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Ladies and Gents, This is my first post as a newly-minted owner of the Leica T. I'm hoping you can help me sort out a future lens purchase. I picked up the T, along with the 23mm F2.0 Summicron and the M adapter, mostly for travel. I also own a Ricoh GR with the 21mm adapter. With the GR and the T my wide-angle (35mm, 28mm, and 21mm) shooting needs are covered for now, but I'm planning to take a close look at the Leica 11-23mm F3.5-4.5 once released. I also have a Leica M3 with the 50 F2.0 Jahre Anniversary Summicron. I'm shooting less film nowadays - roughly 80/20% digital to film - so the 50mm is used primarily on the T with the adapter, which makes it a perfect portrait lens with an effective focal length of 75mm. This travel set-up gives me everything I need except for a long, fast telephoto (something around the 200mm mark). So I'm looking at two lenses: 1) the Leica 135 F3.4 APO Telyt and 2) the Zeiss 135mm F2 APO Sonnar (ZF.2) with a Novaflex adapter. I like that the Telyt is reasonably fast, can be easily affixed via the M adapter, and would make for a relatively compact package. I don't like that the Telyt costs nearly $4000K. I like that the Sonnar is very fast, has a unique signature, and costs less than $2500K with the adapter. I don't like having to stack adapters and the size/weight is a real concern, not having held this lens in person. I'd very much appreciate any and all feedback. Does anyone have experience with either of these lenses on the T or another mirrorless camera to share? Any general thoughts on the two options? Any other recommendations? Regards, Vintage Digital

Late May and still pockets of snow on the northern slopes above Granada. M240, APO-Tely-M 135mm.

M240, 135mm APO-Telyt.

Whitewashed cottage in Avebury, Wiltshire. M240, APO Telyt-M 135mm, SEfexPro2.

Tea or coffee with the toast? M240, APO Telyt-M, AnalogEfexPro.

"True perfection acquires only the tree which stands alone" - Toyotama Tsuno M240, APO Telyt-M 135mm, SEfexPro2.

"You want WHAT?!" M240, 135mm APO-Telyt-M, ISO 2500, f3.5, 1/180th sec.

Spotted tucked alongside a small Spanish beach-bar this afternoon. M240, 135mm APO-Telyt.

I succumbed to the temptation.... Well, it didn't take much arm twisting , and I ended up with a 135mm APO-Telyt. However, this new lens is not 6-bit coded. I tried to get some info here as well as out there and I was not able to find any pattern on the coding of this particular lens. Could any of the owners of this lens that has been coded help me out, please. I do need the 6-bit code pattern of this lens. I realize that it would not do much, if any, for the correction but it is more for the EXIF data. In addition, what will be my best and fast bet of getting the 6-bit code put in? I found out about the Dymo method - is that still pretty much the best do-it-yourself method? Leica will take 2+ months to do this . Any help is appreciated, Joshua

I really like, to have a print for a few weeks in my office, that, distracts me from work from time to time. I will have this one for the next days or weeks, to remind me of some moments in France, this summer:

M240, APO-Telyt-M 135mm f3.4.

At today's point to Point race meeting. M240, APO-Telyt-M 135mm, SEfexPro2.

At the Aldsworth Point to Point meeting on Sunday. M240. Photo 1 = Summilux-APSH 50mm, photo 2 = 135mm APO-Telyt-M.

A surprise encounter on a woodland walk yesterday. M240, 135mm APO-Telyt.

On the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire. M240, 135mm APO-Telyt.