bill Marshall" <billgem@hotmail.com>


> Is it very complex to design a RF camera system that will close focus with 
> rangefinder coupling to 0.5 or 0.3 meters? I have no idea; I'm not an 
> engineer or a camera designer. But I know that no other rangefinder camera 
> does this & that Leica charges $850 for a special macro-adapter to allow 
> the tele-macro to be focused to 0.5m. If it's "not complex," why doesn't 
> anyone else do it?

It is complex, very complex when, as Frank points out, you factor in the 
parallax issue that is a very serious one.

Why doesn't anyone else do it? My guess is that it's because doing it is a 
very expensive answer to a question that nobody asked. Leica may be 
discovering just that with respect to their 90 Macro M lens.

If you really want to photograph close-up, why not use your SLR? It is the 
only way to get a really accurate view of the actual final image and to have 
some degree of confidence in the accuracy of your focus.

> Any basic rangefinder primer advises newcomers that one of the 
> restrictions of a RF system is that it can't focus much closer than a 
> meter or so.

Well, you are reading inaccurate basic rangefinder primers. As I mentioned, 
I've been able to focus to
19" with an M4 and a DR since 1967.

>  For those of us who do like to shoot closer, it is a meaningful 
> difference. As I said in my original post, it's nice to have the choice.

.......and I thoroughly respect that, Bill. I just don't believe that there 
will be many people buying these outfits in order to use wide-angle lenses 
at 0.3m

Best,

Seth             LaK 9