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Leica Telephotos (portable, low profile)


michaelbrenner

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For use on an M240, I've been eye-balling some long Leica lenses, but they all seem HUGE, some even coming with a shoulder stock. Some tripod work, some "distance candid" work (e.g. subjects like surfing where I cannot get close enough due to environmental constraints or off-the-cuff wildlife shots), which would be hand-held, of course. My back isn't what it used to be... Are there any "portable" long lenses available that anyone might recommend? The longest I have is a 90mm telephoto, which works great, but I'd like to get "closer from afar." I've looked at the 135mm lenses but was hoping to find something a bit longer, maybe 180mm, 200mm or longer, if I could find one that was "reasonably portable" and not looking like a rifle barrel. Vintage lenses preferred, if possible, the smaller the better, but highest quality (for size). Any suggestions or recommendations?

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Apo-Telyt-R 180/3.4

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Given that you look for vintage... the Telyt 200 f4 with an adapter like Novoflex LEM/VIS is a good combination... even not too costly : if you want to go further and have the patience to search the devices, the one depicted hereunder is a 280 combination that is a bit heavy but very effective in handling :

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(of course, on a M240 you must think of it without the Visoflex and with a neat LEM/VIS.. left hand on the handle, with thumb on the focusing knob, right hand on body and shutter button as usual... you can find the right balancing and work fine at 1/250-1/500 at 5,6 / 8 , with a good sight in the EVF... no need to use the focus peaking... that with a 280 handheld is not of practical usefulness).

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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What is the bottom pistol-grip portion called? I assume the thumb knob somehow interfaces with the focus, but what is the trigger-looking thing? Also, how does it attach to the lens? Looks like a pretty effective combination but still reasonably portable.

Edited by michaelbrenner
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Does it have to be Leica? The voigtlander 180mm APO lanthar is a very good lens. It's also very compact, tack sharp wide open and truly APO. It's the little brother of the 125mm lanthar, less character than what a good Leica lens would exhibit but has incredible technical properties. Here's what it looks like and some samples. They are shot wide open, you can see how good the resolving power and APO is. The leaf crop is taken from the lower right corner. If you pair it up with an adapter it will be a smidgen taller than a 90 cron both with identical barrel width.

 

 

 

For use on an M240, I've been eye-balling some long Leica lenses, but they all seem HUGE, some even coming with a shoulder stock. Some tripod work, some "distance candid" work (e.g. subjects like surfing where I cannot get close enough due to environmental constraints or off-the-cuff wildlife shots), which would be hand-held, of course. My back isn't what it used to be... Are there any "portable" long lenses available that anyone might recommend? The longest I have is a 90mm telephoto, which works great, but I'd like to get "closer from afar." I've looked at the 135mm lenses but was hoping to find something a bit longer, maybe 180mm, 200mm or longer, if I could find one that was "reasonably portable" and not looking like a rifle barrel. Vintage lenses preferred, if possible, the smaller the better, but highest quality (for size). Any suggestions or recommendations?

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Edited by rirakuma
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Does it have to be Leica? The voigtlander 180mm APO lanthar is a very good lens. It's also very compact, tack sharp wide open and truly APO. It's the little brother of the 125mm lanthar, less character than what a good Leica lens would exhibit but has incredible technical properties. Here's what it looks like and some samples. They are shot wide open, you can see how good the resolving power and APO is. The leaf crop is taken from the lower right corner. If you pair it up with an adapter it will be a smidgen taller than a 90 cron both with identical barrel width.

 

Pretty amazing

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What is the bottom pistol-grip portion called? I assume the thumb knob somehow interfaces with the focus, but what is the trigger-looking thing? Also, how does it attach to the lens? Looks like a pretty effective combination but still reasonably portable.

 

The pistol grip is part of the focusing system that is between the Visoflex (in this case) and the lenshead : it is a single piece unit named Televit, made in the '60s for usage with 400 & 560mm Telyts (both for Leica and Leicaflex , see this Wiki page : http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/1:5.6_/_400_Telyt) The trigger-like button is not linked to shutter ... its function is to unlock/lock the focus knob (a friction mechanism prone to wear... in my item you can rotate the focus knob even with the trigger untouched.. but anyway it stays sufficiently firm, unless you are in very inclined position, in which case the weight of the lenshead tends to pull along the whole group)

The last version of the Canadian Telyt 280mm has a lenshead that can be unscrewed and fits the Televit with an elusive adapter ring (very difficult to find... I'm very proud to have one... ;)) The Telyt 280 is still an appreciable performer even if, for what I have seen, not up to the more recent 280s made for Reflex Leicas, which are costly and hard to find, anyway... in that range of focals, with the R adapter, probably a "good buy" is the Telyt R 250.

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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i would also vote for the 180 f3.4 - amazing sharp. (the zoo pictures on the flickr link below were taken with that lens)

 

plan b - not everyone's cup of tea - might be a leica 500mm mirror tele. i don't know where you're located, but there's one at a hamburg dealer for under euro 600 which would give you a long reach in a compact package?

 

good luck

Edited by rickp13
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i would also vote for the 180 f3.4 - amazing sharp. (the zoo pictures on the flickr link below were taken with that lens)

 

plan b - not everyone's cup of tea - might be a leica 500mm mirror tele. i don't know where you're located, but there's one at a hamburg dealer for under euro 600 which would give you a long reach in a compact package?

 

good luck

 

Incredible photography. How in the world did you get those bears to line up like that along the stream bank - Momma, Pappa, Junior? Very nice work. Thanks for the recommendation.

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Incredible photography. How in the world did you get those bears to line up like that along the stream bank - Momma, Pappa, Junior? Very nice work. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

thank you. it's a secret, but the bears lined up at the edge of the lake in order to be as close as possible to the man throwing them delicious fish. :)

 

if you go with the 180 3.4, don't forget that there are APO 2x extenders from leica to get you a quality 360mm. i haven't tried one, but others here may have direct experience?????

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Here's my current 'tele' set-up. I don't have frequent needs for a lens in this focal length range , and the vast majority of my photography with this lens / accessories will be at motorsports events and occasional wildlife - but, like you, I want a reliable, usable, quality set-up that's easy to work with, won't break my back and ensures good IQ.

 

Currently my lens as shown on my M-P is the 180mm f2.8 Elmarit-R ( still looking fort a perfect 180 f3.4 APO-Telyt ) and I was fortunate to find a perfect 2x APO Extender last weekend ( my friends at Camera West came through again - I wouldn't waste my time with the non-APO 2x extender, since it will niticably degrades IQ ), and I picked up the EVF to help with focusing quick-moving race cars ( always with magnification, and because the 90 degree tilt-feature saves wear & tear on my old knees ).

 

I am perfectly happy with this combination, and believe it'll serve me well for a reasonable investment, and retain good portability. At the race track I always use a Really Right Stuff monopod in combination with their unique and ingenious monopod head.

 

Bear in mind that the 2x extender makes the lens a 5.6 when shooting wide open but I find the M series works just fine with ISO settings up to about 1600 or so.

 

Best of Luck

 

#1. The overall arrangement - my 90mm f2.8 Elmarit-M shown for comparison

#2. The details of the set-up

#3. twith the 180mm only at Sears Pont Raceway

#4. with 2x extender @ 360mm at the end of my Cul de Sac

 

JZG

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If you're curious here's a size comparison of the 80-200. 180 lanthar and 90 cron. Note they have extra length due to adapters for the M. Minimum focus distance is 1.1m/1.2m/1m respectively.

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Edited by rirakuma
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You could use an extension ring, However the image quality is optimized for longer distances. The 80-200 f4.0 is a more interesting option for the OP, I should think.

 

Aren´t there Elpros for this lens?

With an Elpro the lens "thinks" it is at infinity, while it is at 1.5 meter for instance.

Could deliver a better result than an extension ring.

Jan

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If you're curious here's a size comparison of the 80-200. 180 lanthar and 90 cron. Note they have extra length due to adapters for the M. Minimum focus distance is 1.1m/1.2m/1m respectively.

 

I even didn't know the existence of the Voigtlander 180... :o....has a nice compactness.. and a look that pleasantly remembers me my Contarex lenses (the old Sonnar 135... :cool:) : when was it made ? For which mounts ? (the item you depict seems for Nikon) Is still a lens that can be found ?

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I even didn't know the existence of the Voigtlander 180... :o....has a nice compactness.. and a look that pleasantly remembers me my Contarex lenses (the old Sonnar 135... :cool:) : when was it made ? For which mounts ? (the item you depict seems for Nikon) Is still a lens that can be found ?

 

Hi Luigi, the lanthar sure is a nice little gem. It's no longer made but you can still find them for sale on ebay for a pretty decent price. I think they came in 3 mounts, nikon, canon and pentax. It performs strong on all distances and it takes 49mm filters.

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