Macro Elmar 90mm f/4 Set; Some Observations

[Lindolfi]

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Having noticed that while traveling I never bring my Visoflex with 90/2.8 Elmarit head because of the weight (800 gr), I decided to buy the Macro Elmar 90mm f/4 Set. After some experience with it, the following observations

 

[1] The 90/4 Macro Elmar is much better in terms of corner-to-corner sharpness than the Elmarit 90/2.8 for macro work

 

[2] It is more flare resistant than the Elmarit, even so much that the hood is often not needed

 

[3] Very little chromatic aberration

 

[4] Out of the box, excellent rangefinder coupling, no adjustment needed at infinity and 1 meter

 

[5] The rangefinder coupling with the Macro adapter needed just a bit of adjustment (see below)

 

[6] Very useful lens for all round work with great image quality at f/4, nice bokeh (see this one for instance at f/5.6 a street shot: click_ )

 

[7] The frame lines for 90 mm are accurate at 1 meter without the adapter and too narrow below 1 meter (as usual with other lenses). With the macro adapter the frame lines are a bit too narrow between 0.5 and 0.65 meter. Center position is fairly good.

 

At a weight of only about 400 gram, this is a set that fits with the rest in my bag, allowing macro work up to 1:3. True macro work (around 1:1 and beyond) has to remain in the studio, but those interesting details I see underway can now be included too without cropping. Set can be recommended with the small reservation of possible adjustments needed of the macro adapter.

 

That adjustment can easily be done in the following way: loosen the ring with the two indents at the camera side of the round lens in front of the small rangefinder window. Only loosen it a tiny but, just sufficient for the following step. Now you can turn the round unit while you aim at a pencil point put on paper at for instance 0.5 meter distance from the camera. You will see the range finder dot as seen through the round lens move from left to right and a bit up and down. If your vertical alignment without the macro adapter is perfect, it should now also become perfect. After the vertical alignment is now perfect by turning the round lens and the horizontal adjustment by turning the focus of the 90/4, take a picture and check sharpness. If it is OK, fasten the indented ring again. If not OK, iteratively adjust the round lens and take images until the point of sharpness in the image agrees with the rangefinder setting. You may end up with a tiny error in the vertical alignment, but since that can not be adjusted separately from the horizontal error, you can leave it like that.

 

(Naturally you can also have the adjustment done by Leica)

 

The macro adapter contains two lenses that are cut obliquely, so that the light rays coming from the nearby object (at 0.5 meter closest), are guided under the correct angle into the two rangefinder windows, so that the rangefinder mechanism can be used to work between 0.5 and 0.8 meter. Beautifully made, but very sensitive to adjustment. With the above recipe you can get it perfect, so that the macro elmer works correctly with and without the adapter without surprises concerning the plane of maximum sharpness.

 

After some experience you can easily take great macro images, sometimes together with the angle finder. Everything works the way you are used to, but now closer by.

 

I recommend this set: it is a lot of fun to work with and the results are great. Without the adapter, the collapsible lens is tiny on the camera and it produces outstanding images, although it has only four elements. The fact that that is possible without an aspherical element and with such a low number of elements has to do with the f/4 maximum aperture. It looks like an old design, but if you look at the images, they are certainly up to the quality of my other recent lenses.

Edited March 12, 2011 by Lindolfi

[3rdtrick]

Everyone thanked you but no one responded... I thank you because I have had my eye on this lens for some time as a travel kit. Maybe I will work on getting it now.

Thanks,

Pete

Edited March 12, 2011 by 3rdtrick
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[Doc Henry]

Thank you for this interesting summary.The 90 Macro Elmar is for me a lens that I use both for macro as tele.

In addition, it is light and compact and replacing my Summicron tele 90mm too heavy for my last trip in Asia

You can see some pictures taken with this lens here:

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/135981-lotus-blossom.html

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/people/119807-african-evening.html

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/119223-first-tulip.html

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/people/85655-bridesmaid-90-macro-elmar.html

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/83129-cherry-blossom-spring.html

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/75374-orchids-winter.html

 

.... but the 90mm Summicron remains more "luminous" and I use for portraits or close up

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/landscape-travel/158897-first-shot-2011-a.html

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/84767-last-tulip-summicron-90mm.html

 

Henry

Edited March 12, 2011 by Doc Henry

[Lindolfi]

Thanks Doc Henry, I already saw many of your posts with the 90/4 and it is nice to see a list here. I do not see the 90/4 as a replacement of faster lenses. But given the f/4 max it is a great lens for its purposes. My 75/1.4 will remain in the bag.

[hoppyman]

I would add that in my experience with this lens is not immune to flare, with or without the hood if badly provoked (directly into a very bright light source). Probably you could say that about most lenses. I don't recall experiencing flare with the Elmarit M but that is just anecdotal. I am actually getting mine back after selling it to a friend. I shall compare them in identical conditions for my own interest.

Edited March 12, 2011 by hoppyman

[Lindolfi]

Did the test today you propose hoppyman, from tripod, same position and orientation, same light (strong light coming in from window above table). Both lenses were clean.

 

Here the Elmarit 90/2.8 without hood

 

 

Here the Macro Elmar 90/4 without hood

 

 

[hoppyman]

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Thank you for that. Practical contributions are the very best of the Forum content. On occasion with the Macro Elmar and sun angle within the excellent hood's edges I got non-image forming light obscuring almost all of the usable content.

[giordano]

Geoff, I get the impression you're referring to the recent 90mm Elmarit-M while Lindolfi means the old 90mm Elmarit (in the first post he mentions using the lens head on a Visoflex).

[russell]

Macro Elmar 90mm

ISO 250, f8, 1/90th second on the M9

It was probably near to 77cm focus

 

Took a bunch of flower pictures at Kew Gardens. This one was probably the best.

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[hoppyman]

Oh OK. I missed that detail. Yes I was talking about the Elmarit M. I got one of the old ones too (mainly for Visoflex) but it had some fogging and was retired. I prefer the performance of the later designs. Personal preference, I know.

Geoff, I get the impression you're referring to the recent 90mm Elmarit-M while Lindolfi means the old 90mm Elmarit (in the first post he mentions using the lens head on a Visoflex).

[k-hawinkler]

Oh OK. I missed that detail. Yes I was talking about the Elmarit M. I got one of the old ones too (mainly for Visoflex) but it had some fogging and was retired. I prefer the performance of the later designs. Personal preference, I know.

 

Hi Geoff,

 

When would you consider a lens worth restoring to the degree possible?

 

Thanks, K-H.

[hoppyman]

That is not something I would contemplate personally. Most likely the repair costs would exceed the value of the old lens (typically maybe AUD 200 or less here). I'm not aware of anyone doing this type of work in this country anyway. The lens I mean is the old Elmar model I from 1949/63 and it has some fogging and fungus. I have the Tele Elmar 135 to use with my Visoflex and have the other, modern 90's.

[Doc Henry]

That is not something I would contemplate personally. Most likely the repair costs would exceed the value of the old lens (typically maybe AUD 200 or less here). I'm not aware of anyone doing this type of work in this country anyway. The lens I mean is the old Elmar model I from 1949/63 and it has some fogging and fungus. I have the Tele Elmar 135 to use with my Visoflex and have the other, modern 90's.

Hi Geoff,

Is it this one ?

1954-1968

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/90mm_f/4_Elmar

Henry

[40mm f/2]

The Macro Elmar is one of my favorite lenses but I find the supplied lens hood unusable as it makes it close to impossible to mount this lens with the hood in its storage position. As Lindolfi's post shows it's very difficult to make the lens flare even without hood. I am using a short Heliopan metal hood Heliopan 39mm Screw-In Metal Lens Hood (Short) 703019 B&H Photo mostly to prevent me to stick my fingers on the front lens. I am using a cheap eBay snap on 39mm lens cap - Leica's version is much wider than the hood and gets frequently caught when I pull the camera out of the bag.

[hoppyman]

According to my Pocket book all of the early versions of this very long lifed lens were optically the same although the bodies changed a lot. Mine is serial numbered 135xxxetc which is supposed to be from 1956 I think. Externally really good including glass and aperture fine. Sure does need an optical clean internally.

Send me a PM if you think it deserves a new home ;-)

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Hi Geoff,

Is it this one ?

1954-1968

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/90mm_f/4_Elmar

Henry

[Delfi_r]

The Macro-Elmar M 90 mm f:4 its an all purposes lens. Real Macro.Photography it's not the realm of M cameras, but if you need to capture details, it's a must have in your pocket. It's lightweight and compact in the old tradition of collapsible lenses, and a great performer.

 

I got one and I would use it more, and your sggestion to use the Heliopan Hood (close to the Elmar-M 50 mm hood) it's very valuable.

[k-hawinkler]

According to my Pocket book all of the early versions of this very long lifed lens were optically the same although the bodies changed a lot. Mine is serial numbered 135xxxetc which is supposed to be from 1956 I think. Externally really good including glass and aperture fine. Sure does need an optical clean internally.

Send me a PM if you think it deserves a new home ;-)

[ATTACH]247567[/ATTACH]

 

Here is a 3-part panorama taken with M9 + Elmar 90 mm f/4. 2011.04.01 Panorama Truchas - winklers' Photos

Compared to an Elmarit-M f/2.8 it is just a little soft in the corners. 2011.04.01 Meditation Point Views - winklers' Photos

 

Best, K-H.

[Lindolfi]

Thanks K-H!

Contrary to its name, the Macro-Elmar 90/4 keeps on delivering very crisp images at all distances. This one Is from Saturday: http://www.photoplaza.nl/lindolfi/blogimageslarge/boegsprietschilderen.jpg

[k-hawinkler]

Lindolfi, Many thanks. Fabulous shot! How old is your lens? Mine is over half a century. Best, K-H.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Lindolfi]

K-H the lens is just a month old. Perhaps some improvement has been made in those 50 years. Here's an image of today at f/4: http://www.photoplaza.nl/lindolfi/blogimageslarge/tissingenvriend.jpg