Tom Rymour
Member
Oblique rays
Oblique rays
I have wondered if the newer Leica wide angles were computed with a full frame in mind. In the pictures, the rear element of the 21, for example, seems to sit farther from the film plane than my old Super Angulon or my beloved Canon 19mm. The light comes out of these lenses at such an oblique angle that the format is actually bigger than 36x 24. On a roll of negs shot with these optics the margins between frames are much narrower than with, say, a 50mm Summicron. And on a roll from my CV 12mm, the frames actually kiss! There's about a millimetre between pix, and I have to be careful with the scissors.
Has anyone actually played with the new wides, or the WATE, who can tell us how narrow the margins are? If they're broader than those left by a non-retrofocus lens, it might give us a clue to Leica's way of making FF work.
Oblique rays
I have wondered if the newer Leica wide angles were computed with a full frame in mind. In the pictures, the rear element of the 21, for example, seems to sit farther from the film plane than my old Super Angulon or my beloved Canon 19mm. The light comes out of these lenses at such an oblique angle that the format is actually bigger than 36x 24. On a roll of negs shot with these optics the margins between frames are much narrower than with, say, a 50mm Summicron. And on a roll from my CV 12mm, the frames actually kiss! There's about a millimetre between pix, and I have to be careful with the scissors.
Has anyone actually played with the new wides, or the WATE, who can tell us how narrow the margins are? If they're broader than those left by a non-retrofocus lens, it might give us a clue to Leica's way of making FF work.
JNewell
Leica M Recidivist
Most, possibly all current, Leica wides are retrofocus.