Re: [Leica] 35 Lux ASPH

[Henning Wulff <henningw@archiphoto.com>]

At 6:52 AM -0700 4/27/03, Thomas Pastorello wrote:
>    Thank you, John, for the information about the 35
>Lux ASPH's freedom from flare.  My ASPH experience is
>limited to the 24 and the Tri-Elmar which are flare
>prone.  You and others seem to indicate that the flare
>problem is limited to the 24 and the Tri-Elmar.  I
>would pick the wrong two!  I'm glad to no longer have
>to assume that all ASPH lenses have a flare problem. 
>
>    The bokeh problem remains an issue for me.  In his
>review of the Summicron-M 1:2/28mm ASPH, Puts
>indicates: "...really out-of-focus areas show the
>tendency to break up details in coarse and fuzzy
>patches.  There is a certain harshness in the out of
>focus rendition that is typical of modern Leica
>lenses."  I use fast Leica M lenses because I must
>often shoot wide open and relatively close up.  Both
>factors limited DOF and cause the out-of-focus portion
>of the image to be a integral part of the total
>composition.  Hence, I'm still reluctant to use ASPH.
>My concerns should not apply to those who do
>landscapes or large group shots, etc.  Thanks to all
>for the feedback.     Tom
>

I have the 21, 35/1.4, T.E (1st) and 90 ASPH lenses. Although the TE 
produces more flare than the other three, those 3 are, along with the 
Noct, the most flare resistant lenses I have (among about 75 in 
various formats). All are significantly more flare resistant than the 
lenses they replaced.

The 90 AA is by far the most flare resistant lens between 85 and 
105mm that I have ever used. It is truly amazing. My 35/1.4 exhibits 
very slight flare at times, but a tiny fraction of the flare that all 
examples of the 50 Summicron, from the early collapsible through the 
DR to the 80's 'M' version (I haven't used one newer than about 1990) 
exhibit regularly.

The TE might not be the equal of these three, but it is also 
significantly better than any Leica lens from the 50's or 60's or 
even 70's I have used, and even at 28, its poorest focal length, it 
is better in all respects except distortion than the second version 
of the 28/2.8, which is the last I used extensively. As regards 
distortion, the TE at 28 is about the equal of the previous non-ASPH 
21/2.8. Neither are the best in class, but certainly nowhere near as 
bad as most prime SLR lenses, let alone zooms.

I find this badmouthing of the TE's performance astounding, based on 
my admittedly single sample. I've shot probably 120 rolls of 100ISO 
slide film through it, as well as about 25 rolls of B&W.

I should note that some individual lenses from Leitz have been shown 
to have elevated flare levels due to improper edge blackening, which 
Leitz has repaired.

On the bokeh issue; part of what produces 'good' bokeh is the 
remaining uncorrected spherical aberration. Unfortunately, part of 
what causes the soft corners in lenses such as the 4th generation 
35/2 is the remaining uncorrected spherical aberration. At present 
levels of lens design, we can't have it both ways.

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    *            Henning J. Wulff
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