Magnum Image Posted June 5, 2012 Share #21 Â Posted June 5, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Ahh I see see what happened. JAAPV can you move over my replies from the previous thread? Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 Hi Magnum Image, Take a look here The Elmar feel (Split thread). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Magnum Image Posted June 5, 2012 Share #22 Â Posted June 5, 2012 As a stated earlier it is my favorite lens. I shoot upwards a lot to incorporate big skies and there is no better lens in terms of color and smooth gradation then this gem, the blues are so deep and saturated. It also is the sharpest lens I own or have used and when shooting portraits I reach for it first. Â I'm guessing it was a causality of the 50 Summarit which is a shame. I've heard good things about the former but it's hard to imagine its bests the Elmar-M. I sold my Summicron v3 to buy the Elmar and while I regret not holding on to that lens I doubt I would use it much. Â So there's my vote, I feel like I'm talking about my girlfriend I'm gushing so much! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share #23 Â Posted June 5, 2012 Done I agree about your assessment of its optical qualities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted June 5, 2012 Share #24  Posted June 5, 2012 ... and most importantly aperture moved to the optical centre. The apertures always are at the optical centre. The old Elmar 50 mm 1:3.5 and 1:2.8 lenses had their centres between first and second element; the Elmar-M 50 mm 1:2.8 has it between second and third element. So that's where their apertures are installed, respectively.   No—it is a different lens. It does not even look like it. The 1994 version (on the right in lct's picture) and the 1996 version (yours) basically are the same lens. Only the designs of the focusing ring and the aperture ring have been changed and the focusing tab removed in the later version.   Certainly totally different from my 1960s and 1980s Elmars. Elmar 50 mm lenses from the '80s don't exist. The old Elmar (with the aperture between 1st and 2nd element) was discontinued in 1974, and the new Elmar-M (with the aperture between 2nd and 3rd element, i. e. Tessar design) was introduced in 1994 (as the standard lens for the M6J) and 1996 (as a regular catalog item, with redesigned focusing and aperture rings). Between 1974 and 1994, no Elmar or Elmar-M 50 mm lenses were made.  If your 2007 Elmar-M feels sloppy then I guess you should send it in for an overhaul. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share #25 Â Posted June 5, 2012 Â Â The 1994 version (on the right in lct's picture) and the 1996 version (yours) basically are the same lens. Only the designs of the focusing ring and the aperture ring have been changed and the focusing tab removed in the later version. Â And that is exactly the part I was complaining about - and it is like that from new. Â Â Elmar 50 mm lenses from the '80s don't exist. The old Elmar (with the aperture between 1st and 2nd element) was discontinued in 1974' date=' and the new Elmar-M (with the aperture between 2nd and 3rd element, i. e. Tessar design) was introduced in 1994 (as the standard lens for the M6J) and 1996 (as a regular catalog item, with redesigned focusing and aperture rings). Between 1974 and 1994, no Elmar or Elmar-M 50 mm lenses were made. Â [/quote'] Sorry, typo, I hit the 8 instead of the They are from 1963 and 1972 resp. The newer one is going to be traded in btw, it has some haze. Six different fifties is too many anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 5, 2012 Share #26  Posted June 5, 2012 ...These are the lenses I am comparing...[ATTACH]318897[/ATTACH] Your poor Elmar looks somewhat miserable indeed. Reaction to lack of affection perhaps? Mine (pic) feels in great shape thank you. Seriously, is it me or is your barrel coated with matte instead of brilliant chrome? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/181064-the-elmar-feel-split-thread/?do=findComment&comment=2032032'>More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share #27 Â Posted June 5, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Yes - the barrel is matte. I should indeed give it a clean. But it is a working lens Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongrelnomad Posted June 5, 2012 Share #28 Â Posted June 5, 2012 I have this lense (bought new just post-discontinuation from Leica Store Ginza) and though it is not one of my objective favourites, it is one of the lenses I use the most. Â Why do I love it? It has a great, old-skool Leica look. It's not the sharpest, or the most contrasty, but it does give great results. It's also tiny. For those who haven't seen it, it's always a surprise how little mass it adds to an MP or an M9 when collapsed. Â Why do I hate it? Well, there are some very serious design problems. The first is the location of the filter fitment on the hood. This has an irritating tendency to lock and, as the lense rotates freely around the barrel, once you've chosen your filter, it's almost impossible to remove. Secondly, the way the lense locks into place once extended is loose and inconsistent, so much so that after one false move, it's likely you'll never get the f-stop dot to line up ever again. Note: though this is irritating, it does not serve as a functional problem: once extended, the position of the markings is irrelevant. Â I'd love to see more collapsible lenses from Leica. Just, please, make them a bit less ideosyncratic in their functional design... Â Â Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 5, 2012 Share #29  Posted June 5, 2012 Yes - the barrel is matte. I should indeed give it a clean. But it is a working lens So is your early Elmar i guess. Not a reason to be matte at all. I knew of black matte lenses but not of silver ones so far. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/181064-the-elmar-feel-split-thread/?do=findComment&comment=2032091'>More sharing options...
mongrelnomad Posted June 5, 2012 Share #30 Â Posted June 5, 2012 (Mine's a black lense with a shiny barrel btw.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 5, 2012 Share #31 Â Posted June 5, 2012 ... the way the lense locks into place once extended is loose and inconsistent... It should not. May happen if your barrel is greasy or if you've spilled some fluids like WD40 on it. Did it once on an old sample with a blocked focus ring. Worked fine to release the ring but the barrel did not lock into place any more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share #32 Â Posted June 5, 2012 It does not really lock, it stays in place on mine through (minimal) friction. If the aperture ring were just slightly more tight it would twist the barrel. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnum Image Posted June 5, 2012 Share #33  Posted June 5, 2012 A portrait I have taken with the Elmar. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/181064-the-elmar-feel-split-thread/?do=findComment&comment=2032296'>More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share #34 Â Posted June 6, 2012 Nobody is doubting the optical quality of the lens, no need to prove it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnum Image Posted June 6, 2012 Share #35 Â Posted June 6, 2012 Ummm I saw someone above post some photos they took with the lens so I thought it would be nice if we displayed a favorite photo we captured using the Elmar. These are in fact used to take pictures and I don't see why this is any different then posting a picture of the actual lens. Â As a side note it's comments like these that made me grow tired of this website and stop visiting for 5 months. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mawe3000 Posted June 22, 2012 Share #36 Â Posted June 22, 2012 I have just bought (don't have it yet) the 1994 M6J Version of the Elmar. Can this one be collapsed on an M8 without any danger of damage? As far as I know, the post-1996 version can be, whereas the earlier version might not be. The design of the 1994 lens seems to be somewhere between the two. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_tribble Posted June 22, 2012 Share #37 Â Posted June 22, 2012 If you want a sloppy-feeling lens you should try the Elmar-M 2.8/50 collapsible. Â Jaap - give it to Malcolm Taylor - he does a great CLA and uses a different spec grease from Leica which makes the lens feel a great deal better. I had mine checked by him when I bought it (I also didn't like the feel of it) and it's transformed. My version is black with the chrome barrel. Works a treat! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 22, 2012 Share #38 Â Posted June 22, 2012 I have just bought (don't have it yet) the 1994 M6J Version of the Elmar. Can this one be collapsed on an M8 without any danger of damage? As far as I know, the post-1996 version can be, whereas the earlier version might not be... No problem with either version on my M8.2. Better keep the lens extended when you mount and unmount it though as the bottom of the barrel might hit the roller cam or the black innards of the camera otherwise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted June 23, 2012 Share #39 Â Posted June 23, 2012 It does not really lock, it stays in place on mine through (minimal) friction. If the aperture ring were just slightly more tight it would twist the barrel. Â That can be adjusted. You can even do it yourself if you know how. I have two Elmar-M 50 lenses, one black, one silver chrome, and both are mechanically and optically impeccable. Btw, the black one has a shiny chrome barrel, while the silver chrome one (serial no 397xxxx, so it's a very late one) has a silver matte barrel. Â Cheers, Â Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym911 Posted June 23, 2012 Share #40 Â Posted June 23, 2012 i have the black version and its mechanical quality is as good as any other leica lens...perhaps the smoothest and snappiest I own....no complaints at all on build or image quality. Â andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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