Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Doug wrote: ----- Original Message ----- From: <wildlightphoto@earthlink.net> To: <sethrosner@nycap.rr.com> Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 8:46 PM Subject: Re: 60 Macro >> An amazing lens that remained in the Leitz/Leica catalog from >> 1972 until a year ago. > > It's no longer in the catalog ?!?? It's time to either fly the flag at > half-mast or watch for a new 50mm APO-Macro-Summicron-R. > Doug I think I'm right about the 60 Macro-Elmarit being gone, Doug. OTOH, there are a ton of these lenses appearing on eB** at very reasonable prices; can't quite figure out why. Of course I could be wrong, but if Leica brings out another 'normal' focal-length macro-lens, I'd be a bit surprised if it were designated APO. 30 years ago I was in correspondence with Geoffrey Crawley, then Editor-in-chief of the British Journal of Photography, about lens design and performance. A propos the 50 Summicrons and Switars, he wrote me that while Kern (Alpa) "have always made a bit of a fuss about being Apo's" in his opinion, all modern normal focal-length lenses from the top manufacturers were of apochromatic design. OTOH, I would be quite surprised if such a new Leica Macro-R lens were not aspheric. My issue with some current ASPH lenses - and please don't jump on me, gals and guys, it's an impression - is that they are of such high contrast that they not only sacrifice resolution to some extent, they provide a somewhat hard, edgy image, some would say harsh, that departs from the plasticity of the images made by Leitz lenses from the mid-1950s to 1970s. That may be very desirable for reportage photography but for other photographic purposes it departs from the imagery I prefer. I ought to add that the reputation of those earlier Leitz lenses for flare and only medium contrast is seriously overdone. Stop them down two stops and their contrast is excellent across the frame, comparing very favorably with all of the later 'high-contrast' Leica lenses, though not the latest ASPH renditions. Seth