M240 & telephoto lenses

[ShawnK]

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I m looking to get longer reach than 75mm I already have. Any thoughts on 135mm or longer lenses?

Thank you.

[jmahto]

There is already a discussion for M10. All that will apply here as well.

 

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/276860-telephoto-for-m10/?do=findComment&comment=3362056

 

To moderators: can we have a sticky thread for telephoto options on M?

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[John Z. Goriup]

I personally have never found a Leica 135mm lens that delivers the IQ of some of their top lenses, therefore, when I had the same thought and decided to expand my M lens repertoire into longer focal lengths, I opted for the wonderful 90mm  2.8 Elmarit-M, which in my opinion is superior to any 135mm M lens Leica has ever produced, and 'fleshed out my M telephotos with the excellent 180mm Elmarit-R, which I couple with the 2x APO R-Extender when I need the reach, and mount it on my M240-P with a M-to-R adapter. I would have preferred the superb 180mm APO but couldn't locate one in the condition I was looking for, but to be perfectly honest, the non-APO R lens shown in the attached photo has proven to be perfectly satisfactory, sharp, relatively easy to focus and easy to handle...........with or without the extender - in addition, like almost all other Leica optics the 180 R lenses are built like tanks and of the highest quality, optically and mechanically. 

 

I have found this to be a very useful combination with excellent IQ, and which can still be found for reasonable money in excellent condition - remember however, that you will require the EVF for focusing.

 

I submit that the 75 or 90, 180 and 360 progression is a very practical, effective and useful array of focal lengths.

 

JZG

 

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[ShawnK]

Thank you Jayant & John, appreciate u taking time to respond. It is very helpful.

[jevidon]

Or, you can do what I did. Buy a Novoflex or equivalent R to M lens adapter and open yourself to the world of wonderful Leica R lenses available used at very reasonable prices. Another alternative ism to buy a Nikon to M lens adapter and you will find a bevy of excellent used or new Nikon lenses. Caveat. Avoid the Nikon G series and use only the ones that have manual adjustment for focus and f stop. I have a Leica Vario-Elmar R 28 to 70 mm zoom lens for lazy walk around shooting on my M240. I also have a 180mm Nikkor lens with a Nikon to TL lens adapter on my TL2. The price of either used Leica R or Nikon lenses are much less expensive than used M lenses and, depending on the lens selected, may even be better.

Both lens combinations are extremely sharp and easy to use.

Edited September 27, 2017 by jevidon

[Peter Kilmister]

If you want a really big telephoto lens you can buy a Leica APO Televid spotting scope and attach it via an extension tube and T to M adapter. Focussing is a bit of a lottery, of course. Using an EVF makes it easier but we are talking about a 600mm + lens so getting focus perfectly is really difficult and any movement or vibration is a nightmare. Use a cable release with an auto exposure setting, so it all needs to be on a tripod. 

I did manage to capture the full moon. However the moon is not at infinity so it still needs minor adjustment of focus. The bonus is that you still get bokeh with such fantastic equipment. Bokeh on the moon? Yes, the moon is bigger than you think and there is no way to stop down. The spotting scope is always wide open with no aperture adjustment possible. Good fun if you have the bits to hand!

[stephengv]

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I use an old Leitz Wetzlar 135mm Elmar. It's good enough for me for those rare occasions that I need a Tele. I also use a 85mm Zeiss Tele-Tessar. 

 

135 Elmar: 

 

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85 Tele-Tessar

 

[blueskyoveraquatic]

Here is a photo which was taken by an old 135mm Elmar-M:

L1008899 by Bluesky Overaquatic, on Flickr

[jmahto]

Here is a photo which was taken by an old 135mm Elmar-M:

L1008899 by Bluesky Overaquatic, on Flickr

Nice! Pebble beach?

 

edit: Ignore the question. Read the caption in flickr image. Very nice flickr collection.

Edited September 28, 2017 by jmahto

[epand56]

This is the quality a 135 f4 Tele-Emar can deliver hand-held. Don't know which kind of quality you could need more

 

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Enrico

[bocaburger]

The 1960 Elmar and 1965 T-E are the best bang for the buck in all Leicadom, I think.  For a few hundred, these lenses perform pretty much up to modern standard.  I even sold a 135 APO because it wasn't giving me enough ROI for its hefty price, compared to those others. 

 

That said, the critical thing with these lenses is calibration.  In their day there was a tolerance range that worked okay with film, but digital tolerances being much narrower, finding one at the sweet spot for digital is luck of the draw.  My Elmar happened to hit the lotto, my T-E did not, and although I sent it for calibration, it came back still out.  Only after I made some measurements and machined down the seating ledge of the optical head, was I able to bring it to tack sharpness with my (at the time) M9.  Of course with an M240 or M10, there's the option of focusing with the EVF.  And viewing is definitely more comfortable than the smallish 135 frame in the optical viewfinder.  In fact I used to always bring a 135mm BL finder along when I was going to use a 135 extensively. 

 

With the M240 and M10, that option of EVF also opens up the possibility of using a non-rfdr-coupled lens, which then opens the possibility wide to a huge range of lenses at bargain prices.