Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2022/11/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The 50 Elmar is a sleeper. Sharp and tiny. Nice comparison testing. The enlarged shots are really easy to see the differences. On Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 1:34 PM Paul Roark via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> wrote: > The Leica-M 35mm apo is an excellent, modern lens. However, for daylight > landscape shooters who like the least heavy outfit, the now-discontinued > 50mm Elmar can produce some outstanding results (at f/6.7 down [within an > 8x10 crop] or if used in a multi-shot panorama mode). Below is a link to a > comparison of f/11 shots with the 35 apo v. the 50 Elmar pan (4 stitched > images). Both images were enhanced with Topaz's AI Gigapixel software. > > https://paulroark.com/Leica_35mm_Apo_v_50mm_Elmar_pan.jpg > > In addition to the 50mm pan's sharpness advantage, note the lack of corner > shading and rectilinear distortion. The 50mm pan image looks much more > like the scene itself. (Note that straight lines in some compositions will > look curved, however.) > > The Sony a7c with the collapsible Elmar fits into the Sony RX1 case. That > case is made for the belt, but I found it too heavy for that. With a > shoulder strap addition, however, the case is excellent. It makes a good > one-lens, daylight, "walk-around" landscape outfit. The camera+lens weight > is about 80% of the camera+35apo weight. With the 35mm, however, I usually > also take the 90mm collapsible on my belt; so the total system weight and > convenience is more than the 80% comparison suggests. The 50 Elmar, being > a rather traditional Tessar formula, is very sharp in the center (sharper > than the 35 apo at f/11 -- my preferred f-stop), which, particularly with > Topaz's AI Gigapixel software, makes enlargement of cropped images > practical. > > Of course, I take the 35 apo in many if not most situations, but for light > weight, daylight shooting, the collapsible 50mm Elmar makes a very useful > alternative. > > Paul > www.PaulRoark.com > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- Frank Filippone BMWRed735i at gmail.com