dant Posted March 10, 2014 Share #1 Â Posted March 10, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I was looking for a 135. Leica has a APO model that is out of my budget at $3800. Â Are there any rangefinder coupled 135 options for a lot less from Zeiss or other quality makers? Â Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 10, 2014 Posted March 10, 2014 Hi dant, Take a look here 135mm options?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
spydrxx Posted March 10, 2014 Share #2  Posted March 10, 2014 Leica has 2 much older 135 designs, considerably less expensive than the APO. The Tele-Elmar f4 was my go to one for many years...small, head removable for use with a Visoflex, and IQ almost as good as the current model. It is readily available on Ebay. There is a f2.8 version with goggles, but IMHO it is unweildy and not as good as the f4. 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/223367-135mm-options/?do=findComment&comment=2547001'>More sharing options...
wda Posted March 10, 2014 Share #3 Â Posted March 10, 2014 The Tele-Elmar should be top of your list. But, for an even better bargain, look for a clean 135mm Elmar. It is not so bitingly sharp, but has other qualities which are equally endearing, such as for portraits. The older Hektor is also an option, but the Elmar is better for not much increase in cost. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Michel Posted March 10, 2014 Share #4 Â Posted March 10, 2014 Leica has 2 much older 135 designs, considerably less expensive than the APO. The Tele-Elmar f4 was my go to one for many years...small, head removable for use with a Visoflex, and IQ almost as good as the current model. It is readily available on Ebay. There is a f2.8 version with goggles, but IMHO it is unweildy and not as good as the f4. Â I have the Elmarit 2.8 with the 'goggles' . Used to have the Tel-Elmar and wish that I had not sold it years ago; the Elmarit is fine but I agree that it is a bit unwieldy and somewhat difficult to use wide open at close distances on an M9. Jean-Michel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted March 10, 2014 Share #5 Â Posted March 10, 2014 Buy the one pictured. It is terrific lens. One day the Leica rep showed me the new one, and when the head would not remove I gave it right back. Â The 4.0 is within spitting distance of APO and works well close and far. Â Best with an M3 or put the head on a viso. or sometimes I use the 135 brightline finder which is 1:1. Â The 2.8 is not as good optically unless you get the later version. Try before you buy as the eyes acn be screwed up. It brings up 90 mm frame lines and shrinks the view. to 135. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redge Posted March 11, 2014 Share #6 Â Posted March 11, 2014 The Tele-Elmar comes in two versions. Only the first version has a removeable head. Â If you do an advanced search for 135mm in the title, you'll find some recent threads on the two versions of this lens, including some on using it as a close-up lens with the Leica Bellows II (which you can do with version I, but not version II. Â This thread has a photo of an M 240 with the head of version I in macro mode: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-type-240/317214-photo-showing-close-up-macro-components.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Printmaker Posted March 11, 2014 Share #7 Â Posted March 11, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have a 135 Elmarit and hardly use it due to it's size. Nice lens though. With a 1.35 Megapearls adjustable diopter magnifier and the goggles, the 90 mm frame lines this lens engages look slightly smaller than the framelines for the 50 and just under the 75. This really helps with composition. Â My arm could be twisted into parting with both. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr. B Posted March 13, 2014 Share #8 Â Posted March 13, 2014 I have a 135 Elmar that I like. The lens is sharp and I like the feel of it when shooting. I do not use the 135mm very often actually it is my least used lens. The lens I have was made in 1961 and is in very good condition. Whoever owned it before me took very good care of it. The glass is extremely clear and void of scratches. I could not pass on the lens when I found it as the price was $250. The hector lens is much older and not rated as well as the Elmar. The Tele-Elmar is a better lens, but it costs more. It is nice to have the available option of a 135mm lens, but you should consider how often you will actually use it. leica's latest 135mm lens costs well over $3000 the last I looked. Mr. B Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
menos I M6 Posted March 13, 2014 Share #9 Â Posted March 13, 2014 When you are on a budget please also consider vintage 135mm LTM mount (L39 screwmount) lenses from diverse manufacturers. Best known are the 135mm lenses made by Nikon and Canon in L39 mount - fully RF coupled and with a simple L39 - M adapter ring directly useable on a M mount Leica. Â These lenses have been produced in large numbers, are not as sought after and therefore can be had for very, very low cost (often around 100 EUR). Â Sometimes these lenses need a little tune up first (most issues are related to haze on lens elements, which often cleans off easily (after disassembly) and RF coupling adjustments needed to work ideally on a modern digital M (often these vintage lenses are easily shimmed between the removable optical cell and focussing mount). Â These vintage lenses do have often a respectable resolution, less correction for colour aberrations (the best choice for this would be the 135/3.4 APO-Telyt), much lower contrast wide open, but with the use of a deep lens hood and stopping down these inexpensive lenses are very, very useful. Â In terms of quality, the 135/4 Elmar (latest version pre APO) is indeed the second finest choice at a considerable lower cost than the latest APO with very little impact on quality in everyday use. I believe it does also offer a more common filter thread than the E49 of the APO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeTexas Posted March 13, 2014 Share #10  Posted March 13, 2014 I did a comparison blog a few months back of the Hektor versus the Elmarit, fastest vs slowest Leica 135mm lenses.  Fred Facker | Leica 135mm shootout: fastest vs slowest  The Elmarit is very sharp, but it will double the weight of your bag. I only carry it when I KNOW I'm going to need it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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