mirekti Posted January 24, 2014 Share #1 Â Posted January 24, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Few days ago I received 21SEM, and out of curiosity I shot a brick wall hand held @3.4 and found out that the corneres on the left side (upper and lower) were not as sharp as those on the right side. In order to determine whether this is an issue I will use a tripod and repeat the test. I just wondered if it mattered whether the test was done from 0.7m or it would be better to move away from the wall to 2m for example? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 Hi mirekti, Take a look here Does distance to the subject matter when I test the lens sharpness?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
mirekti Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share #2  Posted January 24, 2014 I did the test again. Should I just send the lens for a repair or back to the store for a replacement? Here are the samples: top left, and right, than bottom left and right. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/220804-does-distance-to-the-subject-matter-when-i-test-the-lens-sharpness/?do=findComment&comment=2517476'>More sharing options...
microview Posted January 24, 2014 Share #3 Â Posted January 24, 2014 I'd use a 1.0m distance. A problem with facing a wall is getting the camera on the tripod not just absolutely horizontal but looking along an axis at 90 degrees to the wall face. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londonmember Posted January 24, 2014 Share #4 Â Posted January 24, 2014 Brick walls are notoriously bad test subjects. You are asking the plane of focus for the lens to be exactly flat across the field. This is NEVER the case with a super wide (if it is true of any lens). In real life it matters much less as subjects are not flat like brick walls. The key thing is... does the lens perform well for the things you shoot with it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirekti Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share #5 Â Posted January 24, 2014 The key thing is... does the lens perform well for the things you shoot with it? Â It is perfect!!! ...I just thought it would behave the same on both sides left and right, and in my case it appears that the left side is maybe smeared too much. I guess I'll keep it as it is. Maybe I send it for a repair, but not sure this would help at all given your comments about the flat field. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbers Posted January 24, 2014 Share #6 Â Posted January 24, 2014 [quote name= I guess I'll keep it as it is. Maybe I send it for a repair' date=' but not sure this would help at all given your comments about the flat field.[/quote] Â the lens or the wall? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 24, 2014 Share #7 Â Posted January 24, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Seem odd to me, especially so that i'ts on one side. Send the pics to Leica and see what they say. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted January 24, 2014 Share #8 Â Posted January 24, 2014 It should not do that, at any distance, unless the camera was at an angle vs. the wall. If confirmed by the tripod test, I'd get a replacement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 24, 2014 Share #9 Â Posted January 24, 2014 Could be decentrred (according to some only a problem with cheapo Voigtlanders). Â Try a FLAT test chart instead of a wall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 24, 2014 Share #10 Â Posted January 24, 2014 does anything work straight out of the factory these days? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 24, 2014 Share #11 Â Posted January 24, 2014 does anything work straight out of the factory these days? Â Well it's an excuse to open a bottle of champagne if it does! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirekti Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share #12  Posted January 24, 2014 This is from a vertical shoot @f8. First one is upper right corner (right side of the lens), and the second one is the lower right corner (left/problematic side of the lens). Size 1:2. If one goes 1:1 the difference is even more obvious. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/220804-does-distance-to-the-subject-matter-when-i-test-the-lens-sharpness/?do=findComment&comment=2517614'>More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted January 24, 2014 Share #13 Â Posted January 24, 2014 Money you paid is working properly, so you deserve a lens working properly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr. B Posted January 24, 2014 Share #14 Â Posted January 24, 2014 Try photographing a variety of subjects (people, landscapes, architecture etc.) and see how the results look to you. Mr. B Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirekti Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share #15 Â Posted January 24, 2014 Well, I exactly did that, compared it with my other shots. It looks fine, the lens is perfect for most of my shots. However, now that I know this for a fact, it irritates a bit. I'm off to Hawaii next week, and will decide when I come back. Â First I received a 75 Cron together with a 35 Cron manual, and then the aperture ring failed after two months. 21 SEM came with a tiny scratch on the hood which didn't bother me much as I would scratch it sooner or later, but the possibly de centered element was not expected. Â I really enjoy the rangefinder experience, and what Leica lenses deliver, but I truly hope they'll fix their QA to the level I read about before I switched to Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 24, 2014 Share #16 Â Posted January 24, 2014 Â I really enjoy the rangefinder experience, and what Leica lenses deliver, but I truly hope they'll fix their QA to the level I read about before I switched to Leica. Â Leica today are not the same company as Leica of the past. It's a private company owned by a very wealthy businessman and a private equity company. They pay to use the Leica brand name. Â That's no excuse for sloppy quality though, and they claim to adhere to traditional Leica values, which I'm sure they aim for, but they've been rather off target lately! Â As I said, you need to make a more stringent test with a completely flat surface, and ensure the camera is level on all planes. But it does appear that your lens is decentered, and I'd return it if the 'flat' test confirms it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirekti Posted January 25, 2014 Author Share #17  Posted January 25, 2014 Today I made my own chart on a wall in the room, and the behavior is the same. What do you think, is it better to send a lens for a replacement to the store rather than repair to NJ? Here are the results from my own test chart, size 1:1. Bottom left, right, than Top left, right, than center and the full image. Maybe I could use this lens for making landscape postcards, and no issues at all.  PS don't make fun of my test chart!!! Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/220804-does-distance-to-the-subject-matter-when-i-test-the-lens-sharpness/?do=findComment&comment=2518297'>More sharing options...
wattsy Posted January 25, 2014 Share #18  Posted January 25, 2014 Leica today are not the same company as Leica of the past. It's a private company owned by a very wealthy businessman and a private equity company. They pay to use the Leica brand name.  The ownership has changed (and the company has gone from private to public and back to private) but there is a clear continuity between the original Leitz company and today's Leica Camera AG. IMO it is the same company.The brand name licensing is a result of the corporate split between the camera company and the Geosystems and Microsystems operations during the 1990s and not analogous to, for example, the situation with Voigtländer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Michel Posted January 25, 2014 Share #19 Â Posted January 25, 2014 No one here can really help you. You have gone some way to document your dissatisfaction with the lens, I would return it for either money-back or a replacement. A new lens ought to work as specified and not need repair. Jean-Michel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted January 26, 2014 Share #20 Â Posted January 26, 2014 Regarding the question in your post title: Yes, distance can matter when testing a lens, but it depends on the lens. General-purpose lenses are usually optimized for longer (near-infinity) distances - macro lenses are usually optimized for a 1:10 magnification ratio. Floating element designs have reduced the importance of this distinction over the years. Â HOWEVER - the usual result from using a GP lens close-up is OVERALL lower resolution. The problems you show look more like a manufacturing flaw - poor assembly or a badly-formed piece of glass. Â I'd ask Leica to replace it (faster for you - they can repair yours and resell as a Code-U refurbished lens.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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