Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/07/18

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Subject: [Leica] Re: LUG Olympus vs. Leica
From: felixmaturana at telefonica.net (Felix Lopez de Maturana)
Date: Wed Jul 18 07:20:44 2007
References: <200707181127.l6IBNTl0000912@server1.waverley.reid.org>

Larry and Natham

Let me please add some information. I'm regularly using both Leica M8 
with ASPH lenses and a Olympus E330 with three Zuiko zooms: the 7-14mm 
f4, the 14-54mm f2.8-3-5 and the 40-150mm f3.5-5.6. The Leica gives you 
probably the best overall digital images quality you can get unless you 
use a Hasselblad diital back of 39 Mpixels. So if quality is concerned 
*nothing* surpasses in my opinion to the M8 and I use too the Canon EOS 
1Ds mkII that for sure gives you bigger prints with incredible sharpness 
but not always quantity is quality.

But we need to be practical. Dust is very often a true nightmare and 
bigger is the sensor bigger is the problem. Therefore I bought a kit 
with a Olympus E330 and two zooms -14-42 and 40-150- for ?599 just for 
verifying if the cleaning system worked properly. In a day where I had 
more than 200 lens changes -you possibly saw my 
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=746053 portfolio, no dust 
particle was present at the end of the seance. This was so extraordinary 
that I think that Olynpus will be my digital reflex equipment. Besides 
that, the -rather expensive- 7-14mm zoom, a 24x36mm 14-28mm equivalent, 
has no pair in other brand and is far beyond my expectatives. Another 
extraordinary zoom the 35-100mm f2 very expensive too could be -I have 
not it yet- on pair with Leica APO lenses.

So my opinion could not be better as a Olympus and Leica user. Right now 
there is a Olympus E-510 that I suggest to get body only and add another 
lenses than the kit ones. This camera has the cleaning system and a 
stabilization. Only the finder is no very good. In some months a new 
Olympus PRO with a good finder and stabilization and cleaning will be 
launched. For sure I'll get it.

Felix
> Hi Larry,
>
> I have no basis for comparing it to the M8, since I have never used one. 
> I bought the E410 with the 14-42mm kit lens, which I am not that happy 
> with and will replace, most likely with another Olympus Four Thirds 
> zoom, 14-54mm, although the Leica/Panasonic 14-50mm is also a contender. 
> I also bought a 1.4/30mm Sigma for low light shooting, and I am very 
> pleased with that one. Much better and more solidly built than the 
> Sigmas I have encountered before.
>
> Clearly, the main advantage of an M8 is the ability to use the Leica 
> lenses. The quality of the lens matters as much if not more in digital. 
> When I got into Canon DSLRs in 2004, I started with the cheaper Canon 
> lenses, but very quickly ditched that idea and switched to their L-lenses.
>
> I still have one Leica lens, the 100mm Apo Macro, which I can use on 
> both the Canon and the Olympus, and it provides superb results on both.
>
> I am not sure what you mean by the $1000. I paid 600 Euro for the E410 
> with kit lens and another 400 Euro for the 30mm Sigma.
>
> Cheers,
> Nathan
>
> Lawrence Zeitlin wrote:
>   
>> >
>> > On Jul 17, 2007, at 11:55 AM, Nathan wrote:
>> >
>>     
>>> >>
>>> >> This time I am cross-posting to the Olympus list as well, since more
>>> >> than half of the images were in fact made with the E410.
>>>       
>> >
>> >
>> > Nathan,
>> >
>> > In your practical judgment, how does the Olympus 4/3 system and lenses 
>> > compare with the Leica, either film or M8?
>> >
>> > Is the difference, if any, worth $1000?
>> >
>> > Larry Z
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Leica Users Group.
>> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>> >
>> >
>>     
>
> -- Nathan Wajsman Almere, The Netherlands *Opportunistic Image 
> Acquisition* General photography: http://www.frozenlight.eu 
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Replies: Reply from Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com (Frank Dernie) ([Leica] Re: LUG Olympus vs. Leica)
Reply from s_gregory1 at mac.com (Scott Gregory) ([Leica] Re: LUG Olympus vs. Leica (Dust issues))