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The New Macro 90 Elmar


leica1215

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I am a bit confused, is it the new 90 Elmar Macro does not need goggle to take macro shots? if so it doesn't come with goggle like before version right?

 

I asked dealer seems don't have in stock yet, what is the number if I would like to order one?

 

Thanks in advance

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The new lens comes either by itself or with the new macro adapter….no goggles needed (and the lens apparently doesn't have the second scale for macro as the earlier version).

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-news/2014/05/leica-macro-elmar-m-90-mm-f4-and-the-leica-macro-adapter-m/

 

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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To the OP,

To answer your question, if you want to use the lens to shoot Macro then *yes you need to buy the new macro accessory*.

The lens can be used by itself as a 90mm telephoto.

But if you want to shoot Macro you need to buy the accessory.

The only difference with the new accessory is that once installed you can shoot both macro and at normal distances without having to remove the accessory.

The answer to your question is yes, you need the accessory to shoot macro.

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To answer your question, if you want to use the lens to shoot Macro then *yes you need to buy the new macro accessory*.

 

But if you want to shoot Macro you need to buy the accessory.

 

The answer to your question is yes, you need the accessory to shoot macro.

 

So, to summarize… :)

 

Jeff

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The only difference with the new accessory is that once installed you can shoot both macro and at normal distances without having to remove the accessory.

The other obvious difference is that it does not allow focussing with any M camera prior to the M240. It would have been nice at least if the new 90mm lens retained the bottom close focusing scale for use with the old goggled adapter on earlier cameras (and the current ME/Monochrom). When using the new adapter with an M240 camera a click stop setting on the adapter could indicate at what position the close focussing scale would apply.

 

Nick

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What about using the new adapter with the old lens? As I understand it, the geometry is such that with the lens mounted on the adapter, retracting the lens sets it up for normal telephoto use.

 

With the older lens, even if the geometry is correct, doing that presents problems using the aperture ring because the lens tube freely rotates and the aperture ring is now behind a small ridge. So, it looks like the appealing convenience of the new adapter and lens combination - push back for normal use, pull the lens out for macro - is not available.

 

I wonder if the old lens is being withdrawn and, if the new one does not have a second focussing cam for close-up use, that leaves pre-M Typ 240 users without a rangefinder coupled macro solution.

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I am a bit confused, is it the new 90 Elmar Macro does not need goggle to take macro shots? if so it doesn't come with goggle like before version right?

 

I asked dealer seems don't have in stock yet, what is the number if I would like to order one?

 

Thanks in advance

As it has been already answered, you need the new adapter but the new lens will work also with old goggles.

Advantage of the new adapter is that it can be used also with other lenses, not only with 90mm Macro.

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My question is "Does the new adapter work with the old 90 macro?"

 

If so then I can use the goggles on my MM and without goggles, but with new adapter on the M240. I was traveling too long to get a new adapter early, but have one on order and will soon be able to answer my own question. Just would like to know what to expect. Thanks.

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My question is "Does the new adapter work with the old 90 macro?"

 

If so then I can use the goggles on my MM and without goggles, but with new adapter on the M240. I was traveling too long to get a new adapter early, but have one on order and will soon be able to answer my own question. Just would like to know what to expect. Thanks.

 

I see no reason why it shouldn't. At the end of the day the new adapter is just a fancy variable extension tube. In fact I would expect it to let you focus closer than you can with the goggles as it provides more extension.

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Has anyone used this new lens as a portrait lens? I just bought it along with the macro-adapter. I had used the lens in the store-- although wide open it is a f/4...I was truly impressed with the quality of the portraits and associated bokeh with it.

 

Anyone else using it? I'm also planning to explore some macro shooting with this lens, adapter and M240.

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Has anyone used this new lens as a portrait lens? I just bought it along with the macro-adapter. I had used the lens in the store-- although wide open it is a f/4...I was truly impressed with the quality of the portraits and associated bokeh with it.

 

Anyone else using it? I'm also planning to explore some macro shooting with this lens, adapter and M240.

 

I do occasionally, not necessarily for portraits. Here are few photos made with that lens @ f4.

I am waiting on my adapter to arrive...

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I played with both the adapter and the new lens yesterday. I bought the adapter but not the lens.

 

First, the adapter can be used with any M lens to provide a variable extension ring, so an ideal replacement for an OUFRO. This differs from the old goggled adapter which could only be used with the 90/4.

 

The new lens differs in that while remaining a collapsible lens, the lens barrel can be locked in either the extended or retracted position. In the older lens, the barrel could only be locked in the extended position. In the retracted position, the barrel rotated freely. Further, on the new lens, the aperture ring remains fully usable in the retracted position; in the older lens, the aperture ring was partially obscured and could not be used because when you turned the aperture ring, the lens barrel just rotated.

 

What does this mean in practice?

 

Mount the new lens directly on the camera and it will behave as the old lens. Extend the lens barrel to shoot, rangefinder coupled.

 

The difference comes when the lens is mounted on the macro adapter. When it is, you can still use the lens as a normal 90 by setting the macro adapter to minimum extension and retracting the lens fully. Because of the lens design changes, the barrel locks and the aperture ring is fully usable.

 

Then, you can introduce macro extension by either extending the lens or the macro adapter or both, all without dismounting anything, so you can go from using the lens as a short telephoto to a very close-up macro lens simply by extending the lens and macro adapter. It's a very neat design although the same clunky hood with anodising-damaging claws is still used which now cannot be mounted backwards on the lens.

 

There is no rangefinder coupling using the new macro-adapter and I believe the new lens can still be mounted on the goggled adapter upside down though there is no secondary distance scale.

 

All in all, a very neat design, let down by that horrible hood.

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All in all, a very neat design, let down by that horrible hood.

 

Based on the suggestions in earlier posts I bought the hood for the 2.8/50 Elmar-M collapsible to fit on the 90 Macro-Elmar-M. It's just enough to protect the lens, makes it very compact and prevents flare quite effectively (although regardless the lens is quite flare resistant).

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Yes, I did the same for my older lens. I didn't buy the new lens as it seems a bit wasteful with the old one already which I will continue to use with pre-M240 cameras and the goggles, but it think this new solution is a big improvement of the old macro solution which was more of a curiosity.

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What about using the new adapter with the old lens? As I understand it, the geometry is such that with the lens mounted on the adapter, retracting the lens sets it up for normal telephoto use.

 

With the older lens, even if the geometry is correct, doing that presents problems using the aperture ring because the lens tube freely rotates and the aperture ring is now behind a small ridge. So, it looks like the appealing convenience of the new adapter and lens combination - push back for normal use, pull the lens out for macro - is not available.

 

My new macro adapter arrived today. I've tried it with the older model of the Macro Elmar 90mm lens. I had been wondering whether it would be possible to focus to infinity with this lens retracted, as with the new model. It is indeed possible, but as Mark says the lens tube cannot be locked in position when retracted. When one is using the older lens as a normal tele it would generally be more convenient to remove the macro adapter.

 

Having said that, I think the new adapter will turn out to be an extremely useful accessory.

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Great information, thanks.

I'm guessing to get 1:2 you need to extend both the lens and the adapter on the new adapter?

Can you guesstimate what kind of "magnification" you can with the lens extended but not the adapter? What about the adapter extended but the lens collapsed?

How much is the minimum extension on the new adapter? Is it the same as the goggled adapter?

Thanks,

Paul

 

My new macro adapter arrived today. I've tried it with the older model of the Macro Elmar 90mm lens. I had been wondering whether it would be possible to focus to infinity with this lens retracted, as with the new model. It is indeed possible, but as Mark says the lens tube cannot be locked in position when retracted. When one is using the older lens as a normal tele it would generally be more convenient to remove the macro adapter.

 

Having said that, I think the new adapter will turn out to be an extremely useful accessory.

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