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Best Leica Lens...


wilfredo

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Purely from a technical image quality standpoint, assuming one can get as close to, or as far away from, the subject as one wants and just wants the maximum amount of detail at the most distances and apertures, I would say the top five (in my ranking) are:

 

90 APO-Summicron (R or M)

100 Macro-APO-Elmarit

28 Summicron ASPH

75 Summicron (edges out the 50 f/1.4 ASPH on closeup performance)

 

- and the 280 f/4 APO-Telyt fits in there somewhere, but I don't have enough experience with it to say where.

 

But I'll be the first to admit that that is only one definition of "best" - heck my "favorite" lenses (21 pre-ASPH, 35 'cron v.4, 90 Tele-Elmarit) probably wouldn't appear on anyone's list of "best" based on image quality alone.

 

It is interesting that while Leica is known for their wide-angles (especially on the M), since 1995 the telephotos have pulled even or ahead.

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Don't know if that was directed at my comment but I own the lenses I referred to. One I don't own but would most likely be my next Leica lens is a 35 Summicron ASPH.

Yes sorry James but someone said that such lens was 'obviously' the best despite or given the fact he/she does not own one so i began to wonder if some of us give opinions on stuff they don't have experience about.

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Yes sorry James but someone said that such lens was 'obviously' the best despite or given the fact he/she does not own one so i began to wonder if some of us give opinions on stuff they don't have experience about.

From someone: "not owning" does not imply "not having experience about" in this specific case, but in general do not see why someone (anyone) cannot give an opinion based on images available on the internet. You do not need to own a Noctilux (1.2, 1 or 0.95) to see that it has special qualities. What I see from the 50/1.4 ASPH is convincing enough for me.

 

Surely it is about the images a lens produces?

 

Anyway my no. 2 vote would be the 28/2 summicron ASPH (which I do own).

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The 50 f/1.4 is superb - but it has just let me down enough times in the under-1-meter range (which is where I normally use that focal length) that it gets docked points. I find the 75 'cron more reliably sharp throughout its focal range.

 

If one wants to talk about Leica's 5 "signature" lenses - it would get in as the best 50 f1.4 ever made.

 

My list by that definition ("signature" = unique to Leica photography) - ordered simply by focal length:

 

21 Summilux ASPH

28 Summicron ASPH

35 Summilux ASPH

50 Summilux ASPH

50 Noctilux f/0.95

 

Change the criterion to "legendary" - and well, feel free to pick your own - mine would start out:

 

75 Summilux

50 Noctilux f/1

35 Summilux Aspherical...

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Yo Zeiss, I'm happy for you and Imma let you finish, but Leica has the best lenses of all time. All time.

 

Haha, I'm not sure people got that allusion. But this is hilarious :D

 

 

....

 

 

I'm still laughing.... HAHAHA

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