Disparity

[Alberti]

I agree to your remarks on the big price gap - and in the past some have pointed to the fact of [former] ties with the likes of the LMHV group: Leica as positioned as an upmarket brand.
That does reflect in the channel strategy: brand stores. And you do agree with me: camera shops will rather sell boxes of CanNikons and the likes than an occasional Leica.

My best portraits have been shot with the Russian Jupiter-3.
But a Leica is always spot-on, and I'ld rather have the Leica quality than have to check focus often. That said, I also volunteered with a Canon RF and that is good too in constant RF-quality, general image.
Still, my Summicron 50 non-A is the easiest to work with. And hence worth the modest price.

Too bad by the way the head bartender did not dare to send a copy of the VC Heliar lens to me in Europe. 🙁

 

[Pherdinand]

Some famous dude once said, "ever ever confuse sharp with good, or you will end up shaving with an ice cream cone and licking a razor blade".
😉

 

[Timmyjoe]

Just a follow up on the lens Bill is discussing in the original post. Using an Amedeo adapter, I put my Voigtlander 50mm f3.5 Heliar on an M-9 Monochrom to see just how sharp it was wide open on the Leica. Below are the results, both shot wide open. The first was shot with focus at minimum (about 1 meter):

This is 100% zoom crop, straight out of the camera with no sharpening:

The second was shot with focus near infinity, again wide open:

And again, this is 100% zoom crop, straight out of the camera with no sharpening:

It's a pretty sharp lens, even wide open. Maybe the Summicron is sharper, and it certainly is a stop and a half faster for low light work, but there's something to be said for the little $529 wonder.

Best,
-Tim

 

[NickTrop]

Mr. Pierce -- I used to think you were an outstanding photographer. However, the recent revelation that you now shoot with a 50/3.5 Voigtlander Heliar VM has caused my great consternation. Great consternation, indeed!

 

[NickTrop]

As for the disparity of which you speak, I believe Thorstein Veblen pert much nailed it back in the turn of the last century.

 

[Alberti]

As for the disparity of which you speak, I believe Thorstein Veblen pert much nailed it back in the turn of the last century.

It looks like the "conspicuous consumption", albeit, by taking off the red 'expensive camera button' on the front and not using it all the time, not many recognize the camera brand anymore. The body should have the £ sign all over the body 😀 perhaps to really show off.
[rumour: I heard that leica camera has to pay for each red logo to Leica Binoculars . . .]

 

[Alberti]

Erwin Puts puts it as following

It is good when the prestige element would be diminished for the high speed lenses. Most photographers would be delighted to have high performance, moderately-sized lenses to shoot their pictures in bright sunlight.

. . . and as far as I am concerned, even in normal light situations.

from his March 2019 blog.

The cult of selective focus was born and with it the idea that this style was the best for general photography.

There is one thing I do not really agree with him but it is nice rant: it is not the culturing of very selective OOF 24x36 RF pictures by star firms but movies and TV that made that shift in style. For me it is always a surprise that with an aperture of F4 I can get great isolation from backgrounds too at short (portrait) distances) - with 50 and 90 mm and even 35mm.

 

[Out to Lunch]

- Voigtlander 1.2/35

- Voigtlander Super-Wide-Heliar III 4.5/15


I am using the SWH with the Voigtlander 15-35 multi format Zoomfinder - great value for money.