Why are Leica Lenses The Best in the World?

[Guest]

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My take on things is that  leica and cosina voigtlander make beautiful well made lenses and that  is a wonderful thing.

Is the 2008 21mm summilux better technically  than the 2020 voigtlander nokton? i very much doubt it myself.

I own 3 leica lenses and my fave is the 28mm f5.6 summaron which just astounds me with the clarity of the images i take of my grand kids.

But my 21mm f1.4 nokton is so sharp its stunning and my 40mm f1.4 nokton sc  just renders people in its own special way.

I believe there are people at the top of leica and cosina who are enthusiasts at heart and want to create beautiful optical instruments over and above commercial concern.

Romantic maybe? but that is what i believe.

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[M11 for me]

I own different cameras as many of you do too. I use them for differen purposes. I import into LR Classic and work on my files. Most tme in albums I can not see anymore which photograph is from which camera. 

The content of this thread does not lead to new information. Think of the new Canon R lenses (just an example). Very heavy and top image quality. Leica M lenses are tiny, light, no AF, beautiful. Do they replace my Canon? No they do not. Are they the best in the world? Fully wrong question to me. And even worse: The title of this thread is "WHY are . . ." Here it gets even a tiny little bit ignorant 🤥.

But if such a discussions lead to make Leica owner feel better then that might be a benefit after all. But of course nobody here needs that kind of moral uplift.

 

[Simone_DF]

On 6/22/2021 at 5:58 AM, cboy said:

Does anyone know the level of precision with  leica lenses made in comparison to others like Cosina? 

The same.

It's 2021, not 1950. Technology has evolved and everybody is perfectly capable of producing the same level of quality.

You'll start seeing qc issues more often only if you go really really cheap nowadays.

[Oswalt]

They don’t. That title belongs to Fujifilm and Canon. I like my M; but it’s difficult for me to take Leica seriously as a company solely focused on photography & photographers. The experience of buying my M was funnily similar to when I purchased my first Rolex. It was a bit silly, and left a bad taste in my mouth. Just give me the damn thing without all the pretense. 

 

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Oswalt

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Oswalt said:

They don’t. That title belongs to Fujifilm and Canon. I like my M; but it’s difficult for me to take Leica seriously as a company solely focused on photography & photographers. The experience of buying my M was funnily similar to when I purchased my first Rolex. It was a bit silly, and left a bad taste in my mouth. Just give me the damn thing without all the pretense. 

 

 

I just bought mine in a straight forward way ,what happened with you? did court jesters come out playing flutes or something?

Leica are used to haters as are all people that venture onto social media so even more hate is no big deal.

[Oswalt]

52 minutes ago, steve 1959 said:

I just bought mine in a straight forward way ,what happened with you? did court jesters come out playing flutes or something?

Leica are used to haters as are all people that venture onto social media so even more hate is no big deal.

It’s a stretch to see anyone “hating” on Leica, as you seem to put it, to have anyone disagree with the marketing hype and drivel surrounding the product. I personally find it crass, and not at all reflective of the owner experience. This article is an example of that. 

 

Does Leica really make the very best lenses in the world? No, of course they don’t. But they’d like to have you think so. They aren’t paying Lenny Kravitz, Christopher Waltz, etc, for nothing. Leica tries to attach the image they want to project with the help of successful personalities and as a result “celebutizes” something as silly as camera equipment. Aspirational products in my opinion are almost always hype. Rolex is another good example… solid watch but that’s honestly about it.  I’d like to see Leica work on improving their products, especially their support and repair network resulting in a more mature approach; hopefully growing and evolving into a serious photographic company that lures back the working photographer. Instead we have this current pseudo luxury accessories company that they’ve touted, and pointedly even seem quite proud of when presenting at global product showcases, or whatever they are called. 

Any consternation I have with the company would evaporate and I’d happily continue to support them. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Oswalt
Autocorrect.

[Guest]

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3 minutes ago, Oswalt said:

It’s a stretch to see anyone “hating” on Leica, as you seem to put it, to have anyone disagree with the marketing hype and drivel surrounding the product. I personally find it crass, and not at all reflective of the owner experience. This article is an example of that. 

 

Does Leica really make the very best lenses in the world? No, of course they don’t. But they’d like to have you think so. They aren’t paying Lenny Kravitz, Christopher Waltz, etc, for nothing. Leica tries to attach the image they want to project with the help of successful personalities and as a result “celebutizes” something as silly as camera equipment. Aspirational products in my option are almost always hype. Rolex is another good example… solid watch but that’s honestly about it.  I’d like to see Leica work on improving their products, especially their support and repair network resulting in a more mature approach; hopefully growing and evolving into a serious photographic company that lures back the working photographer. Instead we have this current pseudo luxury accessories company that they’ve touted, and pointedly even seem quite proud of when presenting at global product showcases, or whatever they are called. 

 

Your just another hater in my view but its just my opinion.

[Oswalt]

Just now, steve 1959 said:

Your just another hater in my view but its just my opinion.

Yes, a hater with a boatload of Leica equipment. Mostly old, but some new. Try reading between the lines next time. 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Oswalt said:

Yes, a hater with a boatload of Leica equipment. Mostly old, but some new. Try reading between the lines next time. 

Why not just run with your wonderful canon and fuji stuff? plastic is the new metal after all.

[Oswalt]

24 minutes ago, steve 1959 said:

Why not just run with your wonderful canon and fuji stuff? plastic is the new metal after all.

Please do compare your x - pro 3 with your M - 10r.  No? I’d happily oblige you and give you a overall build and quality assessment between the two, if you would like. Be forewarned and have your fainting pillow nearby though please, as it isn’t overly favourable to Leica.  😂

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Oswalt
Forgot to include the “dying of laughter” Emoji.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Oswalt said:

Please do compare your x - pro 3 with your M - 10r.  No? I’d happily oblige you and give you a overall build and quality assessment between the two, if you would like. Be forewarned and have your fainting pillow nearby though please, as it isn’t overly favourable to Leica.  

 

I have an m262 and it behaves like my old minolta x-700 which i love.

I hated the x-pro and all the other digital AF crappy cameras including my olympus pen ep-5 which i used for a while .

The olympus lenses were top class but the absurd menu and crazy modes drove me nuts but i am happy now with my simple camera and top class  small lenses made by leica and cosina.

Just go and enjoy your fuji/canon AF multi menu cameras that pander to every possible type of camera user, 

My camera is better than my minolta  x-700 and SRT 101 as well as my mamiya c330  and i never thought that was even possible so i am very happy with it.

[pippy]

23 hours ago, steve 1959 said:

...I believe there are people at the top of leica and cosina who are enthusiasts at heart and want to create beautiful optical instruments over and above commercial concern.......Romantic maybe? but that is what i believe.

I believe you are correct.

And (IMHO) Canon lenses for their DSLRs are (in the main but with some notable exceptions) garbage in comparison with Leica lenses - and I say that as a Pro using Canon stuff for all my Pro work.

YMM as they say V.

Philip.

Edited June 23, 2021 by pippy

[Herr Barnack]

1 hour ago, Oswalt said:

Does Leica really make the very best lenses in the world? No, of course they don’t.

Then let's see some proof of your claim.  

Edited June 23, 2021 by Herr Barnack

[Guest]

I always think with a thread like this and for example the "lenses that inspire you " thread there is no need to treat it to seriously as it reads but just enjoy the spirit of the thread and interpret it in your own way and join in the fun.

[Oswalt]

55 minutes ago, Herr Barnack said:

Then let's see some proof of your claim.  

No, that’s your onus, not mine. The proclamation is “Why Leica lenses are the best in the world” which of course bears no evidentiary basis, proof, or even more puzzling; very little effort or simply no legitimate attempt at a credible objective analysis to substantiate this type of bold faced lie. Why? Because it’s nothing more than a fallacy. A prisoner’s dilemma of sorts, and no amount of brand loyalty, worship, or cognitive dissonance can provide the solution to this type of conundrum. 

There is no such thing as the “very best lenses” in the world. I can very confidently make this statement, but I likely won’t, but if I were to, and have decidedly changed my mind to suggest otherwise perhaps, that there is in fact such a distinction to be made between “the very best lenses in the world” and “the very poorest lenses of the world” I’ll happily leave that obligation entirely up to you to sort through. 

[lct]

Some people cannot refrain from raining on others parade, such is life, but threads like "my (expensive thing) is the best" seem to attract them like flies

[jaeger]

It should be written "Why are Leica Lenses The BETTER Rangefinder in the World?" 

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by jaeger

[Oswalt]

Sorry to repost, but I just had to put some finishing touches on my coup de grâce. I’m trying to text a superlative reply, fly my airplane, fondle my 20k Leica, while also trying to honestly compare it to my 2k Fuji/pontificate upon the depressive reality of too much plastic in canon lenses and my toes can only do so much. 
 

“No, that’s your onus, not mine. The proclamation is “Why Leica lenses are the best in the world” which of course bears no evidentiary basis, proof, or even more puzzling; very little effort or simply no legitimate attempt at a credible objective analysis to substantiate this type of bold faced lie. Why? Because it’s nothing more than a fallacy. A prisoner’s dilemma of sorts, and no amount of brand loyalty, worship, or cognitive dissonance can provide the solution to this type of conundrum. 

 

There is no such thing as the “very best lenses” in the world. I can very confidently make this statement, but I likely won’t, but if I were to, and have decidedly changed my mind to then suggest otherwise perhaps, that there is in fact such a distinction to be made between “the very best lenses in the world” and “the very poorest lenses of the world” I’ll happily leave that obligation entirely up to you figure out and sort through.”

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Herr Barnack]

3 hours ago, Oswalt said:

No, that’s your onus, not mine. The proclamation is “Why Leica lenses are the best in the world” which of course bears no evidentiary basis, proof, or even more puzzling; very little effort or simply no legitimate attempt at a credible objective analysis to substantiate this type of bold faced lie. Why? Because it’s nothing more than a fallacy. A prisoner’s dilemma of sorts, and no amount of brand loyalty, worship, or cognitive dissonance can provide the solution to this type of conundrum. 

There is no such thing as the “very best lenses” in the world. I can very confidently make this statement, but I likely won’t, but if I were to, and have decidedly changed my mind to suggest otherwise perhaps, that there is in fact such a distinction to be made between “the very best lenses in the world” and “the very poorest lenses of the world” I’ll happily leave that obligation entirely up to you to sort through. 

What a laughable attempt at misdirection.  It is you who said -

Quote

Does Leica really make the very best lenses in the world? No, of course they don’t

It is therefore on you to offer substantiation for your claim - but you don't because you can't.

As for the title of the article to which I posted a link - "Why are Leica Lenses The Best in the World?" - if that causes you cramps, address that issue with Jason Schneider of LHSA who is the author of the article.

@lct hits the nail on the head with his observation, "Some people cannot refrain from raining on others parade, such is life..."  which is obvious. 

However, that observation does not answer the larger question of why some who claim to own and use Leica M cameras and lenses have a compulsion to exhibit a faux intellectual contempt for the company, their price structure, the wording of their promotional endeavors, the font used in the Leica logo or the price of brown eggs in Wetzlar on the summer solstice of 1963. 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by Herr Barnack

[chrisperkins]

10 minutes ago, Herr Barnack said:

What a laughable attempt at misdirection.  It is you who said -

It is therefore on you to offer substantiation for your claim - but you don't because you can't. 

As for the title of the article to which I posted a link - "Why are Leica Lenses The Best in the World?" - if that causes you cramps, address that issue with Jason Schneider of LHSA who is the author of the article.

@lct hits the nail on the head with his observation, "Some people cannot refrain from raining on others parade, such is life..."  which is obvious. 

However, it does not answer the larger question of why a small minority of those who claim to own and use Leica M cameras and lenses have a compulsion to exhibit a faux intellectual contempt for the company, their price structure, the wording of their promotional endeavors, the shade of red or font used in the Leica logo or the price of goose eggs in Wetzlar on the summer solstice of 1963. 

I have hit the limit with regard to wasting my time with that exercise in futility. 

 

🤦🤦🤦