Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/02
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Mary Kephart wrote:
>
>I'm thinking of rounding out my camera outfit with an R7 and would like
>to know if the R
>system equals the M for wide-angle work like buildings and interiors as
>far as clarity and
>minimal distortion. I like the idea of not having to use an external
>(dust-prone) finder.
The only direct comparison I can make is between my 21/4 R Super Angulon
and its M equivalent, the 21/3.4 SA.
These are very different lenses in terms of construction, so it's not
surprising the results are slightly different.
Both are very crisp at all apertures, but the M SA shows negligible
distortion in the corners. Corner distortion is only just noticeable with
the reflex SA (see my Cliffs of Moher pic on my home pages in the Irish
photo-gallery (address below), which is from virtually the whole neg).
That, said, the R SA is a fine lens. I use it a lot both for landscapes and
interiors. It's not the easiest len in the world to focus, but the
tremendous DOF means that you can get away with scale focussing 99% of the
time. With the M SA, of course, there's no such problem.
If you want to avoid the dust problem with 21mm M viewfinders, get the
properly engineered old metal version. Mine must be over 25 years old, and
is still bright and clear.
Slan
Alex
Alex Hurst
Waterfall
Nr. Cork
Ireland
Tel: +353 21 543 328 (H)
+353 21 270 907 (W)
Fax: +353 21 271 248
email: corkflor@iol.ie
Home website: http://homepages.iol.ie/~corkflor/
Business website: http://www.flowerlink.com/corkflorists