Vario-Elmarit 35-70mm f/2.8 (only 200 were made)

[overgaarcom]

I did a page with some story and test shots I thought I wanted to share, as this is such a rare lens. It's actually so rare I might sell it before I ruin the nice look of it, so if you feel affluent and want to preserve a nice mint lens, send me a message.

But here's the pictures and stories about this lovely lens:
http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_35-70_Vario-Elmarit-R_28.html

 

[robsteve]

There are four or five of us here with that lens. It cant be that rare

Robert

 

[overgaarcom]

There are four or five of us here with that lens. It cant be that rare

Robert

We are the rare ones ;-)

 

[gogopix]

The 35-70 2.8, 21mm disatgon, 85mm summarex... rare, touted here and escalating prices.

Reminds me of the story of the old woman who decides to try the market and gloms on a rare stock. Tells a broker "buy it for me"
Well he never heard of it but tracks some down and buys it.
Week later she says; "how is it doing?"
"up quite a bit" he says --- so she says to buy more...

This goes on for a while, and she buys more and it goes up

up

up.

Then she says,

"Well, maybe we should sell it now..?"

and the broker says

"...TO WHOM?"

 

[robsteve]

"Well, maybe we should sell it now..?"

and the broker says

"...TO WHOM?"

To the R10 buyers This lens will be great on a full frame digital.

Robert

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I had the pleasure of owning one at one point

 

[EH21]

I've got one too. This is a lens that will be worthy of the R10 and a R11 if they make one. Pretty dang nice on canon bodies as well (you have to cut the mirror or remove the shroud - I cut the mirror). I sometimes think of selling my DMR but have a very hard time thinking about selling this lens.

 

[overgaarcom]

Funny, it was pointed out by Justin in Sydney that they have so much sun and light there that f/4 will do nicely. Which to me explains how for example the Tri-Elmar-M can be a success. I could never use a f/4 lens here in cold and dark Scandinavia.

 

[PeterA]

I can get you a cheap one if you want a spare.

 

[robmac]

Someone has to ask - define cheap?

 

[PeterA]

Well i sold it to a dealer friend of mine down here who has sent it back to Solms to get it totally CLA'd - had a sticky point near infinity. Lens is not back yet - but should fetch $7K Aussie.

Wasnt my cup of tea so to speak - too heavy for hand held use IMHO.

 

[robmac]

So about US$5000 (Yahoo Finance 1 US$=1.395 AU$)

 

[overgaarcom]

Anyone remember what the list price was when it was sold from Leica?

 

[EH21]

Wasnt my cup of tea so to speak - too heavy for hand held use IMHO.

That's funny you'd have such a different impression. This is not a heavy lens at all in my experience. It looks like it would be heavy but its not - this lens is super hand holdable IMHO. It's my favorite walk around lens since it also does macro very well.
In fact its positively tiny compared to some of my Rollei lenses - some of which are 2kg.

 

[gogopix]

Well i sold it to a dealer friend of mine down here who has sent it back to Solms to get it totally CLA'd - had a sticky point near infinity. Lens is not back yet - but should fetch $7K Aussie.

Wasnt my cup of tea so to speak - too heavy for hand held use IMHO.

I actually HAVE all the lenses I made fun of, but of them all, the 35-70 is the one I would keep if I could only have one. It is fairly well balanced on the R9/DMR and the files are really wonderful

Victor

 

[EH21]

So about US$5000 (Yahoo Finance 1 US$=1.395 AU$)

That seems like a bargain....

 

[PeterA]

Well it is still in Solms as far as I know. Maybe the dealer who sells a lot on Ebay will figure he can get what you guys think it is worth. Me, I was happy to ditch about $50K worth of Leica R lenses a few months ago. Life is too short for me to store stuff waiting for Herr Kaufmann to maybe bring a full frame Leica out or not maybe this year or next or the one after..

I am over the R fetish I used to have - happy to put an order in for an S2 system - knowing it will be a year or a year and half till it is out. Teh R system has more than paid for the S2 and lenses I am interested in already.

 

[David K]

I had the pleasure of owning one at one point

And I had the pleasure of buying it from you I like this lens so much yours was my backup copy but I recently traded one for some Rollei glass so am down to your LNIB copy which I have yet to take out of the box. Not selling it yet... but will consider a trade for a house on the water in Palm Beach.

 

[David K]

Well it is still in Solms as far as I know. Maybe the dealer who sells a lot on Ebay will figure he can get what you guys think it is worth. Me, I was happy to ditch about $50K worth of Leica R lenses a few months ago. Life is too short for me to store stuff waiting for Herr Kaufmann to maybe bring a full frame Leica out or not maybe this year or next or the one after..

I am over the R fetish I used to have - happy to put an order in for an S2 system - knowing it will be a year or a year and half till it is out. Teh R system has more than paid for the S2 and lenses I am interested in already.

You're a smart man Peter... I'm still sitting with my R glass collection. Since I don't use it much I've stored it in a humidity controlled safe that I recently designed. I've bunched up shares of Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual and AIG along with some Charmin toilet tissue to absorb excess moisture.

 

[lmr]

Hmmmm David... I need to try that. No point wasting those papers. I might even throw in my 101K... since it lost its value from 401 to 101 too. With my luck the ink may be toxic and damage my fine pedigree R line.

Robert.