[Leica] The Zeiss Choice

[s.jessurun95 at chello.nl (animal)]

>From what product literature i have read . that statement has to be 
shameless advertising hype , strongly suggesting that Zeiss is not involved 
much ; just like the old voightlander (cannot remember the alt for umlaut,s) 
company has little to do with Cosina .
It,s a rangefinder ,base length is the determining factor .
Just look at old pictures from the pre radar battleships and study the 
rangefinders there.
Surely no one believes that one can achieve accuracy with just an enlarged 
view?
I like the new R3A but it,s hopeless compared to a M 3 .
Leica might be slow in adapting to new preferences in design but i won,t 
believe they have not nailed the rangefinder technology .
regards,simon

> "We've decidedn to design our own camera body because other cameras simply 
> cannot match the performance standards of our lenses." (from the Zeiss 
> Ikon website)
>
> No single promotional statement from Zeiss Ikon has generated more sound & 
> fury than this one. It has been relegated to the category of pure hype & 
> if anything, detracted from early pre-production opinions of what is to 
> come because it appears to be such an overstatement. But is there any 
> substance to it? I think so.
>
> All of the talk has been about whether the ZI lenses are as good as Leica, 
> better, worse, etc. Whether the build quality is up to Leica standards. 
> Why there are no ultra-fast lenses in the line-up. All of this has been 
> looking through a Leica lens. (Pardon the pun.) Looking at the things that 
> Leica values.
>
> Overlooked IMO has been what's different about this product line. What's 
> overlooked is the fact that all of the lenses wider than 35mm close focus 
> to 0.5m (18") & the 15/2.8 close focuses to 0.3m (12"). No other RF lenses 
> on the market to the best of my knowledge do this other than the Leica 
> Macro-Elmar 90/4 - & this lens needs a special Leica Macro-Adapter-M to 
> enable the body to focus down to 0.5m. Unless I'm missing something, then, 
> Zeiss is correct when it says that it needed to design its own body to 
> take advantage of the capabilities of these lenses. While there has been 
> much discussion to assert that Zeiss has made only one lens that will 
> benefit from the long base line, the Zeiss literature stresses the 
> advantages of this camera for use with wide angle lenses. I believe that 
> it is the close focusing capability that they are talking about.
>
> So what is the Zeiss choice? It is the option of wide angle lenses that 
> close focus to 12"-18" (.3-.5m). If your need is for ultra-fast lenses, 
> take the Leica option & put them on a Leica body that is designed to work 
> with lenses that focus to 0.7m (27"). But if you prefer to get in closer - 
> 9" or more - then choose Zeiss. it's nice to have the choice.
>
>
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