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Author Topic: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses  (Read 5094 times)

Rob C

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Re: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses
« Reply #20 on: December 11, 2017, 02:44:11 pm »

Not difficult to suss where the Nikon F originated...

Rob

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Re: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses
« Reply #21 on: December 11, 2017, 03:04:50 pm »

Not difficult to suss where the Nikon F originated...

Absolutely! Remove the rangefinder, thicken the body around the lens mount, install a flipping mirror & (optional) pentaprism, et voilĂ ! Zeiss had already done it themselves, though their effort was stalled by WWII before limping into existence via East Germany in the late 1940s.



-Dave-
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Rob C

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Re: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses
« Reply #22 on: December 11, 2017, 04:35:09 pm »

There was also a Contarex...

By the way, I noticed in my reply 14 that I wrote "scuba" where I meant snorkel. Big difference!

Rob.

Jonathan Cross

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Re: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses
« Reply #23 on: December 24, 2017, 08:59:43 am »

For a long time I have had a fascination from a distance with Leica.  A few years ago I bought very good condition secondhand 35mm Summicron and put it on a Fuji X-E1 with the Fuji adaptor.  I thought the lens was wonderful, small, light, perfectly formed.  Unfortunately I did not think the marriage with the X-E1 was as good as I thought it should be in terms of IQ.  I do not know whether this was the marriage or me not being up to using the combination properly.  In the end the lens sat in its box, so I eventually traded it in towards a Canon 100-400mk2 for my 5D mk3, and I find that pairing great for wildlife, though heavy. 

Earlier this year I spent a morning at the main Leica dealer in London having hands on with a M10 and 50mm Summilux.  I and another were allowed out into Mayfair to wander and take images which we looked at back at the Leica shop's meeting room.  I was very comfortable with the rangefinder experience and had no trouble focussing.  The images were great (I took them home as I had recorded them on a card I had taken with me).  If I won a large sum of money I would definitely get that pairing; I really enjoyed using them and got a real buzz. 

Now for the 'however'!  Looking back at all the amazing images that have been taken with Leica M kit, it seems to me, rightly or wrongly, that the images are mainly of people and often in the context of reportage or street photography.  My use of cameras is wider than that.  OK I am often asked to take images of people and events, but I also like taking landscapes, macros and wildlife.  I am happy with my 5d3, a macro lens, the 24-105L and the 100-400Mk2.  I also have a Fuji X-T2 and 3 primes.  The Fuji whole set-up cost considerably less than just an M10 body, new or good secondhand, and I really enjoy using it.  The IQ particularly from the 56mm lens is great IMHO.  I also like having the wide apertures. 

Yes I still dream about Leica, but the Fuji set up meets my needs for the type of photography that I would use a Leica.  I could afford an M10 and 50mm Summilux, but cannot justify it, even though I think it is such marvellously engineered kit and a delight to use.  Good luck to Leica, I would mourn if they cesed to exist.

Jonathan

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KLaban

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Re: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses
« Reply #24 on: December 24, 2017, 10:10:52 am »

Every camera system I've ever owned has in some way been a compromise, including my Leica M system. There's not a system out there that I wouldn't find to be a compromise.

If someone had told me five years ago that I'd be using a Leica M system I wouldn't have believed it and had they told me I'd be using that system for the range of disciplines that I'm using it for now I'd have said they've lost their marbles.













Life is beset with compromise, the aim is to choose the right ones.
 
« Last Edit: December 24, 2017, 10:50:35 am by KLaban »
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32BT

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Re: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses
« Reply #25 on: December 24, 2017, 10:52:20 am »

Great pick up line, i must try that some time.

"there's not a woman out there that i wouldn't find a compromise, so perhaps we can go out tonight?"

 :o >:( :-[ 8)

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KLaban

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Re: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses
« Reply #26 on: December 24, 2017, 10:56:30 am »

Great pick up line, i must try that some time.

"there's not a woman out there that i wouldn't find a compromise, so perhaps we can go out tonight?"

 :o >:( :-[ 8)

Sorry, that would be a compromise too far.
« Last Edit: December 24, 2017, 11:08:11 am by KLaban »
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adias

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Re: New Article - The Leica Story - Lenses
« Reply #27 on: December 24, 2017, 02:19:34 pm »

Every camera system I've ever owned has in some way been a compromise, including my Leica M system. There's not a system out there that I wouldn't find to be a compromise.

If someone had told me five years ago that I'd be using a Leica M system I wouldn't have believed it and had they told me I'd be using that system for the range of disciplines that I'm using it for now I'd have said they've lost their marbles.

...

Life is beset with compromise, the aim is to choose the right ones.

Great set of images illustrating well the 'Leica look'. Look, which I think is due to a system 'hockey-stick' tone mapping curve making sure there is a solid black foundation.
 
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