Digital BW, The Print

on 9/7/2002 1:33 AM, DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com at
DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> Message: 13
> Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 23:13:21 -0700
> From: Robert Morrison <rmorrison@...>
> Subject: Re: Shooting digital vs. film
> 
> On 9/6/02 8:06 PM, "Austin Franklin" <darkroom@...> wrote:
> 
>> Jerry,
>> 
>>> Good God Austin, who cares what an out of focus area looks like?
> 
> Oh my God, Jerry, you have committed the unthinkable utterance...bokeh
> rules!  If you still have any leica or contax lenses you should give them to
> charity (me) to do penitence!
> 
> :-)
> 
> Robert


Pure speculation here:  I think that the bokeh is not a property "designed"
into these lenses, but rather a function of the distance of the lens
position to the film plane.  When a lens is mounted at it's optimal distance
(the focal length is it not?), the lens can be made with the minimal amount
of glass.  An SLR throws a mirror in the way of the lens mounting position.
The lenses have to be designed to project the image to the film as if the
lens were mounted closer than it actually is.  This makes the lenses larger,
more complex, more expensive, and poor bokeh.

So Leitz lenses made for the leica SLR will not have the same performance as
the same focal lengths made for the rangefinder bodies. Once the focal
length discussed is longer than the distance from the film to the front of
the mirror, the design for all camera types can be the same for that lens.
 
-Bruce

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