Arka Offline Upload & Sell: On
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mbwkrause wrote:
This Leica lens is for the M-system cameras and will make every Canon lens in that range look like Wal-Mart (but yes, Leica is a little pricey)
Why is it that the moment Leica makes something and charges their standard exorbitant markup, people proclaim that the Leica product makes everything else in the photo world look like a toy? What a load of $#!T. Optical bench tests do not bear out the absolute supremacy of Leica equipment over Canon or NIkon goods. In fact, the widely respected MTF tests indepently run at photodo.com indicate that the Canon 50mm f/1.4 performs better than the vaunted Teutonic 50mm f/1.4 from Leitz. In fact, Canon's sub-$100 f/1.8 lens is a marginally better performer than the luxury Leica M lens. And the exalted 50mm f/1.0 Noctilux only barely edges out the Canon of the same specification, and is trumped by a 50mm f/1.2 Nikkor.
It's unlikely that the sharpness or color rendition of these lenses could be easily compared, but the ease of use certainly could. Canon and Nikon glass have full time autofocus or manual focus override, and provide a wealth of important imaging data. Leica, the bastion of European craftsmanship and conservatism, doggedly continue to claim that digital is still not 'good enough' to bear the Leica name or lenses. Besides, the users of Leica don't want things like autfocus!
That may be true, but I would argue that those users grow fewer in number every year.
I might even respect Leica's high-nosed approach to technological advancement were it not for the fact that the same Leica which claims digital is not ready for Leica nevertheless takes prosumer quality Panasonic point and shoot cameras and tries to get brand-obsessed photogs to shell out upwards of 2 grand for them.
For the amount of great tech and true optical quality that goes into the Nikon and Canon lenses, I always find it amusing how people still can't get past the Leica mystique. I'm not saying that Leicas are not superb, but let's face it; they are very much behind the technology curve. They are resting on their reputation for excellence in traditional optics, but increasingly they are becoming a niche camera for which pride of ownership becomes more important than functionality.
Arka C.
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