NEW USE FOR LEICA R LENSES
By Heinz Richter
With the Leica R-Adapters we finally have a good alternative to use the Leica R lenses on other Leica cameras like the the Leica SL, Leica M240, Leica M10, as well as the Leica T series cameras. But there is another new use for the Leica R lenses.
More and more filmmakers have discovered the creative properties and the high quality of many older lenses. To allow these optical top performers to maintain their excellence when subjected to the mechanical requirements of film production, the Firm of P+S Technik in Munich is offering a rehousing program where the optical components are transferred to a new lens barrel.
The optical components of these older photographic lenses are used in a housing, which allows an optimal interaction with the motorized focusing and aperture control units when filming. In addition, P + S Technik has also launched a program for lenses with floating elements. The diaphragm mechanism of all lenses has also been improved.
Leica-R Apo-Summicron 180mm f/2
Leica R lenses are now incorporated in the SL case of P + S with a front diameter of 110 mm. The invention of "Floating Elements" was a big, important step in the history of optical design. This technique has been transferred from zoom lenses to fixed focal length lenses to correct chromatic aberrations during focusing over the entire field of the focusing range.
In a classic lens design, the entire optical system is moved back or forth to correct focusing at the image plane. In a floating lens element system two or more lens elements are moved simultaneously and independently from each other.
Leica Apo-Telyt-R 400mm/560mm module
Often these older lenses are described as being softer and less contrasty than their modern counterparts, but when compared to most vintage lenses, these examples are sharper and display noticeably higher contrast levels.
Obviously this is only a relatively small market, but the very fact that the Leica R lenses are part of this rehousing program by P+S Technik further underlines the incredible performance levels these lenses are capable of.
LEICA CAMERAS HAVE EYE-POPPING PRICES WITH PHOTOS TO MATCH
By Heinz Richter
In 2013 the New York Times published an article by Nick Bilton, titled “Leica Cameras Have Eye-Popping Prices, With Photos to Match.” Even though the article is a bit dated by now, it still is as relevant today as it was then. It was refreshing to see that it turned out to be a well written article that avoided the typical ‘you pay for the name’ or ‘you pay for the red dot’ or worse, ‘other cameras are just as good…’ He wrote:
“Today’s smartphones can take pretty crisp pictures, so buying a regular camera might sound like a waste of money. Now imagine buying a fully manual Leica digital camera that, with a body and lens, can cost as much as $20,000.
Ridiculous? Perhaps. But the hard-core photographers who own a Leica swear by its craftsmanship, lens quality and lack of bells and whistles…”
Leica M9, special white finish edition
He continues to explain the differences between rangefinder and DSLR cameras and lists some of the various Leica cameras on the market at that time. Of course that included the Leica M and ME. But he made special mention of the Leica M Monochrom.
Leica M Monochrom
“Leica also offers the Leica M Monochrom, an 18-megapixel camera that can shoot only black and white. Some people might ask why anyone would buy a camera that cannot even take a color picture, but Leica has poured years of research and development into optimizing the sensor on this camera for the subtlety of black-and-white photography.
The results from the Leica M Monochrom are astounding. Pictures have the tonality and contrast that make them look as if they were shot with real black-and-white film. The M Monochrom can also shoot at an ISO up to 10,000, which allows pictures to be taken in extremely low light.”
The article made special mention of what sets Leica lenses apart from their competition, especially in terms of performance.
“Leica makes a lens the way it should be made, with metal and glass, while everyone else is making plastic lenses that are meant to be thrown away in a couple of years,” said Ken Rockwell, a photographer and expert on cameras and lenses. “The Leica lenses are so special because they are smaller, faster and sharper.”
Mr. Rockwell noted that Leica’s lenses are still assembled by hand in Germany.
“The Leica glass,” Mr. Michel said, “adds that special ethereal quality to the image that no D.S.L.R. can match.”
Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95
He went on to say that the control he has with a manual Leica lens made him realize that today’s abundance of buttons and features on most cameras often makes people take poorer pictures.
Of course the price of Leica lenses was discussed. Rather than dismissing the Leica lenses as too expensive, he mentioned their outstanding overall performance and that he would gladly give up some of his other high tech gadgets for Leica equipment. He continued to say:
“This was true decades ago and is still true today. Henri Cartier-Bresson, considered by many to be the father of photojournalism, said in his biography, “The Mind’s Eye,” that when he discovered the Leica camera in the beginning of his career, “It became the extension of my eye, and I have never been separated from it since I found it.”
Nick Bilton finished the article by warning that buying a Leica does not automatically allow one to take the same photos as the world’s best photojournalists. He closed by saying that it is not the camera that takes good pictures, that it is the person holding it.
For other articles on this blog please click on Blog Archive in the column to the right
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