Suggestions for cheap alternative Lenses for R4?

[gymbass]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hallo everyone,

 

I'm new here and also new to Leica, just bought a R4 which was offered for a good price..the lense I got with it is the Leiz 75-200 wich is big and heavy...

 

I would love to find a compact lense to replace it, could be a prime lense or a smaller zoom lense (f.e an 18-55)..

 

The thing is that I don't have a lot of money, and I'm also a beginner, so I don't need an amazing lense and I don't want to spend a lot of money...

 

I tried to search for alternative companies which produce lences for the R4, but couldn't find it...

 

Do you have any sugesstions? would appriciate it!!

 

Thanks!

Gal

[Bobitybob]

Welcome to the Forum

 

The problem you will have is that R cameras have a long Flange Focal Distance Flange focal distance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia so if you look on the list all of the the normal range of lenses for DSLRs below the R will only work as macro lenses. You could try to find a lens listed above and use an adaptor such as Hasselblad for instance but these are equally expensive ( be careful if you find a T Mount lens as a lot of these are M42 and again will not give you true infinity focus). Tamron lenses will work with the correct adaptor and you occasionally see these on eBay and this could be a good bet.

 

Probably, the best thing to do is to bite the bullet find a nice 28-70 or 35-70 R zoom, which will be great for film and can be found at a reasonable price at a lot of dealers or on eBay.

 

Hope that's helpful.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Torquinian]

I am very fond of the 28mm Elmarit, It is also one of the lightest of the R lenses.The series 1 is only 275 grams and the series 2 is 435 grams. such is progress!

 

I'm new here and also new to Leica, just bought a R4 which was offered for a good price..the lense I got with it is the Leiz 75-200 wich is big and heavy...

 

I would love to find a compact lense to replace it, could be a prime lense or a smaller zoom lense (f.e an 18-55)..

 

The thing is that I don't have a lot of money, and I'm also a beginner, so I don't need an amazing lense and I don't want to spend a lot of money...

 

I tried to search for alternative companies which produce lences for the R4, but couldn't find it...

 

Do you have any sugesstions? would appriciate it!!

 

Thanks!

Gal

[gyoung]

When I had an R4 about 25 years ago I used a couple of Tamron Adaptall lenses (28 and 70-210) on it for a while until I could afford Leica R wideangle and tele lenses. They are ok but not up to leica standards. There is an Adaptall mount for R cameras but I should think they would be hard to find, Adaptall lenses go for peanuts nowadays though.

 

Gerry

[MarkP]

I'm not sure what price rang you're thinking about as if it's for a Leica lens then nothing is cheap.

 

However, you could get an earlier version 2.0/35 Summicron-R for under $1000 - optically & mechanically good but cosmetically tired. Lovely lens, very versatile, close focus.

[spydrxx]

When I got my first R body, I wasn't ready to commit a lot of $ to lenses, so I also got a couple of Tamron Adaptall SP lenses and the appropriate Leica R adapter (all on the big auction site, of course). While the lens construction wasn't up to Leica standards, most of my shooting was in the f/4-5.6 range and the lenses I bought did quite admirably (I still have and use 2 of them on a variety of bodies). Eventually I tried some of the Leica R lenses, after lots (months) of research, and waiting to find exactly the right lenses at the right price. While they generally outperformed the Tamrons at large enlargement sizes (especially wide open), and had less chromatic aberation, the Tamrons did pretty well. I'd suggest you do some basic research on Leica R lenses before commiting to their prices. Doug Herr at Wildlightphoto has a very good summary of a number of lenses....you would need to email him to gain access to the site, but I found his notes quite useful, as well as the comments on this and other forums.

[iphoenix]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I recently bought a dead Leica R3 with a Summicron 50/2 lens on "that-Bay", for less than the value of the lens. Keep an eye open for items like this.

Otherwise, a "Vario-Elmar-R f3.5-4.5/28-70" lens (decried by some, but not by me) would be my recommendation.

[dkCambridgeshire]

There's not a lot you cannot tackle with a 50mm Summicron R, a set of Leica R extension tubes or a couple of Elpro c/u lenses - and a Leica R 2x Extender. A MK I triple cam 50/2 R can be bought in the UK for less than £250 - sometimes a lot less - and is unlikely to depreciate much - in fact it will probably appreciate in value if chosen carefully. There is not much performance difference between a Mk I and a Mk II Summicron R. Elpro c/u lenses can be bought for less than £30 and an Elpro VIb (for a Mk I Summicron) or Elpro 2 (for a Mk 2 Summicron) enables a 50/2 R to focus down to 1:2.6 … that's almost half life size. A 2x extender R can be bought for between £50 to £100 and will enable portraiture to be tackled.

 

Thus for a total expenditure of e.g. £350 it's possible for any R series camera to tackle close-ups, portraiture and street and landscape photography.

 

Zoom lenses are OK but their apertures are limiting for low light photography.

 

And if you are new to Leica R film photography, consider buying or borrowing a copy of 'Excellence in Photography: Applied Leica Technique' by Günter Osterloh - which details use of R lenses and R lens accessories e.g. Elpros and extenders and extension tubes. Also consider getting a copy of The Leica Pocket Book 8th Edition which lists every R lens ( and M and LTM lenses) together with their performance data.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

Edited October 6, 2014 by dkpeterborough

[bocaburger]

The 28-70 R lens was a Sigma design using Sigma glass. I had one, it was sharp and contrasty but suffered from obvious distortion at both ends, and it was slow. And the 1st version wasn't made that well, on mine the zoom and focus was very loose as was the telescoping hood which retracted with the lightest pressure. There were a couple of Angenieux zooms made in R mount, but they seem to be as expensive as Leica lenses. I don't really understand the point of buying an R body if not to use R lenses. The better Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Olympus SLR lenses perform better than most any of those old adaptall lenses.

[MarkP]

I'd still go with an old R 35 or 50 Summicron.

 

By the way, where are you gymbass?

Edited October 7, 2014 by MarkP

[dkCambridgeshire]

One of the best R lenses available is the 60mm f2.8 Macro Elmarit R which can be sourced for around £300 in UK. It's not so popular because many R users place too much emphasis on faster aperture lenses - but the 60mm will outperform most other R lenses within its aperture range. Furthermore it's a fun lens to use and it enables photography of all manner of small subjects and specimens which other lenses cannot focus close-up. It's worth considering saving for a few months if necessary to acquire a decent R lens.

 

dunk

[jshyshka]

When I got my first R body, I wasn't ready to commit a lot of $ to lenses, so I also got a couple of Tamron Adaptall SP lenses and the appropriate Leica R adapter (all on the big auction site, of course). While the lens construction wasn't up to Leica standards, most of my shooting was in the f/4-5.6 range and the lenses I bought did quite admirably (I still have and use 2 of them on a variety of bodies). Eventually I tried some of the Leica R lenses, after lots (months) of research, and waiting to find exactly the right lenses at the right price. While they generally outperformed the Tamrons at large enlargement sizes (especially wide open), and had less chromatic aberation, the Tamrons did pretty well. I'd suggest you do some basic research on Leica R lenses before commiting to their prices. Doug Herr at Wildlightphoto has a very good summary of a number of lenses....you would need to email him to gain access to the site, but I found his notes quite useful, as well as the comments on this and other forums.

 

 

I also have several of the Tamron Adaptal lenses for my R5s and they really are nice lenses (get the SP versions - there is a good website devoted entirely to these lenses).  They can be had on the Web for under $100 and as low as $20.  The most expensive part will be getting the adapter - they are not easy to find and can cost up to $125 - every once in awhile you can find a lens that comes with one.  I know this is a somewhat old thread but just joined and thought I would jump in

[masjah]

Another vote for a 50/2 if you can run to it. The "third cam only" variant of the second version is really quite common second-hand, and so is (relatively) reasonably priced. It's also a very compact lens.

[Hugh 38]

The Sumicron  50 f2   is  excellent  and  as  mentioned  you  can   sometimes  get  them  at  a  good  price ,  especially  if it  is  third  cam  only .

Otherwise   the  28 to 70  zooms  are  very  good  though  perhaps  a  bit  slow. 

If   you  can  get  an   Elmarit  60 get  it,  a  wonderful lens  often overlooked.  Not  so   good  for  moving  items  as you  have  to turn  the lens  a lot  to  focus.

 

From my  observations  over  the  years  Leica R , compact and   cheap   seldom  go  together .