  We resolve the long standing controversy regarding the imaging by a planar
lens made of left-handed media and demonstrate theoretically that its far field
image has a fundamentally different origin depending on the relationship
between losses {inside} the lens and the wavelength of the light $\lambda$. At
small enough $\lambda$ the image is always governed by diffraction theory, and
the resolution is independent of the absorption if both Im$\epsilon \ll 1$ and
Im$\mu \ll 1$. For any finite $\lambda$, however, a critical absorption exists
below which the superresolution regime takes place, though this absorption is
extremely low and can hardly be achieved. We demonstrate that the transition
between diffraction limited and superresolution regimes is governed by {the}
universal parameter combining absorption, wavelength, and lens thickness.
Finally, we show that this parameter is related to the resonant excitation of
the surface plasma waves.
