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concerning Tri-Elmar 28-35-50


sangyobkim

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First of all, this is my first writing on this site..

(Actually, I found out this site only yesterday..and I'm getting like this place..)

 

Recently, I have a great interest on Tri-Elmar 28-35-50, though here Korea there aren't that much Tri-Elmar Users..

 

So, could I know some real-field comments on Tri-Elmar ?

 

1. How is the balance like? I heard some of user frequently complain about its balace with M series..is it odd? (I want use that with M8 or M9(hopely)).

 

2. Why is it discontinued?

 

3. As a one of students who really eager to travel abroad. I'm planning to travel Europe.. and I know there are a bunch of big gorgeous monuments..so could you recommend a good series of lens for this travel?

(umm..and also this is why I'm checking the Tri-elmar though..is it that much fit to?)

 

Yep..thank you for reading Mr and Ms..

 

I'm waiting for your opinion..thx..

 

Sangyob Kim

Seoul Korea

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One of my first lenses before I sold it for a more traditional set. I found it very useful in good light on the street as you can change focal lengths quite quickly without pause. It matched very well to my "other" camera the Epson R-D1 (i know .. I know). The dimensions (as I recall) is very similar to that of the 75 or 90 summarits but it is significantly denser/heavier. It wasn't too bad handling wise.. focus throw was just about right (mine was tabbed which I liked). There is a definite notch between selection of the 3 focal lengths. Mine was kinda stiff and not silky smooth like most focus rings on Leica lenses. I found the 28mm setting a bit soft at wide aperture. Many on the used markets don't come with the expensive hood...

 

I've always assumed that one reason why it was discontinued was its complex design but Leica did release the wide angle tri-elmar.. and I don't know how it compares. I do know that a couple local repair shops refused to touch mine when it needed repair after a fall. Leica was asking a lot for a repair and it had to be sent to Germany. I was lucky to find another shop that did an amazing job of repair, cla, and smoothing out the action on the focal length selection... too bad I sold it soon afterwards.

 

Personally I found a couple wisely chosen focal lengths to be far more enjoyable. The 28mm elmarit and a 50mm of your choice is probably still lighter, just about the same volume, and faster aperture... leaving with only the advantage is quickly switching between 3 focal lengths. From my camera bag, I'd bring my 24mm elmarit and 75 Summarit.

Edited by usayit
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Welcome to the forum! There's a lot of expertise available here. Glad you've found us!

 

The Tri-Elmar is one of the most complicated lenses ever produced, because 28mm is on one side of 50mm, and 35mm on the other. In other words, when you rotate the focal-length ring from 28 to 35, the lens has to go through the 50mm position. That's simply because that's the way Leicas have been designed since the M3.

 

It was discontinued because Leica's glass supplier for one element quit producing that formula.

 

People still want Leica to reintroduce it if possible.

 

It's very light and comfortable, and turns out very good results. I understand that its performance is marginally inferior to the 28, 35 and 50 Summicrons, but no one ever complains about the pictures I get from it.

 

For me, it's a perfect travel and day-to-day lens on a full-frame camera. I used it all the time with film, but when I got the M8, the crop factor made it less useful and I found myself using my 21mm most often, the Tri-Elmar 16-18-21 next, and then the Tri-Elmar 28-35-50. If I decide to get an M9, I'm sure the 28-35-50 will become my main lens again.

 

If the maximum aperture of f/4 doesn't bother you, and you like the 28-35-50 focal lengths, it's a very convenient way to go.

 

I recommend it highly.

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Guest BigSplash

I am fortunate enough to have 12 Leica M lenses, a collection built up over years. The one I use mostly on my M8 (an previuosly M6) is the Tri Elmar (28/50/35) which is compact and simply excellent in all respects for travel photography. The image quality it delivers is compatible with the other lenses. The focal lengths are great for a M8 and a M9.

 

I would suggest a 75mm (f1.4mm) as a superb additional lens..it is fast, and yields 100mm on the M8 making it ideal for portrait work. In my view those two lenses are all you need for travel. The combination gives different fields of view and depth.

 

Good luck

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Of my three lenses on the M8 I use 28/2 ASPH most, then the MATE, least my 90/2.8 tele-elmarit.

 

For daylight (outside) it is very convenient and has no major disadvantages except that the ability to change focal length so easily diverts my attention to the problem "which focal length shall I use?", instead of "which picture can I take given the constraints of the fixed focal lens I am using?". The effect of this is that I mostly use it at 50mm most, then 28mm and least at 35mm (ratio 6:2:1).

 

It is relatively heavy, and the focussing has a certain "springiness" i.e. focus in & focus out "feels" different.

 

Notes:

  • There is a difference between version 1 and version 2, I have the version 2-6bit coded. V2 is supposed to be a bit smoother in focal length change.
  • It has some barrel distortion at 28/4, nothing to worry about under most circumstances, and a tendency to veiling flare. The latter can be dealt with in PP quite easily, I have never bothered to correct the distorton.

Examples see here: Flickr: SJP-DH's stuff tagged with trielmar

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I have one, I thought I'd use it a lot - but in fact I rarely have it on the camera.

 

Few reasons..

 

  • I have a better lens at each focal length anyway, and it's bigger than any of them.
  • It's much more prone to flare than any of my other lenses, and I like shooting into the light.
  • It's relatively slow, and I often end up shooting in the evenings and end up needing the faster lenses anyway.

 

The only time I reach for it first is when I'm definitely doing a 'tourist' day rather than deliberately going out to make photographs. In that case it's convenient not to have to swap lenses and have less to carry. However I get almost the same benefit from just mounting a 50 or 28 and carrying the other lens.

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For what it's worth the main Leica dealer in Manchester, Stephens, have a used one for sale...

 

 

OUCH! (that was my credit card talking...)

 

Thanks for the 'heads-up' on this - Stephens isn't a website I visit regularly. I will from now on.

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Their is one on the UK ebay site that ends in about an hour, and another at Classic Camera The Classic Camera Ltd . Second versions seem to be very hard to find, never seen 3 up for sale at a time before.

 

I own a second version, which I use for day outs or business trips, where I have to travel very light or security is possibly an issue and need to travel with only one lens.

 

If you purchase this as your first lens, and only lens, you will enjoy it, but you will probably end up owning some of the extreme performing Leica glass eventually, like the 24 mm elmarit, 50mm 1.4, or 75 mm 2.0 in my case.

 

I use it on a M8, but as soon as I get my M9 I am sure this will be a better performer for me....

 

Enjoy the camera and lenses.

 

John

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some discussion of repair issues in past threads vis a vis the two versions. You can search on "MATE" or "28-35-50" .

 

50 Elmar last version is a nice little travel lens.

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It's a very good multi-purpose lens. As Howard says, mechanically complicated, but optically it's a fine performer, with perhaps a very small amount of barrel distortion at 28mm. Both versions are I believe optically identical although V2 has a smaller filter diameter. Certainly on V1 a lens hood is not really needed as the front element is set well back in the barrel. I don't think it is particularly heavy, lighter IMO than most chrome lenses.

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It's sold

 

That’s why my credit card was saying OUCH! in my earlier posting.

 

I’ve now tracked down the matching 12450 lens hood, so am all set to start using the Tri-Elmar.

 

When I used film, the classic loading of my camera bag when travelling was an SL2 with the 28-70mm zoom plus a 21mm Super Angulon-R, plus an M5 or M6 with the 35mm Summilux and 50mm Noctilux.

 

But as my 60th birthday approached, I started to find this weight too much to carry all day, so in recent years I’ve been progressively reducing this ‘payload’. The variable-ISO of the M8 allowed me to go down to one body with 21, 28, 35, 50 and 90mm lenses, but even this is starting to feel uncomfortably heavy. The Tri-Elmar will allow me to leave the 28mm and Noctilux lenses at home, relying on the 35mm Summilux in poor light. (On the M8, the Noctilux has never been set lower than f1.4). Then if I replace the old heavyweight 90mm f2 Summicron with the lighter-weight second model, I’ll have a much lighter camera bag.

 

Early experience with the Tri-Elmar has shown excellent sharpness, but I notice that it sometimes several attempts at selecting the 50mm setting to get the correct frame to appear in the viewfinder. Is this normal? I recall reading that the earlier version had problems in bringing up the 28mm frame.

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Roy, you shouldn't have trouble getting any of the frames up.

 

The 50 is between the 28 on one side and the 35 on the other, so perhaps the frame-setting lever on the lens is gummed up?

 

I don't have the instructions with me at the moment, but it's the only lens I've ever owned which included instructions to lubricate the setting lever from time to time, and by all means to avoid over-lubricating it. (I've never lubricated mine.)

 

On my sample, the movable, frame-setting part of the mount is held firmly away from the stationary part at the 35mm setting. At both 50mm and 28mm, the spring pulls the movable part fully over against the stationary part; however, at the 50mm position a bit of direct pressure will slide it to a position between the two extremes.

 

You might want to check your lens to be sure that the sliding part of the mount (which sets the frame lines) moves smoothly and is pulled firmly by the coiled spring.

Edited by ho_co
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Roy, you shouldn't have trouble getting any of the frames up.

 

The 50 is between the 28 on one side and the 35 on the other, so perhaps the frame-setting lever on the lens is gummed up?

 

I don't have the instructions with me at the moment, but it's the only lens I've ever owned which included instructions to lubricate the setting lever from time to time, and by all means to avoid over-lubricating it. (I've never lubricated mine.)

 

This afternoon, I tried the Tri-Elmar on my M5 and M6, and in both cases the viewfinder frames change without hesitation. So it looks like the problem may be in the camera. It's got to take a trip back to Leica so that they can investigate why it won't play nicely with my 35mm Summilux ASPH, so I'll get them to look at this problem at the same time.

 

The tiny tab on the lens that signals the focal length to the camera amazes me - as I flip the unmounted lens from one focal length to another, I can see a major change in tab position between the 35mm and 50mm settings, but no apparent tab movement when I move from the 50mm to the 28mm position. But my other M cameras 'hear and obey' and duly change viewfinder frames correctly.

 

Best regards,

 

Doug

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