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Elmar sweet spot


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Hello I am just waiting for my 1A camera to be returned after a CLA of both the camera and lens.

 

I am very pleased because Youxin Ye tells me that he has managed to get the lens off to clean properly whereas the person I used before said he couldn't. Hopefully it will make a difference to the quality of the photographs.

 

Is there a sweet spot for the Elmar lens... 9.3 perhaps? Richard

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Hello Richard,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

With many Tessar designs, often, but not always, called Elmar with Leitz/Leica lenses, the best apertures will often be 5.6, 8 & 11.

 

You will also probably see that the best quality portion of the image will be within a circle in the center of the image that is around 1/3 of the diameter of the long side of the film frame.

 

The rest of the negative should also be OK. Altho as you move away from this circle 1/3 of the diameter of the long side of the film frame the less like the central 1/3 of the film frame the rest of the image may be.

 

This is 1 of the reasons that "Double Gauss" lenses were developed. More evenness over the entire film area & the ability to do so at a larger aperture. Altho Double Gauss lenses are sometimes not quite as sharp in the very center as the equivalent Tessar/Elmar design might be.

 

A lens speed of F3.5, or thereabouts, has been the more or less "brick wall" for high quality images with a Tessar/Elmar lens.

 

Enjoy your new camera & lens.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Edited by Michael Geschlecht
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Hello Michael. The lens has the old f-stop numbers. I have had the camera awhile but I've just had it clad and it is on its way back from America. I love that "clunk" sound!

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For LTM cameras I generally leave the f stop at around either f8 or f11 and then change the shutter speed ( 1/60, 1/100 and 1/200) to adjust exposure). For an early Elmar, f 9 at 1/100 or 1/200 is as near as you can get to f 8 at 1/125 or 1/250. Given the exposure latitude of film, this is just fine. An Elmar at f9 will give as good image quality as you can expect to get from an 85 to 90 year old camera. I have lots of separate rangefinders, but I rarely use them. I usually rely on 'zone focus,' which I learnt to do with a little Rollei 35 many years ago.

 

It is important that whoever does the CLA ensures that the lens is properly matched after cleaning. This is done via the little hole in the back of the body. The CLA person would put little 'shims' in the front to ensure that the lens will focus onto the film plane. 

 

Enjoy using your I Model A. They are lovely cameras that will fit in a decent sized pocket.

 

William

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Hi. Youxin Ye has serviced. I hear good things about him. Fingers crossed.

 

Yes, I use zone focus. Learn what six feet feels like, for instance and then at 9 I know I have approx a foot each side to play with. I bought an old book of depth of field tables for Leica lenses.

 

It is virtually point and shoot!

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Hello Michael. The lens has the old f-stop numbers. I have had the camera awhile but I've just had it clad and it is on its way back from America. I love that "clunk" sound!

 

Hello Richard,

 

The 1/3 stop divisions between 8 & 11 are easy: 8 - 9- 10 - 11

 

Not tricky like: 3.5 - 4 - 4.5 - 5 - 5.6 

 

Or like: 5.6 - 6.3 - 7 - 8 

 

Or like: 11 - 12.5 - 14 - 16 - 18

 

Do you see patterns here?

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

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I really like having the old f stops. the old light meter can cope and just got a new one and its straightforward  too. 

 

The 1A is a super little camera and I just don't grow tired of my joy at it being 88 years old. Richard

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With negative film latitude the f stop differences aren't an issue. Either set to the nearest number or just put the pointer in between numbers if you're going to be anal about it! 

 

I compared an older Elmar against a Red Scale and found the older one a tad softer and less contrasty wide open, but equal at 5.6 or equivalent. I'd guess that 5.6/8 is the sweet spot but I wouldn't hesitate to use it at any aperture. 

 

Please share a photo of your 'new' 1A when it's back and some results when you shoot a roll with the serviced lens. 

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I always feel that Leica tended to aim for optimum performance in the mid f numbers and not like large format lenses, where people use f22/32/45/64 for ultimate resolution. I have just been looking at the manufacturers data for optimum resolution for lenses used for reprographics/film scanning. All the Leica lenses mentioned (Elmar, Summicron and Focotar) have f5.6-6.3 given as their apertures of maximum resolution. 

 

Wilson

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