Interview with Peter karbe regarding Vario Elmar lens

[baretta]

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Peter Karbe: A Look through the Vario-Elmar Lens

[StephenPatterson]

An excellent Q&A with Peter Karbe, especially where he explains the design tradeoffs and decision making process that lead to the choice of the relatively slow maximum aperture of f/3.5-6.4

 

Hey, Leica Marketing Team, this is the kind of information that you should have pushed out on day one, instead of all that silly "Mini M" mumbo jumbo...

[barjohn]

Why hasn't Leica published the MTF charts for this lens as they do with their other M lenses? That would go a long way toward illustrating how well they met their 5 criteria.

[Jeff S]

That would go a long way toward illustrating how well they met their 5 criteria.

 

Well, the last 3 of the 5 don't show up on an MTF chart, and even the first two omit IQ issues such as color quality and aberrations, flare, vignetting and distortions.

 

Other than that, quite useful.

 

Jeff

[barjohn]

Leica proudly publishes real test MTF charts for their M lenses, Mr. Karbe said one of the primary goals was to equal the performance of their M lenses. The question posed is did they succeed? If so, where is the proof, include the other measures as well, flare resistance, distortion, vignetting, etc. That would go a long way to convincing prospective customers that they were obtaining high value for the high price.

 

My personal experience with the lens is that it is a high performer but that is my subjective opinion not backed by proper testing. I have seen great flare resistance, even without a lens hood and high resolution from some images. Vignetting seems minimal but again no formal testing to verify. I would certainly like to see Leica's own test results.

[paulsydaus]

How does the new camera compare to the X2 in the 35mm (equivalent) range? Does anyone have any comparisons?

[vcs700s]

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How does the new camera compare to the X2 in the 35mm (equivalent) range? Does anyone have any comparisons?

 

I don' t have any comparisons to show you but I have shot my X Vario through the entire range of the lens many times. It is sharp and produces outstanding images. I enjoyed the interview and believe Leica has accoomplished their goal of producing a superior zoom lens.

 

I did a review on my blog and a couple of updates if you are interested. Also, my Flipboard mag has quite a few reviews and articles on the X Vario too. Links are below in my signature.

[mjh]

Leica proudly publishes real test MTF charts for their M lenses, Mr. Karbe said one of the primary goals was to equal the performance of their M lenses. The question posed is did they succeed? If so, where is the proof, include the other measures as well, flare resistance, distortion, vignetting, etc. That would go a long way to convincing prospective customers that they were obtaining high value for the high price.

As a rule, Leica has been reluctant to publish anything remotely technical about the X series and its lenses; there are no lens cross-sections, no MTF curves etc.. Apparently it has to do with how they see the X series – these aren’t cameras for the technically minded.

 

As a matter of fact I have seen those MTF curves and they are nothing to be ashamed of (the Vario Elmar is a genuinely fine lens), but in the end it is Leica’s decision whether to publish these or not.

[hoppyman]

I can comment that I looked very closely at prints about one metre wide shot at high ISO values and the sharpness right out into the extreme corners was very impressive (as was the camera's high ISO performance).