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For money You can get anything from Leica:
pp.s.:
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The leitz eulogies above mainly refers to their past prowess.
No doubt,, their current optical devices are excellent and well worth premium prices. Their recent Panasonic clones, however, may possibly benefit from stronger quality control, but cannot be expected to have the longevity of the original rangefinder bodies. My former M3 for instance survived a rainstorm unscathed where my wifes´ OM-1 was destroyed and I still use selected R-optics on a 40 something Megapixwael digitakl body.
p.
No doubt,, their current optical devices are excellent and well worth premium prices. Their recent Panasonic clones, however, may possibly benefit from stronger quality control, but cannot be expected to have the longevity of the original rangefinder bodies. My former M3 for instance survived a rainstorm unscathed where my wifes´ OM-1 was destroyed and I still use selected R-optics on a 40 something Megapixwael digitakl body.
p.
Because they have - since day one - been the best photography equipment made. I don't believe there is anything built better or that have better lenses. For example, I took these last week in Tokyo between day shoots - handheld, without tripod, at night with no IBIS. Leica CL.
Attachments
To my knowledge they did it in Safari green for the R3, Deluxe 4 and M-P, M10-P. There could have been more but that's what I'm aware of.
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Brian
Well-Known Member
Contax and Carl Zeiss Jena lenses were considered superior to Leica when the systems were new. I've handled several Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F1.5 Sonnars that were converted to Leica mount when they were new, they were from the 1930s. Someone paid a specialty machine shop a lot of money for a one-of-a-kind focus mount to use a Zeiss Sonnar on a Leica body. Comparing the 5cm F2 Sonnar with the 5cm F2 Summar, the Sonnar is better. Comparing the 5cm F1.5 Sonnar against the 5cm F1.5 Leitz Xenon, the Sonnar is better. In the 1950s, a Leica camera with Nikkor lens was the choice of David Duncan Douglas and a Contax camera with Nikkor lens the choice of Horace Bristol.
I have some 20 Leica lenses, mostly vintage. The peak of the Leica build quality was the 1950s Type 1 Rigid Summicron. First Leica lens designed with the aid of a computer. The construction is "fit and finish", every lens hand finished and assembled. Very tight tolerances. I have a dozen or so Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F1.5 Sonnars in Leica mount, or that I converted to Leica mount. Leica was around for a while before upping their game in the 1950s. No really good Fast lens until the v2 50mm F1.4 Summilux. I like my Summicrons and Summarits and Xenon and Summars and Elmars. But I usually have a Sonnar on my M8, M9, M Monochrom, and M3. Keep the 40/2 Summicron on the CL.
1930s Sonnar on a slightly newer camera.
- RICOH - CX5
- RICOH ZOOM LENS
- 6.0 mm
- ƒ/4
- 1/6 sec
- ISO 200
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Even though the M9 is one of Leica's biggest failures due to the sensor problems, Leica lenses, by all accounts are still the gold-standard and have consistently gotten better with each version. Those that didn't get "better" with a new Asph. or APO version is because the lens replaced was so great that improvement really couldn't be measured. Seventy year-old Leica lenses were great, and the best of their time but multi-coatings and newer lens technology have most definitely made them noticeably better in the past 20 years. I've always found that anyone knocking the best (cars, cameras, computers..) are satisfied with "good enough" because they don't want to spend the money for the best. You just have to read forums (like this one) to find no shortage of people buying used Leica bodies and then looking for "something more affordable" instead of buying a Leica lens. You, of course, can shoot whatever you want.
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Hierographics ad lenses is usually muddled by authors being impressed by their own fortuitous capture of a favourite frame .
Evaluation of equipment, however, should extend to measuring sturdy performance over long time. Does mechanics including lubrication and dimensional stability continue to work , does both high and low frequency MTF remain as originally measured (not just calculated).
The Lens Rentals - series of measurements on various lenses are enlightening ad the difficulties of achieving reprodusible precision. The interviews of Leitz designer mr.Karbe (who previously worked at Zeiss when their last Contax zooms were designed for production by Kyocera) is enlightening ad the capabilities Leica seeks to achieve.
In practice one may notice annoying details : film scratching in new M´s is one example echoing the early R8 problems , Also, the spring loaded plastic battery securing thing has twice broken off in my eminently pocketable X-2., But I presume that making everything to the same standard of robustness might have raised prices even higher-
p.
Evaluation of equipment, however, should extend to measuring sturdy performance over long time. Does mechanics including lubrication and dimensional stability continue to work , does both high and low frequency MTF remain as originally measured (not just calculated).
The Lens Rentals - series of measurements on various lenses are enlightening ad the difficulties of achieving reprodusible precision. The interviews of Leitz designer mr.Karbe (who previously worked at Zeiss when their last Contax zooms were designed for production by Kyocera) is enlightening ad the capabilities Leica seeks to achieve.
In practice one may notice annoying details : film scratching in new M´s is one example echoing the early R8 problems , Also, the spring loaded plastic battery securing thing has twice broken off in my eminently pocketable X-2., But I presume that making everything to the same standard of robustness might have raised prices even higher-
p.