H1 vs H2 and how important is Leica?

[CrispinsCrispian]

Reviews make a big deal about the H1 not using a Leica lens. What are the expected advantages of such a lens in the H2? For $50 more, I'm wondering if the H2 will be a better buy than the H1. Do you expect the price of the H1 to fall significantly after the H2 is available later this week? Thank you in advance.

[coldrain]

Leica is just a name used for marketing mainly. It has a legendary name in lenses for rangefinder cameras. The lenses that bare the Leica name on these "cheap" digital compacts have not much to do with those lenses though. Canon and Sony use good lenses most of the time. The Panasonics use a LOT of sharpening and other corrections in the "venus II" processor, which adds noise (that is why the Pana's are usually so noisy) and make the lens appear to be sharper.

The H2 (and S3 IS)will probably do better in higher ISOs than the H1 (and S2 IS), with less noise and better colours. So, it may be benificial to get the new version.

[capedeci]

a reminder, sony uses Zeiss name, Leica is used by Panasonic.

Most likely sony made most of those lens, their standards are accepted by Zeiss for use of their brand name I think, but Zeiss didn't made those lens. Just like some times ago ASUS made VAIO notebooks...

But the lens in R1 seems really designed by zeiss.

[timmciglobal]

The leica lenses in the panasonic cameras are quite sharp edge to edge which is part of why they make a big deal about the leica lenses.

You could give a lens name any name you can license but some folks, ie: leica, do have a higher standard for what they tag with leica name. It's one of the reasons I'm betting the panasonics don't improve the sensor noise issue more (because leica won't let them cut corners more and put a crappier lens in and put that money towards the sensor)

Tim

[coldrain]

The leica lenses in the panasonic cameras are quite sharp edge to edge which is part of why they make a big deal about the leica lenses.

You could give a lens name any name you can license but some folks, ie: leica, do have a higher standard for what they tag with leica name. It's one of the reasons I'm betting the panasonics don't improve the sensor noise issue more (because leica won't let them cut corners more and put a crappier lens in and put that money towards the sensor)

Tim
The panasonic noise issue is self induced. they sharpen the photos in camera to such an extent that the noise becomes much worse.
Leica on the other hand does not do that, their D-Lux2 (equivalent to the LX1) and the C-Lux1 (equivalent to the FX01) do not oversharpen so much. This does result in less "sharp" out of camera photos and a MUCH better signal to noise ratio. Same lens, same sensor, different software.

[tim11]

Reviews make a big deal about the H1 not using a Leica lens.
What reviews did you see saying that? Are they saying all cameras should use Leica lenses?
How narrow-minded. Surely Leica lenses are good but are they really a must? There are many other big names in town too.

[CrispinsCrispian]

capedeci is right, I meant to say Carl Zeiss and not Leica.

Anyhow, do you all think that the Zeiss lens on the H2 and H5 will mean sharper images with less purple fringing than on the H1? That's my question.