Keith (M) Posted November 20, 2011 Share #1 Posted November 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) To partner my newly acquired IIIg I would like to find a screw-mount Elmar 90mm collapsible (the rigid versions at 94mm long look as though they would make for a somewhat unbalanced and clumsy outfit). It is not clear in Leica WiKi how many were manufactured in this configuration so I wonder what the likely availability is (UK) ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bill Posted November 20, 2011 Share #2 Posted November 20, 2011 Keith, I dont think that lens was ever available in LTM. Regards, Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Keith (M) Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted November 20, 2011 Keith, I dont think that lens was ever available in LTM. Regards, Bill Doh! B*gger Hello guest! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Hallo Gast! Du willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! Well, in that case an M-mount collapsible would go well on my M4 instead then. So the basic question of likely availability UK-wise still stands... someonenameddavid 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bill Posted November 20, 2011 Share #4 Posted November 20, 2011 I have one that I use with my M2. It's a heavy bugger, but compact. You can often find them cheaply suffering from "haze". I bought one in that condition for under £140 a couple of years ago. I took off the front bezel with the rubber ferrule from a walking stick, then used circlip pliers to remove the inner retaining ring. The front cell then drops out into your hand. I cleaned the rear element carefully and - voilà! - a crystal clear example. It's a sound rather than stellar performer but "of the time" and enjoyable to use. Worth a scour of the London secondhand shops... in fact... Give LCE on the Strand a ring - I think I saw one there in the week! For your IIIg, why not have a look at a 75mm Voigtlander; I had one for years and it goes well with the Barnacks. Regards, Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
earleygallery Posted November 20, 2011 Share #5 Posted November 20, 2011 The 9cm f4 Elmar is a lovely little lens, it's also very light. It was made to partner your camera, they are so cheap it's worth trying. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Keith (M) Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted November 20, 2011 I have one that I use with my M2. It's a heavy bugger, but compact. You can often find them cheaply suffering from "haze". I bought one in that condition for under £140 a couple of years ago. I took off the front bezel with the rubber ferrule from a walking stick, then used circlip pliers to remove the inner retaining ring. The front cell then drops out into your hand. I cleaned the rear element carefully and - voilà! - a crystal clear example. It's a sound rather than stellar performer but "of the time" and enjoyable to use. Worth a scour of the London secondhand shops... in fact... Give LCE on the Strand a ring - I think I saw one there in the week! For your IIIg, why not have a look at a 75mm Voigtlander; I had one for years and it goes well with the Barnacks. Regards, Bill Thanks, Bill. LCE do indeed have one - but don't tell everyone Hello guest! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Hallo Gast! Du willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! I had not considered the Voigtlander 75mm as I already have a Summarit 75mm. The quest for a 90mm was partly for the 'extra reach'. The 9cm f4 Elmar is a lovely little lens, it's also very light. It was made to partner your camera, they are so cheap it's worth trying.Thanks. Leica WiKi unfortunately does not include the length of the 9cm Elmar - just how long is the rigid version? I was concerned it might be a touch overwhelming on the IIIg. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bill Posted November 20, 2011 Share #7 Posted November 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Should be fine - it's not big and as James says, relatively cheap. I had one for a while, I recall it fitted in a LowePro spectacle case along with my 3.5cm Elmar... Regards, Bill Keith (M) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
giordano Posted November 20, 2011 Share #8 Posted November 20, 2011 James is right, the 9cm Elmar is very well balanced on any screw-mount camera, and perfect with the IIIg because of the built-in viewfinder. Keith (M) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jc_braconi Posted November 20, 2011 Share #9 Posted November 20, 2011 If you can afford an Elmar 4/90 SM, 3 element, will be an excellent investment . kind of this in SM Objectif LEICA Elmar 90 mm f/4 (1964) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
luigi bertolotti Posted November 20, 2011 Share #10 Posted November 20, 2011 .... Thanks. Leica WiKi unfortunately does not include the length of the 9cm Elmar - just how long is the rigid version? I was concerned it might be a touch overwhelming on the IIIg. Here is IT !!! Less than 8 cm... light, thin, truly pocketable, cheap (*)...a very nice little tele... Hello guest! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Hallo Gast! Du willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! (*) the 4 elements... the 3 elements in screw mount is a rare collectible... Hello guest! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Hallo Gast! Du willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! Keith (M) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Keith (M) Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share #11 Posted November 20, 2011 Thanks, JCB. I intend to buy a LTM Elmar, at least then should I want to use it on one on my M-mount cameras, I can use an adaptor. There is a bewildering array of lenses available, dating from the 1930's with different designations (i.e.Elmar (I), Elmar (II) etc) and when I search Leica WiKi it is not all that easy to track down the serial number, date and design details. Then there are questions such as coated or uncoated, three elements or four elements etc. For the 'new kid on the block', 'tis quite confusing! Just now I saw a 1952 example (Ser No. 962xxx) that is declared free from fungus and haze, whereas (from what I have read) most from that era do tend to have suffered degradation. Decisions, decisions... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
luigi bertolotti Posted November 20, 2011 Share #12 Posted November 20, 2011 Apart the 3 elements (which is really excellent even to today' standards, but very costly in SM), the easy rule for the 4 elements is "buy a LATE model"... the item I have in my above post is my more recent in SM (1.409.xxx) and is really perfect : coating intact, focus smooth, stop ring soft and perfectly aligned. No difficult to find items in such conditions (it costed less than 200 Euro, with caps and plastic container). Keith (M) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philipus Posted November 21, 2011 Share #13 Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) I have one of these 9cm/f4 Elmars with my Leica II (size comparison in the photos in this post) and it is a very light and small lens on a Barnack. I don't know how it rates quality-wise with current or even contemporaneous lenses, but even though it isn't a very late model (1934) I'm quite happy with the results. cheerio philip Edited November 21, 2011 by philipus Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Keith (M) Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share #14 Posted November 21, 2011 Thanks, Philip What a super looking outfit you have there! philipus 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jc_braconi Posted November 21, 2011 Share #15 Posted November 21, 2011 Here you have all the Elmar, except the "Fat" one, to make your choice ... Hello guest! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Hallo Gast! Du willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! Pecole, philipus, M9reno and 5 others 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philipus Posted November 22, 2011 Share #16 Posted November 22, 2011 Thanks JC, a very helpful overview I think. The collapsible is actually quite wide. I never realised that. cheerio philip Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philipus Posted November 22, 2011 Share #17 Posted November 22, 2011 Thanks, Philip What a super looking outfit you have there! Thanks Keith Hello guest! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Hallo Gast! Du willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Keith (M) Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share #18 Posted November 22, 2011 Well, after looking at what is on offer from many dealers (and Ebay) I have just opted for a 1957 example from Leicashop Vienna. I have never dealt with them before, so will be interested to (a) see how they perform and (Hello guest! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Hallo Gast! Du willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! how the lens (described as condition B+) performs... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jc_braconi Posted November 22, 2011 Share #19 Posted November 22, 2011 Well, after looking at what is on offer from many dealers (and Ebay) I have just opted for a 1957 example from Leicashop Vienna. I have never dealt with them before, so will be interested to (a) see how they perform and (Hello guest! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Hallo Gast! Du willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! how the lens (described as condition B+) performs... I check them before you posted and I do not linked them to you cause it was stipuled cleaning marks. After that, the price is relatively low so you do not take great risks. I dealed, again recently, with Westlich and their items describtions are always accurate with no emphasis. Their shipping service, usually UPS, is absolutely correct. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philipus Posted November 22, 2011 Share #20 Posted November 22, 2011 I actually bought most of my LTM kit from Leicashop and received great service from Mr Jo Geier. Very quick delivery too (took just a few days to Holland). And the equipment was in the condition described (if not even a little bit better actually). cheers philip Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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