sharookh Posted March 28, 2014 Share #1 Posted March 28, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've been debating about picking up a Leica Vario 'R' zoom lens for my M240, the focal length being in the range of 28-90 / 35-70. How many of you are comfortable with this combination? And what lens would you recommend? I don't see many R lenses floating about as I presume most have been picked up by the forum members ;-)) Any suggestions as to where I can pick one up from? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 28, 2014 Posted March 28, 2014 Hi sharookh, Take a look here M240 / 'R' mid range zoom combination. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wlaidlaw Posted March 28, 2014 Share #2 Posted March 28, 2014 I looked at the 28-90 but was put off by two things. Firstly the eye watering price these are fetching at the moment and secondly the two ring system of zoom focus. I had been using a Vario Elmar 80-200 on my M240 so I did have recent experience of using a two ring zoom on this camera. In the end I went for a Zeiss 28-85/f3.3 Vario Sonnar with single ring trombone zoom focus. If you look at the MTF’s you will see that technically the performance of this lens is on a par with the Leica. It is slightly better at the wide end and not quite as good at the tele end. Like most modern Contax lenses it has very high macro and micro contrast and triggers focus peaking well. Other than the weight, which is within a few grams of the Leica 28-90, I am totally delighted with the performance of this lens. Very fine detail just seems to spring out of images when you look at them. Originally I used an Adriano Lolli Contax (CX/Y) to Leica M adapter but the standard of manufacture was disappointing with a significant amount of slop at the female (Contax) bayonet. I now use a Novoflex LEM/CONT adapter, which is beautifully made and my older one has a coding slot to mark in the 110111 R menu code. I believe the newer ones now have milled coding pits with the code painted in, subsequent to the licensing agreement between Leica and Novoflex. Novoflex are bringing out a tripod support collar for this adapter any day now. I found a new old stock 28-85 VS lens for £400, about a 10th of what I would have had to pay for a Leica 28-90 in similar condition. Pic below of the V-S on the M240. I have taken off the EVF-2 so you can see it better. Both the Leica and the Zeiss lens are a bit prone to veiling glare as the front elements are large and near the front of the lens body. Both benefit considerably from a good hood. Originally Contax used rubber hoods but these were made from natural rubber and most will have perished. The new one that came with the lens, still wrapped up in tissue paper in a polythene bag and in a sealed box, split the first time I popped it open. I now use a Japanese made copy of the W1 Contax metal hood. To my surprise, it arrived with a beautifully made metal lens cap, engraved with the Contax logo but slightly oddly it fits inside the hood. Wilson Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/224351-m240-r-mid-range-zoom-combination/?do=findComment&comment=2558190'>More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted March 28, 2014 Share #3 Posted March 28, 2014 There was a Vario-Elmar-R 3.5-4.5 28-70mm on sale for a couple of weeks on the Leica Classifieds facebook page for, eventually, 250 euros. It appears to have been taken yesterday:rolleyes: Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 28, 2014 Share #4 Posted March 28, 2014 Erwin Puts has written a fair bit on the Leica zoom lenses, which you can find by Googling. It is worth looking for these, as he does know what he is talking about. He does not have a very high opinion of some of the Minolta made mid range zoom R lenses. I seem to recall he prefers the Kyocera made one but I can’t remember what one that is. The 28-90 is of course, made by Leica themselves not contracted out. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamey Posted March 28, 2014 Share #5 Posted March 28, 2014 Wilson The two Vario lenses that Kyocera made are the 35-70 f4 and the 80-200 F4. last versions (made in Japan) both are excellent. The 21-35 and the 28-90 are made by Leica Germany. Ken. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 28, 2014 Share #6 Posted March 28, 2014 The Zeiss Contax 28-85 Vario Sonnar is of course, also made by Kyocera. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharookh Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted March 28, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) How would you rate the Vario Elmar 28-70 f/3.5-4.5? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted March 28, 2014 Share #8 Posted March 28, 2014 Here is my earlier post on this subject. I picked up my 35-70 lens from another forum member. You might look at Dale's website or rather the Leica Store Miami. They have several R for sale. http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-type-240/323723-my-new-m-vario.html 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted March 28, 2014 Share #9 Posted March 28, 2014 My other option that I considered is ebay. There are a couple of dealers that seem to specialize on the R lens. I will not mention any names here. Just do a search of R zoom lens. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 28, 2014 Share #10 Posted March 28, 2014 How would you rate the Vario Elmar 28-70 f/3.5-4.5? As I posted above, search for Erwin Puts’ technical opinion. It is worth 10 posts from people saying what wonderful photographs they are taking with any particular lens. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted March 29, 2014 Share #11 Posted March 29, 2014 … Both the Leica and the Zeiss lens are a bit prone to veiling glare as the front elements are large and near the front of the lens body. Both benefit considerably from a good hood. ... The Leica 28-90 has a built in hood that did the trick on mine. I don't recall noticing any veiling glare or lowered contrast when using it. Pete. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharookh Posted March 29, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted March 29, 2014 I'm looking at the 35-70 f/4 and the 28-90 f/2.8-4.5. Price difference - chalk and cheese!!! Does that equate to similar image quality, although Puts rates the 35-70 very highly as well. Is the 28-90 worth the extra....... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted March 29, 2014 Share #13 Posted March 29, 2014 (edited) The 2.8-4.5/28-90 Vario-Elmarit-RASPH is a truly spectacular lens, far better than I thought it would be. The best way to describe it's rendering is 'transparent'. It''s like looking at the scene but not through a lens. Having a range of 28 to 90mm is very convenient (I would not have bothered with 35-70), and the lens is really quite compact and light considering it offers a full kit of 5 lenses in one. My only caveats to this are 1. some barrel distortion at 28mm, 2. obviously focus peaking is less specific when the lens is set to a wide focal length, 3. the separate zoom and focus rings (but I'm getting used to them fairly quickly). I bought mine (an absolutely mint late production unit) 12 months ago for about $5000 which then I thought was outrageous, and even then thought I should have bought one earlier (ie. as soon as I ordered my M240). Now the prices are just plain obscene often in excess of $8000 on eBay . I have no experience with the Contax (which I was unaware of when I bought the Leica) but it seems that it's hard to go past it for what I assume would cost well less than $1300 for a mint unit plus adapter. Edited March 29, 2014 by MarkP 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 29, 2014 Share #14 Posted March 29, 2014 The Leica 28-90 has a built in hood that did the trick on mine. I don't recall noticing any veiling glare or lowered contrast when using it. Pete. Pete, I should have phrased it better. I should have said you have to use the built in hood on the 28-90. If you try the lens without it, it think you will see quite a bit of veiling glare if you have light striking across the front of the lens. Wilson 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted March 29, 2014 Share #15 Posted March 29, 2014 I have the 28-90 lens, and it is indeed truly outstanding. It is my travel lens of choice, and IMHO loses to the primes within its zoom range only in the obvious way of maximum aperture. I agree that deploying the hood is a must; only the other day I noticed a glare, caused by angled sunlight streaming through a window, only to find that the hood had got pushed back in. Whether it is worth the money being asked for it is another matter, but that is not a decision which can be made without reference to the desires and means of any actual potential customer. But that goes for several of the R lenses now; for example a London dealer has a 280/4 R for £5.5k (and it doesn't look as if it's a rom example). 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted March 29, 2014 Share #16 Posted March 29, 2014 I also agree with the comments about deploying the hood. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted March 29, 2014 Share #17 Posted March 29, 2014 I also agree with the comments about deploying the hood. +1 You perhaps get what you pay for, but Wilson has specifically good luck with the Contax. Often I will not take the 28-90 off the adapter for weeks on end and when I do it's to use the APO 180/2.8. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 29, 2014 Share #18 Posted March 29, 2014 There are some of the Vario Sonnar 28-85 lenses on Fleabay at the moment. There is what looks like a near mint one from Japan for just £225. In my experience Japanese sellers are meticulous about descriptions, which is more than you can say for some others. When you think these lenses were over £1500 in 2001, these are give away prices. Interestingly the price for European sourced ones seems to be climbing slightly. I see there is another boxed new one like I bought but instead of being just over £400, it is £700. Wilson 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marac Posted March 30, 2014 Share #19 Posted March 30, 2014 I have the Leica-R 35-70 f3.5 made by Minolta I believe, it is a very good lens with good contrast. I also bought the Leica-R 135 and 180 f2.8's to go with it. no regrets at all. Zeiss make a 100-300 that I would LOVE to get but they are rather hard to find. Nice compact and excellent IQ from CY. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 30, 2014 Share #20 Posted March 30, 2014 I was going to replace my Leica 80-200 with the Contax 100-300, which is just about the last lens designed for Contax MF cameras and one of the best. I already have a Contax 300/f4 mk2 Tele Tessar and its associated Mutar II 2X converter. This is an OK lens but with a performance commensurate with the age of its design (late 1960’s), although it received improved coatings plus a very minor re-compute for the MMJ Mk2 version. The 100-300 is considerably sharper at 300mm than the non zoom Tele Tessar. However my recent experience in India trying to hand hold either my M240 or Olympus EP-5, while focusing the Vario Elmar 80-200 at 200mm, decided me to buy a 75-300 auto-focus M-Zuiko Mk2, to use on my Olympus EP-5 instead, where I get the additional benefit of 5 axis stabilisation. I will keep the 80-200 mainly for tripod use on landscapes. If you stop it down to f8, it is very sharp indeed. Unfortunately the first 75-300 was faulty and I am still waiting for its replacement as the dealer was out of stock. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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