Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2015/10/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Traditionally a 50 mm f/1.4 lens is the flagship default lens of any 35mm format camera system but with people now thinking a lens which does not zoom is an quaint anomaly that may be forgotten ethic. But traditionally people are going to compare the 50 mm f/1.4 to their existing system and that's what's going to form their opinion on a new system being introduced. A fact that we know Leica has not forgotten if we look at the specs of the current and fairly new LEICA SUMMILUX-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. Which holds no prisoners yet is half the price of the APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0 ASPH Lens which goes for seven grand. Its just that "Summicron" is Leicas main brand so Leica takes f2 very seriously. Anybody else wants a "1.4" on their 50mm lens. Leica M glass as long been considered to be a step up at least from Canon Nikon but Leica M glass has a cross to bear in that it must be made compact to avoid blocking the viewfinder window. And that's a parameter to not be taking lightly. Even if it makes the lens lighter. As Leica has freed itself from this consideration by coming out with a premium full frame not reflex but not rangefinder viewfinder either (mirror) it can go all out and define itself with that lens and not have a compactness parameter to throw off its game. So this is a big lens compared to an M 50. Its big compared to any 50 out there except the new premium Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 Otus Distagon. Instead in all its advertizing you see the new digital SL with a dumb super front heavy ultra wide range zoom. The kind of lens serous shooters have long and famously reviled. Fire the marketing department. Me personally I have a 50mm lens on my camera for weeks at at time sometimes with a 35 or 85 in my camera bag it remains for me as flexible and quality involved it always way in the film days. Though I've gone down a notch to f1.8. Though at this moment the 35 1.8 is on the camera. A DSLR. My 50 1.8G is so light I don't even know its in my camera bag I think there is a spare pair of socks in there. On 10/23/15 10:56 AM, "Paul Roark" <roark.paul at gmail.com> wrote: > And judging from the length of that lens, Leica, like Zeiss, is going to > a more retrofocus design. My assumption is that while the thinner cover glass > on the Leicas minimizes the edge problems, it does not eliminate the negative > impact of the cover glass and obtuse ray angles -- even from a 50 mm lens. > Light falloff is also less with the more retrofocus > designs. Paul www.PaulRoark.com On Fri, Oct 23, 2015 at 1:03 AM, John > McMaster <john at mcmaster.fr> wrote: > They look to be going for the Zeiss Otus > market? Have you seen the size of > the 50mm Summilux, and it won't be > available for a year! > > > http://en.leica-camera.com/Photography/Leica-SL/Lenses/LEICA-SUMMILUX-SL > > > Very similar styling in the lenses to the S range > > john > > -----Original > Message----- > From: LUG [mailto:lug-bounces+john=mcmaster.fr at leica-users.org] > On Behalf > Of > Mark Rabiner > Sent: Thursday, 22 October 2015 11:31 p.m. > > To: Leica Users Group > Subject: [Leica] (SPAM: ?) Re: BIG new Leica - TINA > > Importance: Low > > The first made for the camera lens is this big zoom but > soon to come will > be > prime lenses which I do believe might be worth the > wait which I don't think > will be very long. The thing after all is a Leica > and deserves to not have > a > super front heavy configuration to it. Sure > Leica R's and SL's had big > zooms > people used for them but was not the > first thing they grabbed as they > rushed > out the door.. People put 50's and > 60's on them. and prime wides. > Lenses which said "Summicron" on them. And > Super-Angulon. > > And you'll feel something akin to the electric thrill I > once enjoyed when > Gilmore, Liberatti, Pat Conway, The Great Creatore, W.C. > Handy and John > Philip Sousa all came to town on the very same historic > day. > > > On 10/22/15 4:36 PM, "Tina Manley" <tmanley at gmail.com> wrote: > > > > You can use all of the Leica M and R lenses on it with adapters but > > they > > won't > > be autofocus. Supposedly the very large, bright viewfinder makes > it > easier to > > manually focus them. > > Tina > > On Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at > 4:33 PM, Mark Rabiner > > <mark at rabinergroup.com> wrote: > > > The Leica SL > with a small lens on it would be near pocketable (jacket > > exterior pocket) > unlike the Nikon. But like the M > > > > I think we need to not define a > camera body by the stupidly huge lens > > > > someone puts on it. Any camera > body can have a modest to compact optic > > on> front of it instead of a metal > munching fast zoom or a zoom with > > an overly > > > > wide range... And VR > makes a lens way heavier and I think bulkier. > > > > I'm > > saying put more > Leicalike glass in front of these bodies and we can > > see how they compare > with an M with a typical M optic on it. > > > > > > > > > > > > On 10/22/15 > > > 3:50 PM, "Aram Langhans" <leica_r8 at hotmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > Interesting. He > > also seems to state it has better image quality than the > M. > > > Here is a > > quote: > > > > > > "The SL is not a cheap camera ? > EUR6,000+ for the body and a > > further > > > EUR4,000+ for each lens makes > this the preserve of the very > > wealthy, > > though > > > in reality I > suspect most of Leica?s existing audience > > will see this one > > as > > > a > no-brainer. M lenses are now virtually native, as > > are R lenses; they?re > > > > easy to focus and image quality is better than from > > the M cameras. > It > > would > > > have been nice to see more resolution, but I > > suspect > this might have > > eaten > > > uncomfortably into S system sales. I > > > actually suspect this camera is the > > > beginning of the end of the M > > > resurgence ? a typical complaint from M users > > > I know is one of > > > deteriorating eyesight and difficulty in achieving focus. > > > We no longer > > > have that problem. And for those used to paying $7,000+ for a > > > body, > the > > SL isn?t a stretch at all." > > > > > > He also goes on a bit about > the size. > > BIG > > > > > > Aram Langhans > > > (Semi) Retired Science > Teacher > > > & Unemployed > > photographer > > > > > > ?The Human Genome > Project has proved Darwin more right > > than Darwin > > himself > > > would > ever have dared dream.? James D. Watson > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original > Message----- > > > From: John McMaster > > [mailto:john at mcmaster.fr] > > > > Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2015 11:58 AM > > > > > To: 'Leica Users Group' > <lug at leica-users.org> > > > Subject: Re: [Leica] BIG new > > Leica - TINA > > > > > > > It is the lenses, almost same size and weight as S > > lenses! > > > > > > > > > https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5790/21615453253_1c85b372e2_c.jpg > > > > > > > SL > > compared to a D810 with 24-120/4 lens.... > > > > > > (from > > > > > > http://blog.mingthein.com/2015/10/21/premiere-review-2015-leica-sl-601 > > > / > > ) > > > > > > > > john > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > > > > It's really not that > > big of a camera, but folks are hung up on > this idea > > > that a mirrorless > > camera has to be a tiny little thing. > > > > SL size compared to a digital M: > > > > > https://tinyurl.com/ppbdsr8 > > > > > > > I look forward to seeing what you can do > > with it, Tina. > > > > > > > Jay > > > > > > On 10/21/2015 3:17 PM, Tina Manley wrote: > > > > >> Has > anybody posted a photo of it compared to the size of the M9 or > > >> the> > >> > > M240? The Sony and Fuji mirrorless cameras are actually too small > and > > >> > > too light for me. > > >> > > >> Tina > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Leica > Users Group. > > > See > > http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for > more information > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Mark William Rabiner > > > Photographer > > > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/ > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > > See > > http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > > > > -- > Tina > > Manley > www.tinamanley.com > > tina-manley.artistwebsites.com > http://www.alamy.com/ > > > stock-photography/3B49552F-90A0-4D0A-A11D-2175C937AA91/Tina+Manley.htm > > > l > > _____ > > __________________________________________ > Leica Users > Group. > See > > http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more > information > > > > > -- > Mark William Rabiner > Photographer > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/ > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > _______________________________________________ Leica Users > Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information -- Mark William Rabiner Photographer http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/