90mm f/2 APO ASPH - a few questions

[wavenumber]

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I’m about to buy a 90mm f/2 APO ASPH for my M9 and would appreciate if anyone could clarify a few things for me.

 

Although new, the lens seems to be old stock (comes in one of the old-style white boxes) and it’s not a 6-bit version. The store offered to have it encoded locally by someone who does that kind of job for them often. Would this void the Leica warranty? Are there any other problems in letting them do the encoding?

 

Since this is the first 90mm I handled, I was surprised the built-in hood didn’t have a locking position like my 50mm lux does. Is that the case for newer 90s too? Also, the focusing ring doesn’t have a finger tab. They told me it’s the case for all longer lenses. Can anyone confirm that?

 

I noticed a couple of other things, namely, the aperture ring seems quite soft compared to my other lenses. There’s no play in the axis of the lens but it rotates quite freely even though the f-clicks are precise and easily noticeable. I was surprised by the lack of resistance. Is that normal in this lens?

 

I also noticed, some very tiny marks in on of the inside elements. They are located at the very edge of the lens. It looks like something caused by the mounting equipment when attaching that part. They are only visible with light shining sideways on them, and even then barely. There are 3-4 parallel ones, less than 1mm in length. I can’t discount it’s just grease marks. How worried should I be about that?

 

I tested the lens in the store and it seems to focus perfectly with my M9 both at 1m and at infinity. That’s why I’m considering getting it.

 

Since it’s the only sample of this lens I could get my hands on, I’m counting on this forum to help me make a decision.

 

Thanks in advance!

By the way, this is my first post although I’ve been a reader for ages. So, hi everyone.

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[tgray]

How much is it? If it's a bargain, that's one thing. If you are paying full price, I think I'd order one with 6-bit coding. And no marks in the elements - that last part would make me think twice unless it was an incredible bargain.

[tdtaylor]

Welcome to the forum!

 

Several points:

 

No focus tab on longer telephotos lenses is correct.

90AA hood does not lock into place (to my surprise).

My aperture ring is very smooth, but has positive clicks- like it very much.

I've sent several older lenses out to John Milich for 6 bit engraving, but they were well past warranty age, so I can't answer that question (by the way, work flawlessly).

 

I leave other questions to others.

 

If it is not 6 bit coded and has internal marks, I would not expect to pay full price. Last month I received an absolute mint copy, very clean, 6 bit for $2,000US. There are used copies popping up on the used forums fairly regularly.

[jaapv]

On a 90 mm the only functions of coding would be getting the focal length etc. into EXIF and it would control a few flash functions. Setting the FL manually might well suffice. If it is being sold as new, the marks on the glass would bother me more.

[wavenumber]

I’m not even sure they are marks etched on the glass. It might just be a few specks of dust that got trapped at the edge where the lens meets the casing. It took me 1/2 hour testing the lens to notice it and only when I let light shine through the rear element at an angle. Normally it would only be seen with a loupe and if one knows where to look. I wonder if it could have any impact on the picture since it would likely fall outside the sensor area. I’ll go to the store and have another look. If it’s dust, maybe it can be dislodged by shaking.

 

I’m still wondering if their local engraving would void the warranty or cause any other problems.

 

I think the price is about normal for a new lens. They are asking 2600 euros including taxes. That’s approximately 2,240 euro = 1,930 lb. = 2,940 USD without taxes, I believe.

 

Normally I would pass due to the lack of factory engraving. However, this lens focus well with my camera. I understand that it can be a bit tricky to find a 90mm with perfect focus.

 

Thanks everyone for the comments! :-)

If anyone else has anything to add, I’m still following this.

[novice9]

in my experience it can be tricky to get any lens to fit perfectly with a given M camera, so that's certainly a good start. having said that, i would absolutely NOT purchase the lens without coding unless i received a considerable discount, at least 20% off current list. First, list was no doubt considerably lower when that piece was produced and purchased (3+ years). Second, this is not the hardest lens to find, I would imagine you could find a perfect one pretty easily. If you can get 25% or so off current list i would do ahead and do it. I have no idea whether having someone else code the lens voids the warranty in your country, though unless its a passport warranty its really of no value in my opinion. if the lens works on day one it will work on day 1000, absent abuse.

 

 

ps: your currency calculation to us dollars seems considerably off.

[wavenumber]

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@Novice9:

 

Good points! However, it's a little hard to find one where I am without ordering. That's why I got excited when I saw this one.

 

I'm using 1 euro = 1.31 USD, haven't checked the rates lately. That was for the price w/o taxes (since they vary from place to place).

 

I don't mind the full price for a factory-coded sample. Unfortunately, if I ordered one, there would be no guarantee it would focus as well as the one here. Maybe if I sleep on it I'll be able to make a more rational decision tomorrow.

 

Thanks again! :-)

 

 

in my experience it can be tricky to get any lens to fit perfectly with a given M camera, so that's certainly a good start. having said that, i would absolutely NOT purchase the lens without coding unless i received a considerable discount, at least 20% off current list. First, list was no doubt considerably lower when that piece was produced and purchased (3+ years). Second, this is not the hardest lens to find, I would imagine you could find a perfect one pretty easily. If you can get 25% or so off current list i would do ahead and do it. I have no idea whether having someone else code the lens voids the warranty in your country, though unless its a passport warranty its really of no value in my opinion. if the lens works on day one it will work on day 1000, absent abuse.

 

 

ps: your currency calculation to us dollars seems considerably off.

[tdtaylor]

Jaap is correct- coding won't help much on a 90mm. But all of mine are coded, for I spend a lot of time with 21mm and 28mm lenses, and I know I could never remember every time to reset the lens. So I have sent mine out for engraving. I do believe Leica will replace the mounting plate and cla the lens for $175US- at least that is what was quoted to me by my camera shop.

[wavenumber]

Yes, that's why I want the encoding. I too use other lenses and I'm sure I would forget to switch the settings.

[zeitz]

If it truly new-old-stock, it will have all the warentee cards. Real new 90mm APOs are harder to get than M9s. The dealers I talked to in US and in Paris won't even hazard a guess when they could get one for me. As always, it comes down to price whether to accept NOS.

[wavenumber]

It does have all the original cards. It's factory new, just sat there for a long while. The box is the original one, with the same serial number as the camera. One can see that nothing has been handled before.

 

I'll have a look tomorrow to see what kind of job they did with the encoding. Will also check the inside glass again. I checked a few online dealers in the meantime and they all seem to be out of stock.

[ho_co]

If you had that much trouble finding the marks on the glass and aren't even sure they are marks, they don't mean anything.

 

Agree on a price for the lens as-is, without coding. Then tell the dealer you'll pay that much for it, but only if he has it coded by Leica at no additional charge.

 

1) You've found a lens that is hard to find.

2) It's new and carries a warranty.

3) If you want it, you can get Leica to code it for, what, $150?

 

 

Some years back, Leica made a particular lens one of whose elements could not be polished perfectly smoothly. There was a particularly obnoxious member of the LHSA who would go into a store and ask to see a sample of the lens. He would then pull a loupe out of his pocket and look at the third or fourth surface and announce that the lens was defective and he wouldn't buy it. He pulled the same thing at two different stores that I was aware of. He just wanted to create a ruckus and had no interest in the lens except insofar as he could demonstrate his "superior" knowledge of it to the personnel at the dealerships.

 

 

The only question about a lens is: How does it work? You've taken pictures with this lens. It works. So buy it. Or wait for another one.

 

Good luck. It's a fabulous lens. No matter what you pay, you'll get your money out of it in terms of the pleasure it gives and the pictures it makes.

[Shade]

That isn't very cheap... I got mine - full new APO ASPH 6-Bit for 3300 USD, and no marks whatsoever (including Tax btw).

 

So I'd settle for a "better" one..

[Peter Lea]

One can indeed always "wait for a better one" - which takes ages to appear, and meanwhile, you're not taking pictures. Ask for a short "return" period, then go out and shoot with it. If you're happy with it, keep it. Don't worry about the possible "better one". Good lenses are hard to find right now - everyone's buying them to use on their M9's.

[delander †]

Why not consider a 90 elmarit M? Discontinued about 2 years ago there are lots of mint secondhand examples around at very attractive prices. The elmarit is superb on the M9 assuming that you dont need f2 and of course much lighter.

 

Just a thought

 

Jeff