New Leica Panasonic lenses for 43 finally

[mattinasi]

Panasonic announced that they are selling two 4/3 lenses independent from a body. The 14-50 that is selling with the L1 and a new 25mm f1.4 Summilux ASPH! I know it is not 'new' news, but it was news to me when I read it this morning.

Check it out here:

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I love the aperture ring on the lens.

If the Summilux lives up to it's name I'll be in line for one

Cheers!
- marc

 

[bdcolen]

Hi, Marc! The Panasonic announcement is good news - but note that the prices haven't been announced. I'm willing to bet that the 'Leica' 14-50 f 2.8/3.5 will be at least twice the price of the Olympus 14-54, and will be, at best, marginally better optically. The test for buyers of that lens will be how much of a difference IS means to you. The 25 1.4 may be a different matter - but there are now two reasonably fast primes in that range - the Sigma 24 1.8 and Sigma 30 1.4. I'd certainly expect the Leica 25 1.4 to have better build quality than the Sigmas, but to me the most important question will be flare suppression, and cost. B. D.

 

[weedram]

Well, if the Summilux does not better the Sigma in all areas, then Solms is in trouble ...

 

[bdcolen]

There's better, and there's better - and it's not Solms - it's somewhere in Japan, China, or Korea. And keep in mind - the current generation of Leica M aspheric lenses are absolute world beaters, but the R lenses, while good, are not - world beaters.

 

[mattinasi]

> I only hope that you are right that the new lenses are not the equal of the latest M-series... I love my Leica M and its lenses, but for digital it seems to be unnecessary to have such refinement, particularly since the cost is astronomical! I really just want a 25mm f1.4 lens of excellent quality that I can afford - it doesn't have to be as good as a Summilux-M, or even an R. But nobody else is making a fast 25mm, the closest being the Sigma that I've read about but never seen. Using a 21mm OM Zuiko on the 4/3 is OK, but it's an f3.5, not a 1.4

Is the 4/3 sensor going to make use of a Summilux-M 50mm ASPH? No way. More to the point, will it ever matter for my pictures? Nope. The Zuiko 14-54 is a great lens, I cannot wait to see how the Leica compares. And I love the aperture ring on the lens, I wish everyone would do that! Still not used to using the thumb-wheel to change aperture I guess ;-)

And, Hey, they make some pretty nice lenses in Japan and China and Korea... Solms makes nice jewelry that I cannot afford these days

We beat the world with our pictures, not with our lenses. We beat muggers with our lenses, right?

Cheers! -marc

 

[bdcolen]

As far as I'm concerned, Marc, you're right on every point. However...the Oly digital lenses - good as they are - do suffer from veiling flare, but of course so do Canon and Nikon lenses in similar, backlit situations. If the Leica 25 1.4 doesn't have that flaw, that alone would make it a good investment for me.

 

[weedram]

I think my post was misinterpreted. First, I was simply stating that a prime Summilux ASPH should be better than a much lower priced Sigma, digital-4/3s mount notwisthstanding. If it is not, then the Leica brand is in some difficulty. I am not saying that everything coming out of Solms is perfect, or is a world-beater. And I am not saying that great lenses are not made elsewhere. I have a bunch of Zuiko glass that I quite like. In fact, the OM 21/2 was (is) so good that when it came time to sell my M3 kit with 21 Super Angulon (plus DR 50 and 90 Summicron), I was comfortable with that decision.

But if a Leica ASPH prime cannot best other brands, at least in some respects, then Leica (wherever it chooses to manufacture it lenses) has more problems than just the issues with the M8.

Second, affordability, especially for the serious amateur, is a whole different conversation from actual lens performance.

If the 4/3s sensors cannot record the difference in a lens of superior performance, then Olympus is in trouble, not just Leica. FWIW, I have faith in both Leica and Olympus. But it's not unqualified belief.