Leica 35MM/1.4 ASPH 11663 Issues

[L1913]

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I just purchased this lens to use with my new M240 and am concerned there may be some issues with my lens, however, I am a novice and wanted to consult you all before going back to the dealer.

 

1) The aperture ring stops at f/16 and will not go past it, but the ring goes past f/1.4. It is only slight, but far enough that it won't snap back into the detent at f/1.4 if I let go of it. I don't mean to be a complainer, but for a $5,000 lens straight out of the box from Leica that is supposed to be perfect, this concerns me. Is this normal or is this a sign that there are other larger issues with the lens?

 

2) When focusing to infinity while using focus peaking I notice that the focus peaks slightly before the focus ring hits the lock. Is this normal or a sign of a larger issue with the lens? Again this is a brand new just out of the box lens and it was my understanding that these things go through intense quality control.

 

3) I notice vignetting at every f/stop, is this normal? Apologies for the novice question.

 

4) If I stand on a beach looking out over the water and use focus peaking to try and focus on the horizon, I cannot get the peaking lines to appear along the horizon. The farthest I can get seems to be the ripples in the waves a little before the horizon. Is this normal? If it is, would a 90mm help me get a sharper image of things very far away such as the horizon, or would it simply give me a smaller field of view?

[Gerard]

1) Unless it really bothers you; don't worry about it.

 

2) It seems your lens is able to focus on things beyond infinity. I'd say this makes it special. Perhaps you'll discover what's out there. Oh; and don't worry about it.

 

3) With hood on... yes; don't worry about it.

 

4) If you are shooting 'things' on the true horizon, just snap that focus ring round to the infinity lock and shoot. The images will be sharp. You do not need focus peaking. Don't worry about it.

 

In short; don't worry about it.

[TomB_tx]

There is no such thing as "perfect" in man-made items. Leica is high quality and close tolerance, but there will always be variation within tolerances. As was said, don't worry about it - these are normal conditions.

[lct]

Perfection for $5K? You mean per week i guess

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[jsjxyz]

I have the same problem with you, my 35 fle pass a bit on infinite setting with my m9, but not on my m6.

[Stein K S]

Concerning 1)... my 35 lux asph is the same way... as more of my other lenses as well... (one of them even having the "opposite" behaviour not opening fully up... (35cronv4) but again; has no practical consequence what so ever. so: Do not worry!

 

Concerning 2-4)... all familiar to me, but have never ever bothered me at least in any way.

 

Conclusion; just enjoy the nicest pieces of optics ever!

 

Stein

[jankap]

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a. My lux too.

b. The infinity focus should suffice 3 requirements at the same point in case of the M.

-b1. Endstop of the lens

-b2. rangefinder fits

-b3. focus peaking signal

It is not nice, if they don´t come together. Focus peaking cannot lie.

c. At 1.4 ok. The others only one stop. Don´t you let recognize your lens by the camera?

d. see b.

 

It is a nice lens.

Jan

[Ecar]

Fast lenses, even the best and most expensive ones, imply some kind of design choice (or compromise).

Manufacturing tolerances on both camera and lens are additive.

Digital (as opposed to film) and the use of EVF expose even the slightest flaw.

In the light of the above, the behavior you describe seems to be normal for this particular lens.

However, if you want peace of mind, why don't you take it back to your dealer and ask to try another copy of the lens?

[dentamax]

1) Yes my 35Lux FLE has the same 'feature' of getting past the f1.4 mark, but dead on at f16, just like yours; I have heard others making similar comments in earlier posts.

 

2) At f1.4 the infinity mark on the lens coincides with focus peaking, but at other apertures focus peaking can appear just before the lens reaches the infinity mark, probably a function of the slight increase in DOF.

 

3) Yes there is visible vignetting up to f4, whether it requires correction is a personal choice and varies from shot to shot.

 

4) I suppose the reflection from light hitting the waves is more easily detected by the focus peaking mechanism (by contrast) than the horizon which can be a little hazy at the best of time (depending on the environment and weather of your location), reducing the contrast to the point that the focus peaking does not pick it up.

 

I agree with the others: don't worry about it as long as it gives you nice sharp pictures, which you will.

 

Cheers.

[250swb]

If you can see details of rippling waves you are not looking at infinity. Infinity is the oil tanker out on the horizon. The focus peaking becomes redundant at infinity because it is beyond the point when you need to check focus. Think of it like having an accelerator on a car that goes to max, then goes another inch to the floor, the extra inch won't make you go any faster. Likewise focus and judging where infinity is, there is a useful area of focusing between the beach and infinity that gets you the maximum chance of making a sharp image of a distant object, but there is a limit beyond which even wide open the lens will resolve detail sharply before actual infinity is reached. This wouldn't be the case with a telephoto lens but it hardly matters if you can't see infinity popping into focus with a 35mm lens, it will be in focus.

 

 

Steve

[L1913]

Thank you for all your input.

 

Would you mind taking a look at these photos, particularly near the horizon and tell me if it looks as sharp as it should? Would also appreciate any other critiscism of the photos as I am new at this.

 

If you have a 250 SWB would also appreciate a ride

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[mmradman]

Thank you for all your input.

 

Would you mind taking a look at these photos, particularly near the horizon and tell me if it looks as sharp as it should? Would also appreciate any other critiscism of the photos as I am new at this.

 

If you have a 250 SWB would also appreciate a ride

 

Is my horizon sharp in this picture, you must be kidding.

 

It is simple; assuming your sensor has 5000 horizontal pixels and your horizon covers, lets say, 500 meters you get about 10 pixels per liner meter so if you are looking to resolve fine detail in the distance it is not going to happen. Apart from that your horizon looks sharp in those pictures, except 3rd image.

 

Have a nice day and enjoy the lens.

[250swb]

Thank you for all your input.

 

Would you mind taking a look at these photos, particularly near the horizon and tell me if it looks as sharp as it should?

 

Yes the horizon looks sharp. Except as mentioned above with #3 where the rocks in the middle distance aren't in focus anyway but the foreground is. You can see the difference between that horizon which is out of focus and the others (#1, 3 & 5) which are sharp. #2 is either completely out of focus or it is camera shake. Many people never see a truly sharp horizon because of atmospheric haze and this is what your camera is recording.

 

Steve