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"Fat" Tele-Elmarit Flare


lct

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I have both fat and thin 90 Tele-Elmarits and a pre-asph Summicron. I've never had flare issues with any of them. I do use the deep metal hood with the thin Tele however, not the dinky rubber one it came with (and which has long since cracked). It's a very lightweight lens and the one I travel with. The Cron I reserve for specifically when I know I'll need f/2, and the fat Tele I'm keeping as a backup in case something happens to my thin one.

 

I used to have a late Elmarit-M, and it was a terrific lens, but indistinguishable from the Cron from f/2.8 down, and not enough lighter/smaller to make it worthwhile owning both.

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No hood will prevent flare if you shoot at light sources with the thin T-E, let alone into the sun. It is the worst of my 30+ Leica lenses from this standpoint. Even the old Elmar 90/4 collectible is better at that.

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No hood will prevent flare if you shoot at light sources with the thin T-E, let alone into the sun. It is the worst of my 30+ Leica lenses from this standpoint. Even the old Elmar 90/4 collectible is better at that.

 

Are you positive yours doesn't have "Thin T-E disease" (some sort of deterioration between the two cemented rear elements, you can't see it looking directly through, only obliquely with a bright flashlight shining through)? I admit I don't shoot often into the sun (old habit with cloth shutters prone to burn holes...not to mention my retinas:p) but the TE is my travel 90 and in thousands of shots never had it flare like that.

 

 

 

I believe my all-time worst for flare was the 21 Elmarit Pre-ASPH :) You look at it, and it flares :)

 

My gosh, so many terrible flaring Leica lenses :eek: My 21 pre-ASPH is not a bad flarer either. Certainly more than, say, my 50 Summilux (pre-ASPH), but no more than the 21 ASPH Elmarit I had for a while.

 

 

BTW I keep a B+W MRC UV filter on my lenses all the time too.

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Are you positive yours doesn't have "Thin T-E disease"...

Bought it new 30 years ago. Always did that as far as i recall. But do the test yourself, perhaps your copy has better coating who knows?

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Bought it new 30 years ago. Always did that as far as i recall. But do the test yourself, perhaps your copy has better coating who knows?

 

I'll test it. 99% of my use is outdoors, where the usual point source would be the sun, and as I mentioned, I tend not to shoot into it. I imagine I've encountered some specular reflections off water or a metallic surface though, and don't recall major flare. Then again if it didn't interfere pictorially it might have gone unnoticed. I'll do the light-in-your-face test using thin and thick T-Es and the pre-ASPH Cron and a 1956 LTM Elmar which are all my 90s. Are you seeing it at all apertures or does it improve/worsen at some than others?

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Is there an easy way to discern fat vs. thin TE90? I think I have a "fat" but I am not totally sure. Anyway it is black and has knurled focusing ring. Can I determine from lens serial no.?

 

Worth noting that I had it CLAd at Wil van Maanen & the difference in contrast was remarkable. Before it was sharp but impossible to use contre jour, now it is OK but not brilliant. Some PP sliders usually do the trick.

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Is there an easy way to discern fat vs. thin TE90?...

Yes one is fat and the other is thin. :D

Tele-Elmarit « Fat » 90/2.8, # 11800 (1964-1973)

Tele-Elmarit « Thin » 90/2.8, # 11800 (1973-1989)

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Are you positive yours doesn't have "Thin T-E disease" (some sort of deterioration between the two cemented rear elements, you can't see it looking directly through, only obliquely with a bright flashlight shining through)? I admit I don't shoot often into the sun (old habit with cloth shutters prone to burn holes...not to mention my retinas:p) but the TE is my travel 90 and in thousands of shots never had it flare like that.

 

There is no thin T-E disease as this lens does not contain any cemented elements.

Take a look at the cross-section depicted in Dennis Laney's Leica book.

The very first Elmarit 90mm (not Tele-Elmarit!) was the only 2.8/90mm featuring cemented elements.

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There is no thin T-E disease as this lens does not contain any cemented elements.

Take a look at the cross-section depicted in Dennis Laney's Leica book.

The very first Elmarit 90mm (not Tele-Elmarit!) was the only 2.8/90mm featuring cemented elements.

 

You are correct about the element construction, it's been a long time since I considered the subject and switched the 2 lenses in my mind. Things like that happen with age :D However, sadly your logic is incorrect, and there is most definitely a thin T-E disease. It has been well-documented, and the specialist repair techs all know about it as do (did) all the long-time dealers. The rear element becomes irreversibly fogged (some call it "etched") and because it is encased in a permanently-sealed assembly (some sort of plastic IIRC), replacing the element itself isn't possible. In the past, the cost of repair exceeded the cost of the lens, and so it was deemed uneconomical. Given the recent explosion in prices of Leica lenses including on the second-hand market, I'm not sure if that still holds true.

 

Only a certain [uncalculated but deemed "small"] percentage of these lenses seems to suffer from the etching, but reports seem to indicate it spans the entire production period of the lens. BTW the last samples of the lens (made in Solms, Germany and labeled "LEICA" rather than "LEITZ") have the arc of travel of the focus helix halved from what it was previously. Just a trivia point.

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