Ken Rockwell's review of the Leica 28mm

Why is this doofus still being treated as a reference?

"I like to make things up and stretch the truth if they make an article more fun. In the case of new products, rumors and just plain silly stuff, it's all pretend. If you lack a good BS detector, please treat this entire site as a work of fiction....

I offer no warrantees of any kind, except that there are many deliberate gaffes, practical jokes and downright foolish and made-up things lurking....The only thing I do guarantee is that there is plenty of stuff I simply make up out of thin air...."

http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm
 
"remember: darker corners are good for keeping your viewer's eyes from wandering out of the photo and keeping their attention in your photo where it belongs."

I thought light fall-off in the corners is usually mentioned by KR as unacceptable. But with Leica it's a feature! :D
 
We seem to love to deride anyone who holds himself out to be an expert, whether it's Rockwell or Puts...:rolleyes:

Ken is controversial/confrontational, though, and I think Sean Reid's reviews are more thoroughly thought out. And, come to think on it, Sean seems to have avoided the "expert flack", possibly by avoiding hyperbole. :)

BTW, despite Ken's dissin' it, I'm extremely fond of my 28 Summicron, so there!
 
Last edited:
I really don't like this lense. I've had it for nearly two years and barely ever use it. Why? Because it is WAY too contrasty - sacrificing that Leica 'glow' for ultra-sharpness that IMO cripples the character of the image.

I've never tried a 28 'cron, but maybe saying that it's the 'best 28mm Leica lense ever' really isn't saying much! :D
 
My side by side comparisons with the 28 Elmarit ASPH, 28 Summicron ASPH and the ZM 28 made me a believer. Stunning lens, that outdid the ZM by a good bit and was a near duplicate of the Summicron- at half the price. Best value in a Leica lens anywhere I'd say. I found it just a little too small for my hands to be a everyday lens for me; that and my love of shooting a 28 with as shallow a DOF as possible kept me with the Summicron.

I suppose it depends what one wants from a Leica lens- the modern look or the old look. For me both have their place, but I pick the modern look for most work.

I have to wonder if this quote "For sharpness, you can shoot it wide open and get results much better than any SLR or rangefinder lens I've ever shot on Nikon.

Unlike the Nikon lenses, this Leica lens doesn't know how to go soft in the corners, even at large apertures." is coloring this renewed hatred of ol' Ken?
 
Last edited:
AH good ole Ken, I have to say that afet reading his "Review" (yes I clicked on it) I cant help but to say "What a hack". He is so...... Blagh. I really have a dis like for the man and his inability to take a decent photograph.
 
Rprice said:
AH good ole Ken, I have to say that afet reading his "Review" (yes I clicked on it) I cant help but to say "What a hack". He is so...... Blagh. I really have a dis like for the man and his inability to take a decent photograph.
Click to expand...

I believe that was a detail to show the sunstar.
 
I kinda figured this thread would go off-tangent and be more about Ken than the lens. :)

But...for what it is worth...there is a 15% rebate til the end of month in the UK, with the exchange rate, the price is about $400 less than it is in the US...
 
digitalintrigue said:
I kinda figured this thread would go off-tangent and be more about Ken than the lens. :)

But...for what it is worth...there is a 15% rebate til the end of month in the UK, with the exchange rate, the price is about $400 less than it is in the US...
Click to expand...


Sorry :) It's a thing with me. Great lens though. Sorry I went all off topic.
 
Just got this from Robert White UK:

"We would handle the 15% rebate for you

If you placed an order on our website, your money would be taken in full

We would then refund your card with the cashback and this enables us to claim it back from Leica UK

We are VERY short of stock at present and we expect a big shipment on Monday next week which should include enough stocks of 28/2.8 to satisfy an order"

Nets to under $1100 plus shipping
 
"I'm amused at how Leica tries to make people who buy this $1,800 lens feel unworthy, calling it merely an 'introduction' to the Leica system."

Whatever you think of Ken Rockwell, it is sometimes nice to have an SLR user put things in perspective.
 
Also: As crazy as he is, Ken Rockwell can also move products just by mentioning them on his website. An endorsement for Leica will probably help push through several sales for the big red dot.
 
I don't know about ken, but there is a tremendous amount of bunk being spread about this lens being ridiculously contrasty. I've only seen one comparison that demonstrates this, and that's from SR.
 
kipkeston said:
I don't know about ken, but there is a tremendous amount of bunk being spread about this lens being ridiculously contrasty. I've only seen one comparison that demonstrates this, and that's from SR.
Click to expand...

I own the lense. It is not 'ridiculously constrasty' as an absolute, it is just 'ridiculously contrasty - for a Leica lense'.

Sod the comparisons, you either like a lense or you don't, and I don't like it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom