Mike ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) writes:
<< I started researching an article about 50/1.4's a couple of years
ago and it was estimated by a couple of my sources that if the
Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50mm f/1.4 M42 screwmount lens
were manufactured and marketed today, it would have to be sold
for between $800 and $1,600 (the variance depending mainly on
how many could be sold).
The point of the article was that for a time, manufacturers poured
all their expertise and effort into making products _better_, and
then, at a certain point, they started devoting more and more of
their expertise and effort into making products _cheaper_. Both
require smart engineering, but the results are not exactly equivalent. >>
Is it for similar reasons that the limited lenses (43mm & 77mm) are
outrageously expensive? They seem to be extraordinarily well made and modern
compromises to hold the price down seem infrequent in their design. But
there are also some nagging questions about how sharp they are wide open.
And we seem to imbue them with other special optical properties like "3
dimensional" rendition.
Could it be that these lenses are just a modern return to the level of
quality presented in the old screwmounts? (Also with some updates for
optical qualities)
Mike makes some very good points on cost. I think of what I paid for my
first ME camera in '76 and the new body doesn't seem so expensive... Neither
do the limited lenses.
Regards, Bob S.
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