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New Vario-Elmar-M 28-75mm f/3.4-5.6


rosuna

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This one is got to be one of THE most hyoped lenses.

Hypothetical view: Optically it can not be comparable to existing fixed lenses. If it were comparable,it will cost many times more.

It will also not be light.

So,with moderate IQ performsnce,and moderate apertures,it must be offered reasonably,or else, as I stated earlier,there are no shortage of lenses in those focal lenghts.

 

 

convenience comes at a price.

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So,with moderate IQ performsnce,and moderate apertures,it must be offered reasonably,or else, as I stated earlier,there are no shortage of lenses in those focal lenghts.

That's my hope, too... but of course the concept of "moderate IQ" must be declined keeping in mind that is a Leica lens, after all... anyway I'd be happy of a pricing policy that "looks to Summarits" even with materials in their quality range ... (clearly, the pricing is by converse not so related to the Summaron 28 5,6, which plays another game) of course, being a zoom, no tradeoffs on mechanical build quality.... I think that with such apertures they have good opportunities to stay in a reasonable range of manufacturing and QC costs... to manufacture a lens that MUST consistently and repeatedly focus correctly at 75 f2 is different from a 75 that doesn't go beyond 5,6. Edited by luigi bertolotti
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Hypothetical view: Optically it can not be comparable to existing fixed lenses.

 

...

 

So,with moderate IQ performsnce,and moderate apertures,it must be offered reasonably,or else, as I stated earlier,there are no shortage of lenses in those focal lenghts.

 

I disagree that a zoom lens implies moderate image quality. The two Tri-Elmar lenses are very much so comparable to fixed focal length lenses, as are the Leica R zooms that I've used. Yes, the primes are superior in some respects, but the zooms are superior in others. Just because most zoom designs are heavily cost-constrained, and therefore do indeed yield lower optical quality, does not mean that zooms are inherently inferior.

 

Given that high-quality zooms are possible, I observe that there is indeed a shortage of lenses that prioritize quality, handling, and size. In fact, this is one of the distinguishing features of the M system, which is full of such primes but which lacks a current "normal" zoom option. Overall, it makes sense to explore the concept of a small, high quality zoom for the M system.

 

As for the cost issue: Leica currently offers seven M lenses that each retail at a higher price than the most expensive non-telephoto lenses for Canon or Nikon. One of those lenses is the current Tri-Elmar. The market seems to sustain a substantial premium for high quality in small packages. 

 

That said, I think this thread has shown why the Vario-Elmar-M was never put into production: even if the optics are compelling, the technical and practical hurdles of backward-compatible implementation are prohibitive, and breaking compatibility creates serious marketing issues. But Leica gets points in my book for building test lenses to see what would happen, and I think many of us would enjoy learning more about that lens even if we're never able to use one ourselves. 

 

Cheers,

Jon

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That's my hope, too... but of course the concept of "moderate IQ" must be declined keeping in mind that is a Leica lens, after all... anyway I'd be happy of a pricing policy that "looks to Summarits" even with materials in their quality range ... (clearly, the pricing is by converse not so related to the Summaron 28 5,6, which plays another game) of course, being a zoom, no tradeoffs on mechanical build quality.... I think that with such apertures they have good opportunities to stay in a reasonable range of manufacturing and QC costs... to manufacture a lens that MUST consistently and repeatedly focus correctly at 75 f2 is different from a 75 that doesn't go beyond 5,6.

Every lens released by Leica seems to start life with criticism:

 

- focus shift

- boring subjects

- soft

- digitally corrected

- too slow

 

to name but a few. Invariably, the criticism turns out to be misplaced. If this lens is released, I have no doubt it will suffer the same fate, and it will also be a very fine, high quality Leica lens. Its relative slowness will simply mean that its depth of field will not be as shallow as equivalent primes. ISO performance will deal with any other concerns. Its speed will be purely a factor of keeping size, weight and cost under control.

 

I'd be amazed if IQ were any concern at all.

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Well .I confirm that should it arrive, it will be surely of interest for me : have no doubt that it will be up to Leica standard.

 

(and... if they like to play the "moderate aperture - compact" game... I still hope someday in a goggled 180 4,8 6,3 or so... :))

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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During the Photokina 2014, I explained to Leica :

  1. Zoom lenses have less interest in the digital photo world. Take a APO 50 and crop! (See the Q approach)
  2. My proposal for a good travel gear : Bi-Elmar-M f3.8/24-50mm ASPH.
  3. Zoom may be interesting for video: take a SL and not a M
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  • 1 year later...

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