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My World: Testing the Leica ME

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
I do not do brick walls, or test charts. Just real world pics like I would take.

I took two of my fav lenses..the lux 50 asph and the cron 75 apo asph; to see how they rendered on the new cam.

It was a very dull day, windy. These are jpgs, cam set to b&w.

For me testing Leica lenses at f5.6 onwards is really of little use. Most lenses perform well around that fl.
Even though I believe Leica performs better; but that is just me.

So here are some unscientific tests around the house; at various distances.

First the lux 50 asph and the ME at f1.4. No sharpening. 100% crops.

p1326208670-5.jpg


p1326208642-5.jpg


p1326208708-5.jpg

and the cron 75 asph apo; which I consider to be the best of the best from the Leica stable. My fav for portraits and closeups.

At f2. No sharpening. 100% crop.

p1326208766-5.jpg
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I do not do brick walls, or test charts. Just real world pics like I would take.

I took two of my fav lenses..the lux 50 asph and the cron 75 apo asph; to see how they rendered on the new cam.

It was a very dull day, windy. These are jpgs, cam set to b&w.

For me testing Leica lenses at f5.6 onwards is really of little use. Most lenses perform well around that fl.
Even though I believe Leica performs better; but that is just me.

So here are some unscientific tests around the house; at various distances.

First the lux 50 asph and the ME at f1.4. No sharpening. 100% crops.


p1326208670-5.jpg


p1326208642-5.jpg


p1326208708-5.jpg



This is stunning, Fahim! I'd love to see picture of the setup compared to the regular Leica M8 and M9. How much weight is saved?

Asher
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Asher, thanks.

But the camera is just a light tight box. For me, it has always been the lenses. Whether with a Nikon, Leica, or Fuji.

This is purely a subjective opinion. As it has to be.

Here is a shot using the cron 75 apo asph on an old M8 body. I am high up in the Alps ( by cable car, of course ). I look down and across. Outside the field of view on the right lies Mt. Blanc.

Down stretches the valley and the beautiful small Alpine villages and a few towns. We are looking Kms in the distance.

The first one with the cron 75, as it saw the scene.

p1327644624-5.jpg

Now, remembering I am using an outdated digital technology 10.3 mp ccd crop sensor, let's do a 100% crop and zoom in to the small town on the left in the valley in the image #1. Hand-held.

p1327644662-5.jpg

If the pics are bad, I have only myself to blame. There is, for me, no excuse to take bad pics except my capabilities as an image maker.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Asher, thanks.

But the camera is just a light tight box. For me, it has always been the lenses. Whether with a Nikon, Leica, or Fuji.

This is purely a subjective opinion. As it has to be.


But why do we keep forgetting about the character of the lens? It's a pity as this is one of the most important parts of getting mood into the picture.


Here is a shot using the cron 75 apo asph on an old M8 body. I am high up in the Alps ( by cable car, of course ). I look down and across. Outside the field of view on the right lies Mt. Blanc.

Down stretches the valley and the beautiful small Alpine villages and a few towns. We are looking Kms in the distance.

The first one with the cron 75, as it saw the scene.[/quote]

p1327644624-5.jpg


Well this is very sharp and outstanding. Nowadays the Leica lens can be attached to so many cameras and at a much lower cost, but without that red dot! But the question then arises, Fahim: what body would you suggest if one was going to choose one instead of a Leica?

Asher
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Asher, let me take your second question first: which camera body?
Based on the experiences of my friends and the results I have seen in print:

The Ricoh with the M- module. No question in my mind.

The character of a lens...people get very touchy about this. Very subjective. Some might even call it a
fishy subject to discuss..

p1328122912-5.jpg

It is like seafood. But each fish tastes different. Some say a fish is a fish is a fish.
I beg to differ as regards fish and lenses. :)

p.s cron 28 asph.
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
I took the ME to Laos.

The right camera for me to take, as it turned out.

The roads in Laos leave much to be desired. I was afraid the rangefinder would become misaligned as I traveled through the roughest parts of the roads..vibration and bumps galore.

The ME survived all this, plus splashes of water from the small river boats I rode, the humidity, and the occasional short exposure to the rain.

I carried with me the 28/50/75 lenses. Most used were the 50 and the 75. For wides, I used the Sony RX 100. And the Sony, for video.
The 28mm was used mainly for some specific wide landscapes.

Based on checking my results from the cam back home, I believed I carried the best lenses in their focal lengths being made. For weight, performance and ease of use and transport.

Would I carry something else? Not really. I could have easily managed with the ME and a 50mm plus my Sony RX 100. However, the Sony is not a rapid and perfect focus cam..it takes a split second to focus and I missed focus quite often. I would not carry the Sony on its own, for the kind of photography I do.

The ME..well I am camera user with a strong bias for a particular make of cam.

Best.
 
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