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Leica M-240 and the telephoto opportunities..

sjg284

Member
Now that I find myself in the possession of an M-240..
I contemplate getting a telephoto/telephoto zoom for those odd opportunities I need the reach or want to do some close-ups.

I don't own any SLR system, so I come to the table with a clean slate.
I am drawn to trying Leica R & Contax Zeiss lenses, and was hoping some people out there would have experience with this combination.

The 135mm/180mm Leica Elmarit or Zeiss Sonnars are certainly interesting. How do these compare?

There are also many 70~80 to 200~210 mm zooms from both companies, though with mixed reviews and minimal info available. Which are the good ones under $1000?

Any recommendations or sample photos would be great!
 

baudolino

Active member
I just bought the Vario-Elmar 80-200 f/4 for use with the M240. Paid Eur 1030; you may be able to get it more cheaply. The zoom is reasonably compact, handles well on the camera and performs well fully open.
 

algrove

Well-known member
I own just about any R lens that exists and some in duplicates. All of them perform nicely on the M especially with the EVF.

The 180/2.8 is one of my favorites due to its small size (length) versus the 80-200 zoom. Also it can take the 2x APO extender.

Another 180 that is very sharp at infinity is the APO 180/3.4. The small diameter makes it almost feel like an M lens.

Longer R teles get very pricey rapidly and hinge on collector status by many which tends to keep the prices high.

The nicest all around zoom to me is the 28-90 which will also take the APO 2x extender with very little image degradation. PM me if you have further questions.
 

baudolino

Active member
The 180/2.8 Apo seems like a very nice lens but the second hand prices on ebay are just ridiculous, compared to the 80-200/f4 zoom. As for the 3.4/180 Apo-telyt, I used it for a while on a Pentax K-5 with a Leitax mount. It is great at infinity, as algrove says, but not so convincing at closer distances. Another lens that's sitting on my desk now is the Angenieux Apo 180/2.3 in Leica R mount. Haven't had a chance to test it yet but it is quite short and not very heavy.
 

sjg284

Member
Given the minimal use I make of anything longer than 75mm..
I was leaning towards the following 3 or similar.
They also have the advantage of being under 800g in weight, and under $500 in cost.
Zeiss 80-200mm f/4 Vario-Sonnar
Zeiss 180mm f2.8 Sonnar
Leica 180mm f4 Elmar

Leica Elmar I know I can buy ELPROs for to do a bit of close up work too.
 

algrove

Well-known member
The R 75-210 is a nice zoom in that it has one ring for zoom and focus like the old Nikkor 80-200 had. Not pricey at all and works well.
 

henningw

Member
A couple of months ago I got hold of an Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 180/4 made by Cosina. This one happens to be in M42 mount, but that doesn't matter for my uses. I would rate it as second only to the Apo-Elmarit, it is tiny in comparison, and also focusses much closer. Compared with the Apo-Telyt f/3.4, it also performs extremely well at close distances. They are more than $500, but can occasionally be found for under $1000. There is some talk that Cosina might make another run of this and the 125.

The other longer lens I have that performs outstandingly is the 280/4 Apo Telyt, but the prices are now rather extreme.

The 180 Apo-Lanthar is reasonably easy to use on the M240, but the 280 Apo Telyt is a bit too heavy and awkward. IBIS is really needed for this sort of thing and therefore both lenses get more use on my Olympus EM-5's.

Henning
 

sjg284

Member
For completeness..
I went with the Zeiss C/Y Vario-Sonnar 80-200/4 .. using a $40 ebay adapter. q
Quite a steal for what you get.

The close focus is very good for the focal length


And I've been happy with the colors


And Sonnar style bokeh



More samples - Flickr Search: zeissvariosonnar80200mmf4

And a Flickr group I started - Flickr: The Zeiss C/Y Glass on Leica bodies Pool

Hope that's helpful to anyone debating similar questions.
I did find the EVF to be nearly required at this focal length range of course.
 

algrove

Well-known member
Could you please be more explicit on precisely which eBay adapter you purchased for those of us contemplating a similar purchase. Who makes it and where can we buy it? Thanks.
 

sjg284

Member
Sure thing.
eBay seller: rainbowimaging
item: Adapter for Contax Yashica C/Y lens to Leica M LM M6 M5

Specifically this listing (though I'm sure it will age out shortly): Adapter for Contax Yashica C Y Lens to Leica M LM M6 M5 | eBay

One thing of note is that the lens does focus PAST infinity.
Annoying, but once I realized.. not a big deal.
From what I read this is pretty common, even on more expensive adapters, so I'm not upgrading.
 

bubuli

Member
I'm waiting for my Nikon to M adapter to arrive (in about 2 weeks or less) and will report back on the performance of the Zeiss 135 APO on the M
 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
The Leica R 180mm APO F/2.8 is exceptional on the M.
Ditto the Leica APO Telyt-R 280mm f4.0. Eye-popping images but very demanding in terms of focus and tripod. Focus is tough with rapid movement because of the slithery OVF but works fine with landscape, etc. It's heavy.
 

algrove

Well-known member
A very versatile tele is the R APO 70-180 even more so than the 105-280 as it is sharper than the latter. The 350 R is also interesting as is the R 500 mirror and if you want old and long the 400/6.8 is dead sharp and so easy to use its slide focus mechanism.
 
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