Luminous Landscape high-speed lens tests

[Troll]

A test of many high-speed lenses for the Digital Bessa (M Leica

mount) has just been published on Luminous Landscape. The best I

can tell, it's pretty much splitting hairs. Very little to choose

between different lenses except based on the largest aperture that

you will be needing. Not really very helpful -- there are no dogs

found among them.

[edmo]

Nevertheless a test is a test, not very important for making pics but makes for exhilarating reading, thanks for the heads up.

[stephen_w.]

Old news:

 

"http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00C9xX"

[david_kieltyka1]

>> Not really very helpful -- there are no dogs found among them. <<

 

I'd say this in itself is very helpful. Perhaps it means we can quit fussing over performance minutiae and just take photos.

 

-Dave-

[Troll]

Good point, Dave.

[uuronl]

It's also pretty evident from the test that the Zeiss lens they tested is no rebadged CV 35mm. Pretty darn impressive.

[jtdnyc]

While I appreciate all the work Sean put into the test, I was really hoping to see a head-to-head comparison of the new Zeiss 35 and the 35 Summicron ASPH, which I think is really its direct competition. I also wonder whether the differences in performance, small as they may be, would be the same on a slow-speed black & white film as they are on the digital sensor.

 

Again, I don't mean to derogate Sean's admirable effort, nor do I believe that most of these differences would be detectable in normal hand-held photography. It's just that, as the saying goes, "enquiring minds want to know."

[steve_chan5]

Well, you could always offer to loan him a lens to test (many of the lenses he tested were loaners).

[peter_svensson]

It's very strange that the Biogon appears to be worse in the center than in the corners wide open. I've never seen that before, and it makes me doubt the test.

[david_kieltyka]

From my limited experience with the 35mm Biogon performance at f/2 is essentially equal from center to corners. This is one of the lens' strong points. (The 50mm Planar, which I own, shares this characteristic.) Since Sean varied the focusing a bit to cover inaccuracy I guess it's possible the Biogon center & corner crops were taken from two different shots. But I wouldn't fuss over this too much. My Canon f/1.5 is left in the dust by the Biogon and the Summilux, particularly in the corners, but real-world results with the lens on my R-D1 are quite fine.

 

-Dave-

[david_kieltyka]

Peter A, it's a shame your photography is actually quite good. 'Cuz it's so much nicer when someone who behaves like a d*ck turns out to be a crap photographer too.

 

-Dave-

[red dawn]

Hi Peter

 

Luminous-Landscape has several "guest" writers penning its articles, amoung then Sean Reid (who wrote this one), Alain Briot and Mike Johnston (of 37thframe.com fame). This is in additional to the regular news update and articles written by the site owner himsel, Michael Reichmann.

 

I wouldn't lump them all into the same statement despite my opinion of anyone of the writers if I were you.

[james_cooke]

"It's very strange that the Biogon appears to be worse in the center than in the corners wide open. I've never seen that before, and it makes me doubt the test."

 

Yes I think that the focus was set slightly off, (All lenses vary slighty anyways) so I think thats why the focus seemed to put the edges in focus before the center.

 

I also noted that he said the Nokton 40's aperture was less defined that other Voigtlander lenses. The several that I have handled the aperture is far more notchy than any of the other Voitlander lenses I have tried so again sample variation plays a part.

 

Im sure Sean Reid, who is a forum member here can respond to being called a buffon himself. How photos are represented may sometimes appear good or bad to individuals. I remember people talking about Peters photos of country Australia and how they really made people see what its like, when myself being from country Australia I thought they failed in every way to make a real representation of country Australian life. It all comes down to perception. The photos of your breakfast eggs however was nice if not overdone.