lens quality per model

[DennisM]

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I'm looking at Leicas for the first time in years. Years later, the lens quality is what I remember.

 

Could someone out there give me an idea of how the lens quality changes with each model these days?

 

DennisM

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[christer]

Here's a quick summary of more or less everything you need.

 

It's 223 pages but downloads very quickly as a pdf file

 

http://www.imx.nl/photo/downloads/files/llcforweb.pdf

[DennisM]

I appreciate your quick response.

 

DennisM

[UliWer]

I'm looking at Leicas for the first time in years. Years later, the lens quality is what I remember.

 

Could someone out there give me an idea of how the lens quality changes with each model these days?

 

DennisM

 

Hello Dennis,

 

welcome to the Forum. I am glad to hear from someone looking at lenses and not just the cameras as the main reason for his interest in Leica.

 

If you look around in this forum you find many threads about lenses, also comparing new designs with older ones. Some examples:

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/114404-leica-135-4-tele-elmar-m.html

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/115142-question-you-bokeh-50-a.html

 

Perhaps you ask at the right moment about the quality differences shown by new lenses compared to their precedessors. If we can trust many rumours which are told here and elsewhere we could see a new 35mm Summilux Asph very soon. The current version was built since 1994, so it's one of the oldest Leica lens designs in their actual catalogue. This lens was and is held at very high esteem until now. If it is true that Leica presents a new version, it will be very, very hard to maintain or even supersede the standard uphold by the present type. It won't be easy and for most practical occasions it will be impossible to see any difference as far as sharpness and resolution are concerned, for the present version is already so extremely good.

 

So why are they (perhaps) bringing out a new version? No competitor is really better - though they may be much cheaper. May be it's just the Leica way trying to get over all the problems and impossibilites every optical desgin implies. There will never be anything like the perfect lens which has no faults. Though one can still follow the aim to achieve it.

 

So the difference between any former and newer model is just, that the newer one is a little bit nearer to this unachievable aim.