Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Eh bien, mon cher ami Philippe, many quite incredible 'buys' today with the shift from film. One might have thought that for reflex photography which, other than wildlife and sports, is almost by definition a more contemplative manner of image-making, people might have stayed longer with film. Apparently not. Actually, I like what Erwin calls the 'fingerprint' of this lens so much that I had a fantasy dream that Leica took its optics and put them in an M8.2 mount! Seth ----- Original Message ----- From: "Philippe AMARD" <philippe.amard@tele2.fr> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org> Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 10:46 AM Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: 60 Macro-Elmarit > > > Seth Rosner wrote: > >> 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. > > What if it was for the lack of an R9.2 Diesel to go with it? > >> >> 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 >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.2/1873 - Release Date: 1/3/2009 2:14 PM