In article <32c95254.1058239@news.primenet.com>, beamon@primenet.com says...

>:> From what people who have used both the
>:> ground/polished vs. the molded in the Leica
>:> line, they can see no discernable difference.
>:> The Leica 1.4/35mm Aspheric vs. the Leica
>:> 1.4/35mm. ASPH lends itself nicely to this
>:> comparison.

>:Ah, is that the way they are distinguished? The ASPH designation belongs to
>:the new lens I assume?

>Yes. The old ground and polished elements
>unit had the Aspheric spelled out, whereas
>the new model with the molded element has the
>abbreviation ASPH!

>We really hashed this subject out on a
>dedicated Leica mailing list about 1.5 months
>ago, and the concensus opinion from those who
>had used both was "machts nix aus"! (Makes no
>difference) I bought the new model on the
>strength of that discussion.

While I am no fan of Leica, Nick Silva sent
me negatives shot with the Leitz earlier
version 35mm f1.4 Aspheric (shot in a way
that would allow me to make a reasonable
comparison in performance with my Nikkor
35mm f1.4). The results were that the Leitz
was clearly superior at the widest three
stops (though the Nikkor was good, the
Leitz was better). But to put it in
real-world context, the Leitz lens was
FAR more expensive than the Nikkor, was
beaten in the corners at similar stops by
my Nikkor 35-105mm zoom (!), and both
lenses were outperformed at f2.8 by the
latest-version Nikkor 35mm f2.8 PC....
The 35mm f1.4 Leitz Aspheric appears to
be an excellent speed lens, but if the
speed isn't needed (I often DO need it...!),
there are alternatives....
Hope This Helps