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Hi, I can't easily find posts about the M11 and the Tri-Elmar 28-35-50. I don't have either, just film Leicas currently. Does anyone have experience with this combination? Does the M11 have a built in profile for this lens? (if I can't find a coded lens). Thanks Sam

The Leica 28-35-50 Tri-Elmar (also known as the Medium Angle Tri-Elmar, or MATE) is a lens well-known for its complexity, and for the fact that it hasn't been made in ~14 years. As one might expect for a lens that offers three of the most popular focal lengths, 28 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, it's a highly versatile lens, especially for travel and street photography, or whenever carrying multiple lenses is a challenge. The MATE is an engineering marvel— not only does it offer three focal lengths at constant f/4 aperture, but changing the focal length also mechanically changes the frame lines to match, AND if 6-bit encoded on recent (digital M) bodies, will also change the focal length displayed in Live View and the focal length recorded in each image's EXIF data to match, thanks to the body's ability to detect the frame line lever position. One of MATE's shortcomings—the maximum f/4 aperture—is mitigated by the high ISO performance of M10-generation bodies, especially the M10 Monochrom. I was fortunate to obtain one of these lenses recently (v2, E49), and while putting it through its paces, found that the MATE actually offers a "fourth lens"—a ~40 mm pseudo-macro (close-focus) option that is accessed by setting the focal length to the mid-point between 50 mm (the middle position of the zoom ring) and 28 mm (the clockwise-most position of the zoom ring when looking at the front of the lens). The precise position is not critical, although a position close to the actual mid-point between 50 and 28 works best. At this setting, you end up with a ~40 mm focal length lens that can close-focus to ~0.4 meters! While not as macro-capable as a true macro lens such as the 90/4 Macro Elmar, one can capture subjects at a much greater size than otherwise possible with this lens, especially given that its minimum focusing distance is normally a full 1.0 meters. Of course the rangefinder cannot be used to focus in this mode, but Live View with focus peaking works quite well for focusing in this mode. Attached is a matrix showing the same subject photographed with the MATE at all four focal lengths, always at the minimum focusing distance. The entire frame of each image is shown (no cropping). You can see that the "40 pseudo-macro" option has a much larger subject reproduction ratio than the three standard focal lengths. I've also found the 40 pseudo-macro option quite useful for taking portraits—more so than the canonical option of 50 mm with a 1-meter minimum focusing distance. This option is optically quite good, approaching the (excellent) 50 mm focal length in terms of overall sharpness.

WATE - Wide Angle Tri Elmar : TRI-ELMAR-M 16-18-21 mm ASPH MATE - Medium Angle Tri Elmar : TRI-ELMAR-M 28-35-50 mm ASPH SATE's - Small Angle Tri Elmar's : ... Das Thema: Quasi - SATEs - Small Angle Tri Elmars : 65mm 90mm 135mm & Apo-Extender-M Einige von uns würden es gerne sehen, dass Leica das Tri-Elmar-Konzept noch einmal überarbeitet und ergänzt - ... sehr nützlich bei Wanderungen und auf Reisen. { WATE & MATE } Ob es das neue Vario-Elmar-M in die Serienfertigung schafft ist noch nicht klar ( *... ). Mit der Einführung von Systemkameras mit 'Echtzeit-Bilddarstellung' und Elektronischen Sucher kann bei Bedarf auf das bewährte Visoflexgehäuse mit M-Bajonett verzichtet werden. Als gewicht-, volumen- und kostenoptimierte Alternative bietet sich zwischenzeitlich die Nutzung von E. Leitz Visoflex-Komponenten an:

WATE - Wide Angle Tri Elmar : TRI-ELMAR-M 16-18-21 mm ASPH MATE - Medium Angle Tri Elmar : TRI-ELMAR-M 28-35-50 mm ASPH SATE's - Small Angle Tri Elmar's : ... The topic is: quasi - SATEs - Small Angle Tri Elmars : 65mm 90mm 135mm & Apo-Extender-M Some of us would like to see Leica revising and extending the Tri-Elmar concept - ... very useful for hiking and travelling. { WATE & MATE } Whether the new Vario-Elmar-M will go into series production is not yet clear ( *... ). With the introduction of system cameras with 'real-time image display' and electronic viewfinder, the proven Visoflex housing with M bayonet can be omitted if required. The use of E. Leitz Visoflex components is a weight-, volume- and cost-optimized alternative: ...

What are the practical experiences with the Leica Tri-Elmar 4/28-35-50mm (E55) on a M10?

Jaap - Please feel to kill this thread if you feel I might be duplicating stuff. I have a separate post on WATE where i am asking the same question. Friends - has any one have had any experience with the 21mm Skopar? I need to save up for the WATE lens and i need a cheap 21 to get by... this lens new is 400$. I truly appreciate your thoughts, comments emotions.

I use M6 with MATE Ver 1… (28/35/50 - f/4.0) and I do have “Q” Looking at the cost of M10 and if I buy one I will not be (immediately) able to invest in to any Leica Prime. Has any one on this forum tried MATE with M10? If so pls. Share your views / images will appreciate.

Hello my fellow Leica shooters..... I am looking for advice from the peanut gallery on a lens purchase. In short, I am going to be spending three weeks traveling Thailand soon, and need to travel light, so I'll be carrying my M240 during the trip. At one point in the trip, I will also be taking a 4 day kayak trip and will be doing a bit of shooting from the kayak. I have two options: 1) Buy a used version of the 28-35-50 Tri-Elmer MATE lens - which I've never used before. I've read extensively about it, but dont have hands-on with the lens. 2) Take my existing 50mm Summicron and 21mm lenses and buy a 35mm Summicron and carry a set of three lenses. Each of these options has pros and cons - the only neutral is the price, with the MATE being just a tad cheaper. Obviously option #1 means I don't have to deal with lens changes, but I'm limited to f/4 for nighttime and low-light shooting. Anyone been to Thailand have experience with the night scenes in cities like Bangkok - will I be handicapped with an f/4 lens? Option 2 has the benefit of being f/2 lenses and each lens is smaller than the MATE, but I'd have to conduct lens changes more often. I welcome any thoughts - I realize this is a personal opinion and decision, but am curious what you'd do in the situation? Thanks Kristen

Hi guys, For UWA range, you would prefer last version (v3) of Voigtlander's 15/4.5, plus the Super-Elmar 21/3.4, or Tri-Elmar 16-21, and why? I especially like 21 focal lenght, how much is the difference between SEM 21 and WATE at 21mm mark? Thank you in advance

MM at ISO 1600, Tri-Elmar at 28, at f5.6. Lightroom with a +5 adjustment in shadow exposure. City of Edmonds, in Washington state, US. The first image is cropped image by about a 1/3rd. The second image is a tighter crop to highlight the jetty. Of course, at the distance taken I couldn't see the people in detail. Their arrangement is just a happy accident.

Byron Prukston went to the Baikal Lake region in Russia with the Leica M-P 240 Safari and worked in frozen landscapes down to -30° Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) Traveling through ice landscapes with the Leica M-P 240 Safari

In älteren Beiträgen hier im Forum war zu lesen, dass das Tri-Elmar-M 1:4/28–35–50 eingestellt wurde und eine Neuauflage wohl nicht geplant sei. Erstaunlich aber, dass auf der Leica Homepage (auf der Seite zum Macro-Elmar) zu lesen ist: "[...] In Kombination mit dem Leica Tri-Elmar-M 1:4/28–35–50 mm ASPH. bildet dieses leichte Teleobjektiv [das Macro-Elmar] ein ausgezeichnetes, universell nutzbares Kompaktsystem [...]" Selbst gebraucht ist das Objektiv ja kaum zu kriegen. Deutet dies darauf hin, dass es vielleicht doch mal wieder ein "MATE" geben wird? Wie ist der aktuelle Stand, was dieses Objektiv angeht? Vielen Dank für Eure Antworten... Jonsi

... above the clouds ;M8.2, MATE, Fellhorn, Oberstdorf, Bavaria, 29. Sept. 2013.

Can anybody help me? Is there a way to fix the Leica 14473 filter holder E67 for WATE Tri-Elmar-M lens on a E39 or E46 lens? If so what kind of adapter do I need? -- This way I want to fix my 67mm pol-filter on a 35mm summicron. Does it work? Thank you in advance. swiss leica fan

First of all, this is my first writing on this site.. (Actually, I found out this site only yesterday..and I'm getting like this place..) Recently, I have a great interest on Tri-Elmar 28-35-50, though here Korea there aren't that much Tri-Elmar Users.. So, could I know some real-field comments on Tri-Elmar ? 1. How is the balance like? I heard some of user frequently complain about its balace with M series..is it odd? (I want use that with M8 or M9(hopely)). 2. Why is it discontinued? 3. As a one of students who really eager to travel abroad. I'm planning to travel Europe.. and I know there are a bunch of big gorgeous monuments..so could you recommend a good series of lens for this travel? (umm..and also this is why I'm checking the Tri-elmar though..is it that much fit to?) Yep..thank you for reading Mr and Ms.. I'm waiting for your opinion..thx.. Sangyob Kim Seoul Korea