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QC: 18/3.8 Super-Elmar-M ASPH
Issue summary (Nov 2013)
A brand-new 18/3.8 Super-Elmar-M ASPH show asymmetric sharpness and some color fringing particularly on the left side. See the Beaver Pond example and Lundy Canyon Sunstar pages for a discussion of the asymmetry and color fringing.
22 Nov 2013
The 18/3.8 SEM is in Leica’s hands for a checkup, along with annotated prints of several different scenes, all showing the same color fringing and asymmetry. Response received from Leica USA is summarized as “issue confirmed, lens requires service in Solms”.
With luck, the asymmetry can be corrected (precise tolerances might be involved), but the open question is why a brand-new lens should have such a problem at all. Or perhaps whether expectations are too high. And/or whether the lens is deemed in-spec or out-of-spec. Presumably it is deemed out-of-spec, or it would not have been sent to Solms for examination. These points are rarely clarified.
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