Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/04/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My apologies if anyone else actually saw this. My message bounced due to being oversize. That was due to the very long tail where people never seem to trim all of the previous posts in the thread. I do try to remember to do this. ................................. I very recently helped out a new shooter who got an M9. He felt that he has big focus shift problems with this Sonnar and an older Leica Elmarit 135. We shot controlled tests using both, plus my camera and lenses, two of which Solms calibrated last year. We used a good tripod, two metres distance, 1.4x magnifier and an angled target in the form of a poster with blocks of text and illustrations (on our Leica dealer's wall). . The first thing that we established is that he wasn't focussing as accurately as he thought in critical applications. The eyepiece magnifier showed the way. Next we found that his Elmarit was indeed significantly out or at least the unforgiving sensor zero depth was tough on it. His M9 focussed identically to mine which of course is much more important than how individual lenses may vary on it. The Sonnar was interesting. This sample appeared very well made like all of this series that I have handled or owneed. Of course Zeiss themselves say that it is meant to be a reproduction of a classic design, it does focus shift and it has its own distinct character. This one did indeed shift. It looked close at maximum aperture on both M9s but shifted enough to be a bother for closer work. Stopped further down of course DoF masked the error. I borrowed this lens and loaned him my Summicron 28 that he was very keen to try. At home I shot about fifty more frames with it using a receding fence and foliage subject and a bunch of casual portraits wide open. I shot my Summilux ASPH. in parallel. The same result for the shift but the big thing that really stood out for me is that the Summilux shots just leap off the computer monitor in Lightroom (and yes I saw zero shift with the Summilux). As with the Sonnar 85 that I had previously, I saw smooth gentle renderings from that little ZM 50 and in every shot I just looked for some bite. Actually in the very subjective Bo-ke department people might get a shock at how the better corrected Summilux made more pleasing mid-backgrounds. Your bokeage experience may vary! Cheers Geoff http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman