AllenB Posted June 3, 2024 Share #1 Posted June 3, 2024 Advertisement (gone after registration) Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 Aspherical II MC which is very sharp. This is my first Leica lens and my first 28mm so I'm a bit unsure of what to expect and don't want to return it if the nature of the 28mm should be a bit 'less sharp' when compared to the Voigtlander Nokton. I even shot the Voigtlander Nokton from a bit further away so there wasn't an unfair advantage. I shot them both at f8 and wide open. Not saying that the Leica is bad, it's just not as sharp as the Voigtlander, and this is in no way a great way to test either lens but I'm just trying to gain more insight into how this lens should perform. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 3, 2024 Posted June 3, 2024 Hi AllenB, Take a look here Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit (11677) question, should I not expect this lens to be as sharp as my. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
lct Posted June 3, 2024 Share #2 Posted June 3, 2024 I have no experience with this lens but it should be more than good enough at f/8. Mine is its predecessor (11606) and can compete with no problem with my Nokton 50/1.5 SC v2 and as sharp or sharper lenses. Why not showing us your photos? Hard to tell anything w/o watching them. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted June 4, 2024 Share #3 Posted June 4, 2024 Bear in mind that the "design brief" for the 28 Elmarit ASPH 11677 was to be really, really compact and lightweight - about half the volume of Leica's previous 28mm Elmarits, and 180 grams vs. 250 grams. An extension of that brief was for the lens to be "as compact and lightweight as the 35mm Summicron v.4" - because it was released right alongside the original digital M8 (2006), on whose 1.33x cropped sensor a 28 would produce a "38mm" view of the world. It was meant to replicate the feel of a film M with a 1980s-1990s 35mm f/2.0 (which it does). But thus something of a carry-anytime "entry-level" lens - in Leica-world. And it remains the least-expensive Leica-made M lens at current new prices - for whatever that means. And small size/weight puts constraints on lens performance - the optical designer just doesn't have as much leeway to correct everything and still fit in the small package. Also "sharp" is not a technical optical term. There is resolution, and there is edge contrast, and combined there is MTF/definition/acutance. Those can be measured and charted - "sharp" cannot. And comparing focal lengths as far apart as 50 and 28mm is very tricky - they are lenses designed to bend light very differently, and not really comparable. All that being said: I just got an 11677 (primarily for the size/weight). Samples below from Leica M10 (It captures so much fine detail that it cannot be shown whole at full resolution on this forum, so crops at full size, plus the overall scene). I would say it resolves extremely fine detail at moderate contrast over the whole image area at f/6.8. I have not used the CV 50mm Nokton v.II myself. But it would not surprise me if a Voigtlander (or a higher-end $$$ Leica APO) lens might produce punchier, higher-contrast, "apparently-sharper" details. However that is not the same as higher absolute resolution. As the Zeiss scientists figured out in the 1950s-60s - a moderate-resolution (40 line-pairs per mm) lens with high contrast can "look sharper" than a high-resolution lens with moderate contrast, in many cases. And that is one of the places where Leitz/Leica, and other lens designers, have just had - different - ideas and goals (along with prices) over the past 80 years or so. The 28 Elmarit-M is very good, and easily capable of, for example, producing a sharp-corner-to-corner National Geographic Magazine two-page-spread at f/8 (or even larger apertures). Which is about where my interest in "just how sharp is it" runs out. 😉 It is possibly not quite up to the level of some other M lenses, at all apertures. BTW I use the Voigtländer 75mm f/1.5 Nokton and love it - also, significantly for its weight as well as image quality. And would not trade it for anything else. 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! 6 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/395470-leica-28mm-f28-elmarit-11677-question-should-i-not-expect-this-lens-to-be-as-sharp-as-my/?do=findComment&comment=5326875'>More sharing options...
adan Posted June 4, 2024 Share #4 Posted June 4, 2024 and the overall picture, at reduced size to fit. 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! 2 1 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/395470-leica-28mm-f28-elmarit-11677-question-should-i-not-expect-this-lens-to-be-as-sharp-as-my/?do=findComment&comment=5326876'>More sharing options...
Tessar. Posted June 7, 2024 Share #5 Posted June 7, 2024 Both my v1 and v2 ASPH were extremely capable lenses. I would suggest to analyse your technique. The 28 is a "casual snapshot" type of lens so It's very easy to be less considered with it when you're out and about, which could result in camera shake. Certainly in my personal experience. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
justj Posted June 7, 2024 Share #6 Posted June 7, 2024 It's very compact and sharp, at least that's the impression I get from my copy. Maybe not as sharp as VM 50/1.5, as I've never used it before. But I've never wished the 28 elmarit to be sharper than it is. 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! 4 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/395470-leica-28mm-f28-elmarit-11677-question-should-i-not-expect-this-lens-to-be-as-sharp-as-my/?do=findComment&comment=5336667'>More sharing options...
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