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Leica R lenses?

fotografz

Well-known member
I'm of the same mind set as Roger: if possible, assemble a set of lenses that have some consistency in color and character to help pull together a body of work using various focal lengths.

Even though they are big and heavy, were I to adapt R lenses it would be ones I came to prize for their "old school" sublime rendering and character, which "new school" digital lenses cannot compete with: R35/1.4 and R80/1.4.

I'd probably add the base to the A7R to facilitate their use a bit more. For what and how I shoot, I could get on with just those two Rs … and in fact did so with R/DMR cameras for many years, even though I had a number of other R lenses.

IMO, Zooms are a tricky business. How much you would gain with bigger, manual focus adapted R zooms compared to the Zeiss AF zoom with Image Stabilization could be debatable. The truly great R zooms come with a not so great price tag, and some compromises in handling on the A7s … variable aperture, or size for example.

- Marc
 
Marc, the problem appears only at infinity. Up to a few meters it can be used full open also and is a really perfect lens, standing up to 36 and probably many more megs. But it is calculated for short distances, so to obtain the same quality at medium distances and infinity, it must be progressively stopped down. At 5,6 it is perfect at infinity also.
The Apo macro 100 does not have this problem and has (extraordinary) performance
center to corners full open at all distances.
Both of them have no trace of field curvature, so common with practically every other lens.

Sergio
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Marc, the problem appears only at infinity. Up to a few meters it can be used full open also and is a really perfect lens, standing up to 36 and probably many more megs. But it is calculated for short distances, so to obtain the same quality at medium distances and infinity, it must be progressively stopped down. At 5,6 it is perfect at infinity also.
The Apo macro 100 does not have this problem and has (extraordinary) performance
center to corners full open at all distances.
Both of them have no trace of field curvature, so common with practically every other lens.

Sergio
Thanks Sergio.

Yes, I figured it was optimized for closer distances. Reminds me of the R180/3.4 APO which was the opposite … it was optimized for far distances and was best at infinity, but a bit mediocre close up. I believe that R180/3.4 was initially a Military lens made for arial photography, or something of that sort.

I never owned the R60 Macro, just the R100 APO … which people considering this lens should know is not a 1:1 macro lens unless one uses the Elpro that was made for it. The Leica S 120/2.5 APO Macro is of a similar design and only does 1:2 Macro which is something of a disadvantage (unfortunately Leica has not made an Elpro for that lens yet, but oddly did make one optimized for the S180mm).

- Marc
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Some of the best Leica R lenses i owned at one point or another. I shot them years ago on Canon and the DMR.

Leica 19 R. One of the best wides around todays rate about 3400.00 You WANT version II
Leica 28mm Elmarit with sliding hood, don't get one without totally different design the older ones. 2400 today.
Leica 35m 1.4 Lux mandler design. Beautiful rendering
Leica 35mm Cron F2. Really nice lens and very sharp
Leica 50mm Lux 1.4. Outstanding lens same design as the M
Leica 80mm Lux 1.4 Mandler design. Beautiful rendering. At 1.4 it has a veiling look
Leica 90mm F2 Cron. Outstanding sharpness. On the clinical side
Leica 180 F2 Cron. One of the best around in this focal length. Big , heavy expensive
Leica 180 F2.8 Apo almost as good as the Cron. Smaller , lighter cheaper

Leica 21-35 I think F4. Really a nice lens. Again zoom better at 24mm up than 21-up. But it will outclass many others. Again expensive.

Leica 35-70 2.8 Unbelievable but forget it you can't afford it today its 10k upwards. Big heavy and very rare. Only 600 made. Leica lost money on this lens. Take my word for it I was scared to shoot the dang thing it cost so much. I paid 6k back than

Leica 35-70 F4. This is a nice all around zoom and see some members have this. Really not a bad choice at all as it is a good overall performer. Make sure you get the F4

Leica 28-90 2.8 basically this replaced the 35-70 2.8 but it is extremely good and sharp. Little clinical and again expensive , heavy and big. If you have it great buying it will set you back around 5-6k.

They have some other longer zooms but again very big , heavy glass.

There Telyt lenses again big heavy, long glass . I don't know all the models but the modular heads are very very expensive.

60 Macro. I don't remember what version I had but very sharp and still can find used.

Now many Leica lenses are still very good but don't expect to be saving any weight compared to Nikon/Canon glass. Some are more compact and the leica 28mm R i would give my front teeth for today. I still want that lens and a member just bought one on my recommendation. He shoots it this weekend. Hope he loves it. The 19mm I can't recommend enough and i have been through every damn super wide on the market. This maybe the best ever. You may see some softness in the very very extreme corners but renders like no other. Love it

Okay jumping to Zeiss in DSLR mounts Nikon ZF.2 and Canon ZE both the same glass.

Zeiss 15mm really great outstanding lens but the Samyang 14mm is a dollar short and 8 times less money. Buy the Samyang fix the distortion unless you shoot this lens a lot than get the Zeiss. Its simple you won't shoot it a lot trust me its very wide.

Zeiss 18mm . Small lens comparable and its also very good . Its the sister to the legendary Zeiss 21mm 2.8 but still a very good lens and a lot of people really like it. Distortion easy to fix in post and a normal distortion.

Zeiss 21mm 2.8 its a legendary lens and super nice but big , heavy and a older design. Has bad mustache distortion but profiles out there to fix it.

Zeiss 25mm F2 do not confuse this with the 2.8 which is a good lens but the F2 is the newer design and outstanding. I owned this lens twice now and its a keeper. I highly recommend this.

Zeiss 28mm F2 is the sleeper lens. Its a really nice lens but has field curvature and gets a bad rap for it but its very good.

Zeiss 35mm F2 again a lens most don't go to but it is really one of the best 35mm lenses around. very sharp and a great infinity lens. I owned several of them

Zeiss 35mm 1.4 well its a beast big and heavy but again really sweet.

Zeiss 50 1.4 not rated that great as wide open it has lens aberrations

Zeiss 50mm Planar F2 macro. Outstanding lens and one of the better 50's around.

Zeiss 85mm 1.4 a legendary lens but has that nice veiling look wide open. Stopped down it is very sharp. Sony has one in the ZA model and its pretty much exactly the same thing. I have the Sony today

Zeiss 135mm F2 I just sold mine to get the Sony 135mm 1.8 but these two lenses just about nothing can touch them in his focal length. Big , heavy but well worth it. Love them and love the focal length. Throw it is crop mode and you get a 190mm F2 or 1.8. Also the Zeiss 135mm like the Sigma 1.4 extender

Zeiss 100 macro is another outstanding lens. Okay Im done and going to go test the Voightlander 40mm and some other tests. Post later

I want to put a disclaimer in here. Many of you see me sell a lens and maybe think I don't like it , not the case at all. I may sell a lens purely for the only reason is to get a different focal length I may need. Case in point I just sold my 3rd yes 3rd copy of the Zeiss 35mm F2. That lens is outstanding but I wanted the 25mm F2 more and thats the only reason. So don't get mislead by my buying and selling practices. Im a freaking lens whore at the word go. I buy anything that will give me a edge. Just thought it may help. I know folks watch what I am buying and selling so please don't get mislead. All the lenses i mentioned above I would like to have all of them, of course i would not stay married and my house would be in foreclosure if i did and most likely taken more hits to the head with a baseball bat that any human can withstand. I maybe crazy but I'm not stupid. LOL
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I'm of the same mind set as Roger: if possible, assemble a set of lenses that have some consistency in color and character to help pull together a body of work using various focal lengths.

Even though they are big and heavy, were I to adapt R lenses it would be ones I came to prize for their "old school" sublime rendering and character, which "new school" digital lenses cannot compete with: R35/1.4 and R80/1.4. ...
I like that too. Most of my R lenses are similar age and have similar rendering qualities. I've been using the A7 mostly with the Summilux 50, Summicron 90, and Elmarit 24 lenses ... beautiful imaging and very consistent. The 135, 180 and Summicron 50 I haven't used as much. (The Summicron 50 needs a CLA—the focusing helicoid is stiff with old grease, it's the oldest of the R lenses I have.)

I haven't found much need for the battery grip with up to the 135mm, although it might be nice for the additional power available and if I shot a lot of portrait orientation. The lenses on A7 with Novoflex NEX/LER adapter seem to balance well in the hand without it. The Novoflex ASTAT/NEX provides a good tripod mount with the added plus of being able to rotate the camera without moving the lens axis.

My 180mm is the first series and weighs a bunch; I'll likely use it on a tripod most of the time. It has its own mount, but it doesn't rotate. That may mean all horizontals ... ;-)

I'm fair delighted with these lenses. The only thing missing in my kit, really, is the 35mm ... and sheesh! for some reason the 35mm f/2 and f/1.4 lenses go for HUGELY more than most of the others, and certainly more than the f/2.8. I'll probably just stick with 24-50-90, and if I want a 35ish lens I'll use the Nokton 40 or M-Rokkor 40 from the M-mount. I haven't done extensive testing with those yet, but the quick test I did seemed to be positive.

I'd love one of the Elmarit-R 19mm II as well, but again I'm not willing to part with $3000+ for that one since I don't use such a short focal length so often. The version I examples are also pretty pricey for my uses ... $1200-1800.

Oh the equipment bug... ! =8^\
 
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Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
Question

Cindy, handling aside, would you say the Zeiss 55 betters the Lux overall?
Ease of use. The Lux would be my favorite for IQ, but only by a bit. I have my A7r setup so that I can AF with the 55 f/1.8 FE, and then tweak the focus. That is hard to beat for dead-on, fast focusing. I have the Leica-R Summilux Leitaxed with a Sony A mount, and it is my 50mm prime for my A99.
 

bensonga

Well-known member
I bought a Sony A7 for one reason only...to use with my Leica R glass. I have not been disappointed with the results.

My small collection includes:
28mm Elmarit-R ROM
50mm Summicron-R ROM
90mm Elmarit-R ROM
135mm Elmarit-R 3 cam (final)
180mm Elmarit-R ROM
35-70/4 Elmarit-R ROM
80-200/4 Elmarit-R ROM

Gary

:worthless:

A7 and 50mm Summicron-R ROM


 

doug

Well-known member
This wiki seems accurate with all the Leica R lenses listed, and sorted different ways. I've found it an excellent resource for looking up models, serial numbers, years, etc:

Leica Wiki (English)
The wiki for the 60 macro has several errors. For example the wiki says the early version uses Series VII filters in the hood. It uses Series VIII filters in the hood and may also be used with E60 filters. The wiki also says the lens can be used with the 1.4x APO-Extender-R. The 2x APO-Extender-R may be used but the front of the 1.4x extender protrudes too much and will collide with the rear element of the lens. There are a few other errors or at least misleading items. Best to double check before making a purchase decision. I'll bet I can spot errors in other lens descriptions too.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
The wiki for the 60 macro has several errors. For example the wiki says the early version uses Series VII filters in the hood. It uses Series VIII filters in the hood and may also be used with E60 filters. The wiki also says the lens can be used with the 1.4x APO-Extender-R. The 2x APO-Extender-R may be used but the front of the 1.4x extender protrudes too much and will collide with the rear element of the lens. There are a few other errors or at least misleading items. Best to double check before making a purchase decision. I'll bet I can spot errors in other lens descriptions too.
Good to know! Thanks Doug!

G
 

mazor

New member

Godfrey

Well-known member
thanks for that link. It makes for feel good reading to know that although the version 2 is an overall better lens over version 1, the version 1 still quite a capable lens.
Gosh I hate reading stuff like this. The buy button is just to easy to hit by accident... ! =8^/
In a horrifying moment of weakness yesterday, I ordered one of these lenses—in the box with hood, caps, etc—at a price I can rationalize as being worth it and affordable. Ugh.

Hanging out with this crowd of equipment magpies is a dangerous business. ;-)

Anyway, I couldn't possibly rationalize the cost of a series II model and it wouldn't work on my Leicaflex SL bodies anyway. It was not cheap, but it wasn't "break the bank" expensive.

These moments of weakness come from working my butt off and seeking escape in shopping therapy. They'd be less frequent if I didn't work so much. Of course I wouldn't have the money then either. Hmm ... =8^O

NOW I really really have to start selling some of the excess unused gear around here... !
 

jfirneno

Member
Hanging out with this crowd of equipment magpies is a dangerous business. ;-)
Ain't it the truth. Lens lust is a powerful thing. I find myself looking at T/S lenses and I don't even know how to use one of those things. That's scary.

Regards,
John
 

mazor

New member
Haha nice one Godfrey. Join the 19mm Elmarit club! I guess maybe you could get the ball rolling and start a new thread showing image captures from this mighty lens :)
 
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