rscheffler wrote:
The Leica 90AA is still a pretty competitive lens despite its age. But sure, it could benefit from a refresh. IMO the frustration with Leica's recent refreshes has been that optical performance has been virtually untouched (and I can think of arguments for and against this). Instead, conveniences such as closer focusing, welcome as they may be, have been added. As great and popular as the 35 Lux and 50 Lux are, both could have benefitted optically from a more 'ground up' redesign.
I'm not sure if Leica will change the optical design of the 90AA. Maybe it will have a similar 'close-focus' feature and a slightly thicker barrel, adding some extra weight like the recent releases of the 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm lenses.
This lens remains one of the sharpest 90mm lenses for the M body. When stopped down to f/4, it delivers outstanding performance across the entire image field without any noticeable dips. The mid-field and corners are very strong, challenging even the SL 90/2 APO. While it may not perform as remarkably when shooting wide open compared to the SL lens, from f/3.2 onwards, it's hard to distinguish between them. It was ahead of its time when released and remains one of the top 90mm lenses available today.
Thanks for sharing this pic! The guys at Tahusa are actually making a new version of the hood specifically for the nokton 28 1.5 which I heard will be available next month. Supposedly same design, just shorter to prevent vignetting, but yours looks good!
I picked up the type I silver at Map in Shinjuku (too good of a deal). Only just got home to Aus (took my Fuji to Japan) so will test it once I shake the covid I caught in Japan.
I noticed the shade of silver is a lot 'brighter' on the aluminium lens compared to the chrome on my M10-R.
thrice wrote:
I picked up the type I silver at Map in Shinjuku (too good of a deal). Only just got home to Aus (took my Fuji to Japan) so will test it once I shake the covid I caught in Japan.
I noticed the shade of silver is a lot 'brighter' on the aluminium lens compared to the chrome on my M10-R.
Camera Quest labels both the silver on aluminum and silver on brass versions as "silver paint" in matte finish. The M10-R is silver chrome plated, which is even more matte. Leica brass lenses in silver are silver chrome plated and match the silver M10-R. On the other hand, Leica silver aluminum lenses are anodized, and they are brighter than the Voigtlander silver paint.
thrice wrote:
I picked up the type I silver at Map in Shinjuku (too good of a deal). Only just got home to Aus (took my Fuji to Japan) so will test it once I shake the covid I caught in Japan.
I noticed the shade of silver is a lot 'brighter' on the aluminium lens compared to the chrome on my M10-R.
I am hoping to do the same next weekend, I will be in Tokyo for a short time. I really want to see the difference in person of the 2 black finishes on my M11-P in addition to the weight difference. I am partial to the BP but I like the finish of the Voigtlander 75/1.9, so... The price is great but to see them in person would be even more beneficial to me.
The 28 1.5 Type II black paint I ordered finally arrived today after a weather delay with the shipping.
This copy is perfectly centered and perfectly aligned with the rangefinder at all distances including infinity. I had the same good luck recently with the 28 2.8 Color-Skopar. I hope Voigtlander raises the bar for the manufacturing of the 28 Ultron II to this same level (or has already).
Most everything about the IQ and rendering has been reported already, and my copy seems no different. I will add that I feel like the lack of the floating element design is a plus with this lens since it takes the edge off the digital look of my M11 Monochrom when shooting at close distance wide open. Unfortunately (fortunately?), I now want a black paint MP rather badly
I'm really loving what I saw from the samples from Bastian K. Definitely gravitate towards it over the Thypoch at the moment, but first I need to save up for an M10-P 😂 had been my dream camera for long time...
highdesertmesa wrote:
The 28 1.5 Type II black paint I ordered finally arrived today after a weather delay with the shipping.
This copy is perfectly centered and perfectly aligned with the rangefinder at all distances including infinity. I had the same good luck recently with the 28 2.8 Color-Skopar. I hope Voigtlander raises the bar for the manufacturing of the 28 Ultron II to this same level (or has already).
Most everything about the IQ and rendering has been reported already, and my copy seems no different. I will add that I feel like the lack of the floating element design is a plus with this lens since it takes the edge off the digital look of my M11 Monochrom when shooting at close distance wide open. Unfortunately (fortunately?), I now want a black paint MP rather badly ...Show more →
Congratulations on getting a great copy! I've had a similar experience with this lens. It appears that the tolerances can be quite tight with this design. The good news is that, starting with the CV 35/1.5 Nokton, the new 28/1.5 also enables precise adjustment of the rangefinder by simply adding or removing shims from the back. You don't even have to remove the lens mount for this adjustment. Although I didn't find it necessary with my review copies, it's reassuring to know that the option is available if needed.
