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Leica R APO Telyt 180/3.4 vs. Leica R 80-200 F4


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I just sold my 3.4 APO, which I have owned, on and off, for decades. A very good lens, but with the arrival of a 80-200 it had to go.

 

So I assume you're telling me that the 4.0/80-200 is the better lens - both optically and the convenience of the zoom?

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So why sell the APO-Telyt?

 

Hi Mark,

 

Well, I have both the Leica R APO Telyt 180/3.4 and Leica R 80-200 F4.

I got the APO 180/3.4 first. Later I learned about the Vario 80-200/4 and bought that too.

 

The Vario 80-200/4 is the largest Leica lens I can shoot handheld and focus well on a Sony A7R or NEX camera, or for that matter on an Olympus E-M5 or E-M1. It's the lens I use typically for shorter distances and when zooming is beneficial.

 

As I understand it from reading the forum the APO 180/3.4 seems optimized for long distances as it was developed by Leica at the request of a branch of the US Armed Forces. It also is a bit lighter and smaller than the Vario 80-200/4. So, I prefer to use the APO 180/3.4 mostly set to infinity for far away subjects, like extremely high flying migrating cranes or distant landscapes.

 

So, I will keep both.

 

Here is a shot http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/260742-smoke-sunset-migrating-cranes.html taken with APO 180/3.4.

344362d1351745920-smoke-sunset-migrating-cranes-_dsc3265_960x540.jpg

 

The shot even captured the 3 Sunspots visible at that time. Of course, now the current Sunspots look very different.

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

Here is one http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/272145-house-finch-color-matched.html shot with the Vario 80-200/4.

360837d1360765491-house-finch-color-matched-_dsc5626_960x960.jpg

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Here http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/2776653-post33.html is a nice quote from Andy Piper, alias adan:

 

"R lenses: only one I sold and bought back (several times) is the 180 f/3.4 APO. SO hi-res and SO free of CA that it can handle teleconverters and still equal most longer primes. So it is also my "250 f/4.5," my "360 f/6.8" and my "500 f/9."

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Thanks Jaap - that would suit me, but how about the second part of my question regarding comparing the optical quality of the to lenses at similar apertures? I see that the 3.4/180 was designed in the 1970's, way before the 80-200 and the 2.8/180 but is there that much difference in IQ?

 

Erwin Puts has a white paper on R telephotos that may help some:

 

http://leica-camera.pl/wp-content/downloads/Puts_Column_180-280_mm_Leica_R_Lenses_en.pdf

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Does the 220 gm difference in weight make that much difference to hand-holdability?

Though I wouldn't have thought that the 1/2 stop increase in speed would make any significance with respect to faster shutter speeds to offset the weight. Also, we can now get away with higher ISO of good quality than film or early digital days.

 

Also, I would then have a much lighter wallet if I bought the 2.8, so overall I would be carrying much less weight around :D

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Does the 220 gm difference in weight make that much difference to hand-holdability?

Though I wouldn't have thought that the 1/2 stop increase in speed would make any significance with respect to faster shutter speeds to offset the weight. Also, we can now get away with higher ISO of good quality than film or early digital days.

 

Also, I would then have a much lighter wallet if I bought the 2.8, so overall I would be carrying much less weight around :D

 

Not just the weight difference but also the weight distribution. On the 3.4 it is weighted closer to the mount.

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Not just the weight difference but also the weight distribution. On the 3.4 it is weighted closer to the mount.

 

Thanks Jaap. That makes a lot of sense.

K-H and Adan's comments about the APO-Telyt are also reassuring.

I'll start hunting around for a good a late production 3.4/180 APO-Telyt.

Anyone out there selling one?

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Anyone out there selling one?

 

Never !

The 180/3.4 is the best quality/compactness tele around.

An integral part of my M kit (you can even carry it in your pocket).

 

There's just one huge problem with this lens though: once you get into apochromatic lenses, there ain't no coming back.

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I owned the Minolta-made 70-210/4 lens and got swept up in the Koolaid and bought the Kyocera-made 80-200/4 expecting it would be vastly superior. It wasn't. It was longer, heavier and a 2-touch, making it harder to hold steady and shoot quickly hand-held. Sold it. When I got my M240 the first and probably only R lens I repurchased was the 70-210. For $200. It's really the bargain of the century in R lenses these days.

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Thanks Jaap. That makes a lot of sense.

K-H and Adan's comments about the APO-Telyt are also reassuring.

I'll start hunting around for a good a late production 3.4/180 APO-Telyt.

Anyone out there selling one?

 

Keep a look out. They come up from time to time when some poor misguided soul like Jaap makes a rare mistake.

 

(It won't be me though. It's irreplaceable.)

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