New 50mm APO article/review + Interview with Peter Karbe at overgaard.dk

[NB23]

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I'm not sure why anything is scary? I apologise if my post attacked you.

 

But where is your evidence of this "fact" that it was a fake? It might have been factory repainted, as we now know they can and will do. We also know that Leica red paint lenses that aren't brass.

 

You are speculating based on your own personal opinion that it is a fake. I most likely is, but you don't have any evidence either way. Everything you used to call it a fake has now been uncovered as not exactly true.

 

I might just say how scary it is that you were so quick to accuse without any evidence. You just assume based on previous experience. Scary.

 

Bottom line is that God Particle got their lens painted with red lettering, most people think it's cool. You don't like it because it doesn't fit with your romantic view of Leica.

 

Id like Leica to paint the feet scale on my lenses in black like the limited edition 0.95/50. I'm metric

Why not do it yourself? All it takes is 5$ and 10 minutes of your time.

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[MarkP]

Id like Leica to paint the feet scale on my lenses in black like the limited edition 0.95/50. I'm metric

 

 

+1

[michaelwj]

Why not do it yourself? All it takes is 5$ and 10 minutes of your time.

My hands are not steady

[jaapv]

I'm not sure why anything is scary? I apologise if my post attacked you.

 

But where is your evidence of this "fact" that it was a fake? It might have been factory repainted, as we now know they can and will do. We also know that Leica red paint lenses that aren't brass.

 

You are speculating based on your own personal opinion that it is a fake. I most likely is, but you don't have any evidence either way. Everything you used to call it a fake has now been uncovered as not exactly true.

 

I might just say how scary it is that you were so quick to accuse without any evidence. You just assume based on previous experience. Scary.

 

Bottom line is that God Particle got their lens painted with red lettering, most people think it's cool. You don't like it because it doesn't fit with your romantic view of Leica.

 

Id like Leica to paint the feet scale on my lenses in black like the limited edition 0.95/50. I'm metric

Leica will indeed paint engravings in any colour the customer requests - unless they run out of paint in the colour requested. Which happened to me. The tin of blue paint for a signature engraving was finished...

[ho_co]

Thorsten--

 

You say: "[Karbe] has made the outstanding 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4 that he admitted in fact is an APO design...."

 

Just curious: Did he tell you this, or do you have this as hearsay from elsewhere?

 

Thanks!

[MarkP]

My understanding is that it is well known to be an APO lens, and that Karbe has specifically commented on this before, but that it was kept it off the lens name as it was too clumsy (?).

 

Is this correct Thorsten?

[Overgaard]

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Thorsten--

 

You say: "[Karbe] has made the outstanding 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4 that he admitted in fact is an APO design...."

 

Just curious: Did he tell you this, or do you have this as hearsay from elsewhere?

 

Thanks!

 

 

That is from a talk/interview from Photokina 2012 that David Farkas did. You can find it on the Leica History page here: http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_history.html (search for the Peter Karbe part with the photo of him). 

[gpwhite]

It is also worth noting that there is no common specification (at Leica or elsewhere) for what constitutes the threshold of correction for an APO lens designation. Karbe alluded to this in one of Thorsten's interviews with him about the 0.95 Noctilux.

 

For example, both the Noct 0.95 ASPH and Summicron-S 100mm ASPH, which are actually very similar in performance in many ways IMHO, are very highly corrected for chromatic aberrations. Yet, neither lens in marketed by Leica as APO.

 

My point is that APO, schmapo, the designation is a marketing gimmick, and one needs to see images from any lens wide open in order to assess whether its CA correction and color palette is what you want.

[pop]

It is also worth noting that there is no common specification (at Leica or elsewhere) for what constitutes the threshold of correction for an APO lens designation. Karbe alluded to this in one of Thorsten's interviews with him about the 0.95 Noctilux.

 

For example, both the Noct 0.95 ASPH and Summicron-S 100mm ASPH, which are actually very similar in performance in many ways IMHO, are very highly corrected for chromatic aberrations. Yet, neither lens in marketed by Leica as APO.

 

My point is that APO, schmapo, the designation is a marketing gimmick, and one needs to see images from any lens wide open in order to assess whether its CA correction and color palette is what you want.

Normal use of the APO designation is reserved for lenses which have been corrected for three (3) spectral colors instead of the usual two (2).

[james.liam]

It is also worth noting that there is no common specification (at Leica or elsewhere) for what constitutes the threshold of correction for an APO lens designation. Karbe alluded to this in one of Thorsten's interviews with him about the 0.95 Noctilux.

 

For example, both the Noct 0.95 ASPH and Summicron-S 100mm ASPH, which are actually very similar in performance in many ways IMHO, are very highly corrected for chromatic aberrations. Yet, neither lens in marketed by Leica as APO.

 

My point is that APO, schmapo, the designation is a marketing gimmick, and one needs to see images from any lens wide open in order to assess whether its CA correction and color palette is what you want.

 

 

To your point, Cosina marketed several lenses as APO (90 LTM & SL, 125 SL, 180 SL), but I doubt that the assembly process was so precise as to align many samples perfectly to all 3 spectral colors. The 125 was probably the best of the lot.

[gpwhite]

Normal use of the APO designation is reserved for lenses which have been corrected for three (3) spectral colors instead of the usual two (2).

 

Interesting, thank you. But I wonder if this reservation is akin to the example far above, where red-painted distance scales are reserved for lenses made with brass barrels instead of the normal aluminum...  except, of course, for the lenses with silver anodized finish and red scales 

[pop]

Interesting, thank you. But I wonder if this reservation is akin to the example far above, 

No, it is not, to the best of my knowledge. An APO lens is a lens with the property I named. Whether you find the resulting image more pleasing, or less, is up to you.

[ho_co]

That is from a talk/interview from Photokina 2012 that David Farkas did. You can find it on the Leica History page here: http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_history.html (search for the Peter Karbe part with the photo of him). 

 

Thanks, Thorsten. That interview is the only one I've found in which it is claimed that the current 50/1.4 has apochromatic correction. 

 

I've found it impossible to confirm with a second source.

 

I was hoping Dr. Karbe had repeated the claim to you.

[Overgaard]

Thanks, Thorsten. That interview is the only one I've found in which it is claimed that the current 50/1.4 has apochromatic correction. 

 

I've found it impossible to confirm with a second source.

 

I was hoping Dr. Karbe had repeated the claim to you.

 

 

I'll ask one day. 

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Philipp,

 

As per your Post #89, above:  

 

Red, Green & Blue for an Apochromat.

 

Red & Blue for an Achromat.

 

I think in both instances this is only for the Central image.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[phongph]

Hi All!
It is very interesting topic!

Thanks!

[Exodies]

You sound like a spambot

[phongph]

Hi!

My gear is Leica SL and SL 24-90/f 2.8-4.0 ASPH. I am just impressed the image quality, light and size of this lens. So I intend to take M Apo 50 mm f2.0 instead of SL Lux 50 mm f1.4!

Please advice!

Thanks!

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[semi-ambivalent]

And back on topic...

 

I love the interview with Peter Karbe, very nice descriptions of the influence of contrast in conjunction with sharpness. Thank you.

michaelwj,

 

I see this as being the most important material in the entire piece, for a couple reasons. First, it alludes to how Leica can (and apparently, intends) to manipulate the visual information delivered to a collecting medium in a manner that heretofore was a characteristic only of fog or smoke in the atmosphere, and, second, such manipulations might (might) (I think) be applicable to extant designs. This second point could very well fuel further churn about some new M lenses that were, somewhat famously, absent at Photokina. Ultimate resolution, contrast, flare resistance; they're such old-fashioned topics nowadays. I suspect Leica's knife has become a good deal sharper than that.

 

s-a

[mmradman]

Hi!

My gear is Leica SL and SL 24-90/f 2.8-4.0 ASPH. I am just impressed the image quality, light and size of this lens. So I intend to take M Apo 50 mm f2.0 instead of SL Lux 50 mm f1.4!

Please advice!

Thanks!

Advise what exactly?