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Elcan f/2 66mm .........10

Theodor Heinrichsohn
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Theodor Heinrichsohn

Theodor Heinrichsohn

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I am using the above lens (yellow distance markings in yellow) on my M240 with manual settings for the 50 Summicron II and

obtain rather useful results.

 

Does any other forum member have experience using this lens for general photography. or has even tested it more than with

"normal" photography?

 

This seems to be a really rare lens and I have not been able to find any other photographer who has practical experience with

this lens. 

 

I have made some simple photos using it and the f0.95/50, both at f 5.6 and the 66mm comes out somewhat ahead. However, I

confess that these were hand held snapshots where both focusing and shake could have made a difference. Before I get into more

serious comparisons (tripod, soft release, various f stops) I would appreciate expertise from a forum member.

 

Thanks,

Teddy

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Theodor Heinrichsohn

Theodor Heinrichsohn

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Hello Teddy,

 

Your question is somewhat unclear: Is this lens rangefinder coupled?

 

Generally speaking: The results from comparative tests of this type done without a tripod can sometimes be unreliable.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

 

 

 

Yes, rangefinder coupled. I realize that my tests were only perfunctory ( no tripod, no cable release ) and before attempting a serious test routine wondered, whether other

forum members had practical experience with this lens.

 

My simple test was a comparison of the f/2 66mm with the f/0.95 50mm same subject - tree with no leaves, about 15 m distant - pictures at f/5.6, both rangefinder focussed 

and hand held. I had expected the f 0.95 to result in sharper pictures, but the opposite was the case. 

In my first post I did state that the test was surely affected by the lack of tripod etc.

 

I will wait a bit to see, whether any forum members reply and if not, I will have to undertake a more serious and reliable test. 

 

Greetings,

Teddy

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jankap

jankap

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You should have a look at the blog of Thorsten Overgaard: The Leica Lens Compendium.

 

The Nocti is more expensive, but that is because of the f/0.95. That has (almost) nothing to do with sharpness. The Leica Pocketbook of Erwin Puts is a good  source.

Your lens is expensive too, because it is rare.

 

Your lens is developed to serve the military, I read. The military parades in Moscow seen by the invited western officials standing near Chrutschov(?), for instance.

A similar lens is the APO Telyt 180mm. This one is much less rare, but also very good.

Jan

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Theodor Heinrichsohn

Theodor Heinrichsohn

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A someway funny article about... http://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/12/the-leica-elcan-66mm/

 

"...Many were destroyed during numerous conflicts..." :p  (I doubt any 66 was really used in battlefields...)

 

 

Thanks. I had seen the article and noted that the author had tested the lens briefly, however, no detailed information.

It means that I will have to try for myself to test it under various circumstances. I have made some more pictures (all hand held)

in the meantime and believe that the quality is really good. I will test it against a Summilux 50 asph at 5.6 when I get the time and

wonder what the results will be.

Teddy

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Theodor Heinrichsohn

Theodor Heinrichsohn

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Hello Teddy,

 

You might try it on a tripod at all apertures.

 

This lens was developed at a time when Leitz was experimenting with the idea of best correction at or near maximum aperture.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I will do tests as you suggested with a Really Right Stuff tripod and compare the 66mm with the Summilux f1.4/50 as well as the rigid Summicron f2/50. This will have to wait a bit, as I am making preparations for a trip to Shanghai. I don't think I will take the M240 or the SL and instead use a small Fuji. Not only because of the

involved risk, but because I will not have much time for serious photography.

The simple hand held tests I have made on the SL using Tim Jackson"s focus test chart show a much above average quality as far as sharpness is concerned. I am more interested in the behaviour in colour and the gradations from unsharp to sharp to unsharp.

Best regards,

Teddy

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derleicaman

derleicaman

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This lens was designed and produced by E Leitz Canada (ELCAN) for the US military. This was a Mandler design. It was made for extremely high resolution, and was issued with the KE-7A camera, the military version of the M4. One design goal was that it was to look like and average Leica M lens. I have heard it was intended for use by US military observers at the May Day parade and various other expositions by the Soviet military, where the high resolution images could be later evaluated by the Pentagon.

 

Rare as hens teeth. I've been on the look out for one for 30 years with no success. Good luck with it!

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  • 9 months later...
Roger C

Roger C

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Teddy,

I recently purchased an M9 and was looking for some information and did a search on the 66mm Elcan on this forum for fun.  I think I may have posted in one of the forum links mentioned above as I was briefly in possession of an M4 with a 66mm Elcan back in the late 1970's.  

 

I purchased the camera from a work associate and had problems with it focusing and scratching the film.  The M4 had no military markings and I took it to a couple Leica dealers in the Washington, DC area who gave it some really odd looks.  One almost wouldn't let me leave the store without trying to convince me to  trade it in for a brand new M4 and summicron 50.  I knew something was up as I had read in a Leica collector book in the store that alluded to their being a rare military camera without military markings.

 

  I wrote a letter to Leitz in New Jersey describing the issues I had with camera and then was visited by the FBI a couple days latter.  Not a pleasant experience.  The camera supposedly was issued to an Navy intelligence officer and then stolen.   They seized the camera from me and continued to question me weekly for about two months.   My guess is that the camera was set-up to focus for Infrared and for very thin film, hence the film scratching problems.  I didn't have any other lenses so I wasn't able to nail down whether it was the camera or the lens that was calibrated for infrared. My guess is was the M4.

 

I do remember the in-focus portions of my pictures being extremely sharp.  Unfortunately, it took me almost 40 years to come up with the money to purchase my next Leica.

 

Roger

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luigi bertolotti

luigi bertolotti

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Roger, that's a GREAT story !! Under FBI investigation just for having a used M4 !!! And they took away the camera... smart guys... (expecially if they didn't leave to you some formal paper about....) ; try to imagine what could have happened if, just to have a wideangle, you had mounted on it a Russar 20mm with cyrillic engraving... :) maybe they could have seized camera, lens... and YOU too !

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  • 7 years later...

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