luther_berry

Margaret,

 

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Information in current lens books identify the original word(s) as

bo-ke, a somewhat derogatory Japanese term applied to older people

with less than perfect memory recall capabilities. Somehow the term

has transliterated into "bokeh" and refers to out of focus areas in

photographs. It has further been described as either "good" or "bad"

bokeh depending on the viewer's taste.

Prevailing opinion is that Leica lenses generally display good

bokeh while some other manufacturer's lenses may display lesser

quality. Good bokeh is difficult to define precisely but many

photographers say they recognize it when they see it. A good example

of "bad" bokeh are the donut shaped highlights in out-of-focus areas

of images taken with mirror lenses. These donut shapes are caused by

the hole in the back mirror thru which the image is reflected onto

the film.

The whole subject is very subjective and opinions range all over

the place. Some call it "bokeh" and some call it "hokey". :-) LB

"This thread raises multiple issues."

 

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I think Bob is right but would suggest that perhaps the current

thread should be split into multiple ongoing threads. Each thread

could then concentrate on a single subject. Possible threads might

be:

1) Nikon vs Leica (original thread)

2) Tonality (what is it, manifestations, examples, etc.)

3) Bokeh (what is it, manifestations, examples, etc.)

4) Factors affecting lens evaluations (which factors do we each

use and why)

5) Favorite Leica lenses

 

It seems this thread has touched on all of these issues. LB

Dan,

My Nikon setup was almost identical to yours except I went even

further to 400mm/f3.5 lens on the upper end. For many of the same

reasons you mention, I replaced my F3HP's with Leica R8 plus prime

lenses and have been extremely pleased with results. Am not

enthusiastic about Leica zooms but the R primes are fantastic.

IMO, the R8 is a great camera and is a pleasure to use. The

controls are simple yet effective. For me the switch was a terrific

success. If you already use and like the M camera/lens, I suspect

you will also prefer the R setup to the N. Good luck. LB

I think hand size is less relevant than personal feel. My hands

are not large (medium size pistol grips fit me but large size grips

are too big) and I like the feel/ergonomics of the R8. It is a great

camera. Would prefer if it were lighter but it really feels solid and

easy to use.

Ditto to previous suggestions. Buy the R8 if you like it but keep

the R6 as a second body. (Notice the optimist in me calls it a

second body, NOT a backup which implies expected failure.) :-) LB

Hi, Richard.

As most of you regulars know by now, I purchased an R8 and several

new lenses this year. Recently we were viewing some wildlife/scenic

slides taken with my previous Nikon 400/f3.5 ED lens (a top quality

lens). Then put on a tray of slides taken with the Leica 50/1.4 and

90/2 using the same K64 film. I have hesitated to tell people this

because of expected rebuttals/denials/derision, etc. BUT there was a

discernible "difference" in the slides. It wasn't just sharpness but

was possibly more of a tonal or contrast improvement. Whatever, my

friend also saw it and we both commented on it. Each to his own

purpose but I am very satisfied and happy with the results from my

Leica lenses. LB

Leica advertises their R extenders for use ONLY on lenses of f/2 or smaller. Is there a physical/optical reason why you can't use the 2X APO extender with the latest 80mm f/1.4 ROM lens? I can see why the 1.4 extender might physically not fit because of its forward bulge but don't see why the 2X wouldn't work. Thanks for info. LB

Philip,

Only in the last couple of years have I seen the term "bokeh"

applied to describe the out-of-focus areas of a picture. But 30

years ago, when shooting 500mm mirror telephotos, we noticed that the

out-of-focus areas were populated with small "donut shaped"

highlights. I never heard a specific term applied to it but that was

apparently also bokeh. Most people disliked that particular type of

bokeh. It didn't bother me because using mirror lenses was the only

way I could then afford good quality long telephotos. LB

Wilhelm,

Earlier this year, I purchased a new Leica R8 and a "couple" of

lenses. Have been VERY PLEASED with all of them. The R8 is solid

and extremely easy to handle. The weight balances nicely with the

lenses, especially the larger ones, 80/1.4, 100APO, 180APO, etc. The

controls are simple yet effective and allow me to do everything I

want (so far) with minimum fuss. The camera has caused one change in

my photography habits. I seem to think more about the desired image

on each shot instead of just focusing and pressing the shutter

release. Have just completed a calibration test on my built-in spot

meter and it checks out almost perfect for Kodachrome 64. LB

Question: Can we ease up on Alfie and try getting into the spirit of Thanksgiving Day?

 

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For those of you who are not familiar with this North American custom, I offer the following:

The first Thanksgiving Day was observed in Plymouth Colony (first permanent settlement of current USA) in 1621 to celebrate their harvest and other blessings of the past year. The custom has continued and is now observed as a national holiday in our country. On the fourth Thursday of November each year we pause to celebrate our blessings, with family and friends when possible. I invite all of you to "HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING" wherever you live!

Obviously anyone who appreciates Leicas has been blessed with exceptional taste and discernment of quality. :-)) LB

Tony,

The response I got was that the "Server was too busy to respond to

me at this time. Try again later." or something to that effect. Was

someone using all the server CPU cycles for tech support? If this is

the case, it would be nice to change the message to indicate that

maintenance is being performed and approximate time the forum will re-

open. LB

Jack,

I don't know the answer to your question but definitely empathize

with you. Like Jay, I still rack Nikon lenses back and forth when

installing them. Years ago this action was required to identify the

max lens aperture for built-in meter. Actually, I even rack the

lenses back and forth on my Leica R camera. Old habits die hard! Do

I have to forfeit one lens or pay a penalty for such forgetfulness?

Good luck in your search. Although the odds are probably against

your success, you might just get lucky. Is AF really that necessary?

I left Nikon for Leica because I didn't want to be forced into AF.

 

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LB

Warren,

I use R cameras instead of M's but the question is still relevant

so will give my "opinion". You must like the 50mm lens coverage

since you bought the lens. If so, why not keep the 50 and add a 35

later? Personally, I prefer 50mm over 35mm but your choice should

depend on your likes/uses. Good luck with your decision. LB

Max,

You might contact North American) Carl Zeiss Optical, Inc in

Chester, VA at (800) 441-3005 or e-mail them

at "sportsoptics@zeiss.com" to see if they can still repair your

glasses. Good luck. LB

PS: BOTH BA's and BN's are waterproof to 5 meters. LB

Albert,

There seems to be some confusion over the relative sales volume of

R6.2 vs R8. I have seen other comments on the net (from Leica I

think) that said the R8 was selling at substantially higher volume

than the 6.2 version. LB

It seems to be there are two primary user types for digitals, those

who simply want a quick snapshot of "consumer" quality and the more

serious photographers who want a higher quality level image. The

former are well satisfied with the current level digital cameras.

The latter lust for still higher level capabilities in digital output.

 

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Consider further the point about digital being binary. At present,

the pixels are either ON or OFF but why must it remain so? Imagine

an exponential improvement in design technology where the pixels

become tiny potentiometers (is that the right term?) capable of

accepting a charge of varying degree. Then we could get the same

gradient tonal quality from digital that we currently get from silver

halide films.

 

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My choice for a Leica digital camera would be a new light rangefinder

body shell available with interchangeable lens mount-board to accept

either M lenses or R lenses. LB

Michael,

Which models are you considering? I have both 10x42 and 8x32 BA's

and 10x32 BN binos. All are great! Can't really tell any significant

difference in use between BA's and BN's except the BN's focus closer.

The 32's are noticeably lighter and handier than the 42's but the

42's have slightly better definition and early/late low light usage.

Clarity and color rendition of all are simply amazing. One

correction, Leica no longer recommends cleaning their binoculars

under "running water" but recommends immersing in still water

instead. LB

AMEN! LB

For all street shooters,

 

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I am a photographer too but I consider it extremely rude and an

invasion of my personal privacy to take my picture without my prior

permission. Please have the courtesy to ask my permission first! If

you are taking pictures of others on the street "without prior

permission", perhaps they too resent the rude action. LB

I set my profile to NOT automatically receive private e-mail replies

for postings to my questions on this forum. I have exchanged private

e-mails with several members from this forum and have not had any

problems with viruses. Agree with the concept of NOT opening any

attachment on e-mail if I don't recognize the sender. May your e-

mails be virus free and your lenses be fungus free. :-)) LB

Michael,

 

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I like the looks of black lenses on my chrome R8. Actually I do

not care for the looks of chrome lenses at all. I do like both

chrome and black bodies and think the black lenses look good on both

body colors. Good luck. LB

Am I missing something? Isn't the problem larger than just mail

order processing labs? How will any camera store/film supplier

receive film for us to buy? That film has to be shipped from the

manufacturer to the distributor and again to the retailer. Isn't the

film equally vulnerable during all this movement? It looks to me like

the entire film/photographic industry is vulnerable on this issue of

detoxing items mailed or shipped in the US. LB

Alex,

You might look at previous threads on this topic for more detail.

Both lens types will fit on R cameras and function properly. My

understanding is that "currently" the ROM's are used only to send

lens information to zoom flashes when used on R8 cameras. I think

Leica is ultimately planning to use them for focus confirmation or

some similar purpose but they will not admit to that at this time. LB

Jay,

The other side of that coin is "Don't use a filter unless really

necessary in rough conditions or for special effects". Maybe I am

just lucky but in 30+ years of photography, have never damaged a

lens. I keep the original lens cap on my SLR lens except when

actually taking a picture. If you are using an M camera, will have

to be careful to always remove the lens cap before taking a shot.

LB

Note:

KBCamera aka Leica Gallery has a website you might have visited:

www.leicagallery.com

 

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Question:

Did you buy the lenses as NEW or as DEMOS/Used/Other??? LB