Leica 90mm Elmarit-M f2.8 (Last Version)

[ThePengu1n]

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Hi

 

I just purchased a used LEICA ELMARIT-M 1:2,8/90 mm and it seems to flare quite easily. When I took some shots mid-afternoon indoors with the window to the back of the subject, contrast and flare was quite visible. Outdoors if the sun is in front but out of the frame I get similar results with or without nd (b+w) filters. Both with the hood extended.

 

Is this normal for this lens? I wondering whether I should send it in for a CLA.

 

Thanks

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[pgk]

ALL lenses can flare! It sounds as though you were using a wide aperture (ND filters) and a strongly backlit subject. If you can post example then it might help but it does sound as though you are simply forcing the lens to flare.

[ThePengu1n]

Unfortunately, I deleted all of these and won't be able to reproduce these shots until the weekend as it's long dark by the time I get home from work.

 

I appreciate that all lenses flare under certain conditions, but my question was whether what I am seeing is excessive or that I have a bad copy of the lens. With similar framing using the lux 35 fle and the big old Nikon with the 24-70 2.8 I don't see any visible loss in contrast or flare.

 

The indoor shot at around 3pm was shot wide open framing with the window as a main source of light (backlit on the subject). Metered without the window in the shot, so the subject is exposed correctly.

 

The outdoor shots were stopped down to around f5.6/f8.

 

Having read the reviews on the 90mm, it seems like it should perform better. It's a great lens and sharp as expected, but I wasn't expecting it to flare and loose contrast this easily and want to know if anyone else who owns the lens see it flare this easily.

[pgk]

..... my question was whether what I am seeing is excessive or that I have a bad copy of the lens.

Well first, I'd suggest that you examine your lens carefully with an led torch to enable you to look inside it. To have a 'bad' copy of a lens with a fault which will cause flare would mean that it should show some sort of internal reflective area or some form of disruptive problems in the light path - ie matt black paint loss or paint missing, element damage (de-lamination, coating problems or fungus) or really excessive dust might cause a flare problem. But if an examination reveals nothing significant then I'd suspect that you simply managed to shoot in conditions that caused flaring which is inherent to the lens itself. If a careful examination shows nothing untoward which is likely to create flaring, then its unlikely that you have a 'bad' copy of this lens, and the flare you experienced was simply down to the conditions you were shooting in.

[lct]

If you refer to the latest Elmarit 90/2.8 it is one of my least flare prone 90s but all lenses do flare more or less in such circumstances and if you put a filter on them it goes even worse needless to say.

[250swb]

I've never heard of a bad copy of the 90mm Elmarit M. There isn't a lot that can go wrong with it.

 

The built in hood isn't really deep enough when you start adding filters combined with oblique or frontal lighting, so try a larger screw on hood, but the basic principles of photography will still apply, all lenses can flare. If your subject has a window behind are you sure you are not confusing flare with over exposure where highlights bleed into surrounding areas? Seeing the pictures would have helped so I'm just trying to guess.

 

Steve

[rramesh]

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I have the Elmarit-M too and it is quite flare proof. With your ND filter, are you sure its not light leak through the mount? This may require you using a shield near the mount, like a small band.

[ThePengu1n]

Thanks for the suggestions. I inspected it with a flashlight as pgk suggested and everything looks clean. The inside is completely black except for a tiny speck which looks light gray halfway in. Not sure if this is normal?

 

Some of the shots I took were without any filter and they still looked washed out rather than over exposed.

[lct]

OK but take any of your lenses, shoot just on the right or the left of a strong light source, a bright window or even a PC monitor, and you'll see flare in most cases.

[pgk]

The inside is completely black except for a tiny speck which looks light gray halfway in. Not sure if this is normal?

 

Some of the shots I took were without any filter and they still looked washed out rather than over exposed.

It would take more than a 'tiny speck' to cause substantial flare issues.

 

It does sound as though you are simply pushing the lens with hard backlight conditions.

 

Without seeing some examples it isn't really possible to comment further although it doesn't sound as though your lens is a 'bad' copy from what you have posted.

[wda]

I rarely get flare with any of my lenses unless I deliberately provoke the effect. The subject 90mm is a super lens which yields impeccable results.

[jaapv]

Thanks for the suggestions. I inspected it with a flashlight as pgk suggested and everything looks clean. The inside is completely black except for a tiny speck which looks light gray halfway in. Not sure if this is normal?

 

Some of the shots I took were without any filter and they still looked washed out rather than over exposed.

As others have said, you need to post. The washed-out effect you refer to is probably veiling flare which occurs when you shine a bright lightsource straight into a lens.

I might add that my Elmarit-M is rather flare resistant. Which version are you referring to? The newer Elmarit-M or the earlier Elmarit 90?.The last is more prone to flare.

[M9reno]

I bought a copy of the (rare) screwmount version of the first 90 f/2.8 Elmarit, used an adaptor to mount it on an M9, and got flare immediately when shooting backlit subjects, though the sun was nowhere near the frame. I sent it in to Malcolm Taylor for a CLA, and it came back with the same flare issue. One aggravating factor in my case might be the M adapter, which is not black, so blackening this might help, and the issue might also arise less when mounted on Barnacks (have you checked the paint in your lens' tubus?). Doing a little reading on this lens (in books and this forum), there seems to be a consensus that it is flare-prone, much like its contemporary 50mm rigid Summicron, which I also have in screwmount, and also flares more often than optimal. These are classic lenses with their own personality and characteristics, including occasional misbehaviour when the light direction is challenging.

[jaapv]

Yes - but the Elmarit-M is wholly different from the older versions.

[250swb]

Come to think of it I've never had flare in twelve years with my Elmarit M and I'm a regular filter user, but I don't point it at light sources on a regular basis.

 

Steve

[algrove]

My 90/2.8 Elmarit-M's are very flare resistant especially when compared to my Tele-Elmarit 90/2.8's. My second favorite 90 after the APO 90/2.0.

[wlaidlaw]

I have never had flare with my 90 Elmarit-M (the final type with the built in hood). If the OP is getting flare with this lens, my guess is that the lens is dirty inside, with fogging on the air surfaces (maybe comes from a smoking home). After I got my 40 Summicron-C last summer, I liked the lens but found it quite flare and veiling glare prone. It was really unusable at much more open than f5.6 without a decent hood. Malcolm Taylor when he serviced it last month, said there was quite a bit of light fogging on the elements, which he has polished off. Its flare resistance is markedly improved.

 

Wilson

[01af]

My second favorite 90 after the Apo 90/2.

The Apo-Summicron-M 90 mm 1:2 Asph clearly is the best 90 mm lens ever. The Summarit-M 90 mm 1:2.5 is one step behind, and the Elmarit-M 90 mm 1:2.8 half a step behind the Summarit. Regarding flare—all three are not particularly flare-prone ... neither are they flare-free.

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[algrove]

The Apo-Summicron-M 90 mm 1:2 Asph clearly is the best 90 mm lens ever. The Summarit-M 90 mm 1:2.5 is one step behind, and the Elmarit-M 90 mm 1:2.8 half a step behind the Summarit. Regarding flare—all three are not particularly flare-prone ... neither are they flare-free.

 

I stand corrected as I to like my APO 90/2 the best, not second best. Weight wise on long trips I often find the 90/2.8 E-M the lens I go for. I also like it has an E46 filter size like many of my other lenses.

[01af]

Weight-wise on long trips I often find the Elmarit-M 90/2.8 the lens I go for.

Yes ... same here. Even though the Apo-Summicron-M 90mm Asph is the best in terms of pure image quality, I still prefer to carry the Summarit-M 90 mm for obvious reasons.