Next Retro Lens?

[Susie]

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What could the next retro lens produced by Leica be?

 

Mmmm, I've a sneeking suspicion that it will be a revamp of the 85mm Summarex.

 

Susie

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[james.liam]

73/1.9 Hektor

Edited December 21, 2017 by james.liam

[michaelwj]

3.5/50mm Elmar

[james.liam]

35 Summicron 8 element

[adan]

90mm Tele-Elmarit-M v.2 ("Thin") - with the inside of the barrel revised with better baffling to eliminate its well-known flare problem (its only major flaw). And 6-bit coding - natch!

 

Leica's "small wonder": http://joerivanderkloet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/l1008173.jpg

[michaelwj]

90mm Tele-Elmarit-M v.2 ("Thin") - with the inside of the barrel revised with better baffling to eliminate its well-known flare problem (its only major flaw). And 6-bit coding - natch!

 

Leica's "small wonder": http://joerivanderkloet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/l1008173.jpg

I think Leica would argue that the Summarit is the "new" Tele Elmarit.

[jmahto]

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90mm Tele-Elmarit-M v.2 ("Thin") - with the inside of the barrel revised with better baffling to eliminate its well-known flare problem (its only major flaw). And 6-bit coding - natch!

 

Leica's "small wonder": http://joerivanderkloet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/l1008173.jpg

Agree...

[adan]

I think Leica would argue that the Summarit is the "new" Tele Elmarit.

 

46mm filter diameter vs. 39mm? 346g vs. 225g?

 

I think Leica would be - in error - to argue that. The Summarit 90mm does revive a "retro" optical layout - the pre-APO 90 Summicron from 1980, in a smaller package. With all of its CA and "soft sharpness" wide-open. The Tele-Elmarit v.2 is a better lens @ f/2.8-f/4 - and a whole different ballgame in size and weight and "feel."

 

They might argue that the 90 Macro-Elmar is the "new" Tele-Elmarit - 4 elements, 39mm filters, 230g. But with 1 stop less speed, and an ungodly price.

Edited December 22, 2017 by adan

[farnz]

The 85/1.5 Summarex and 73/1.9 Hektor would be very high on my list but so would a revamped 35/2.8 Summaron.

 

A new and still tiny 28/6.3 Hektor would be very interesting too ...

 

Pete.

[michaelwj]

Andy, I don't think it is an adequate replacement, but first the Tele Elmarit-M was replaced by the larger Elmarit-M, so compared to the Elmarit-M, the Summarit  makes sense as the replacement.

 

As an aside, when the Summarit range was released I assumed it was to replace the Elmarit range. I was quite surprised when the 28mm Elmarit was updated as an Elmarit, and not brought into the Summarit range. So maybe there is room for a Tele Elmarit-M replacement after all?

Edited December 22, 2017 by michaelwj

[luigi bertolotti]

What could the next retro lens produced by Leica be?

 

Mmmm, I've a sneeking suspicion that it will be a revamp of the 85mm Summarex.

 

Susie

I agree... let's not forget that it MUST be a COSTLY item... which makes uneven, imho, the revamping of lenses like Elmar 5 or Summaron 2,8... for which is hard to justify an high cost...

 

Another wild guess could be a Hologon 15mm (slightly modified at back) ... even if there are two disturbing factors :

- Wasn't a Leitz design

- has been "resurged" by others  not so many years ago , as a 16mm ... maybe the brand name Hologon is even not usable by Leica...

 

Or... even the Hektor 125 2,5... which would be along the line of "luiminous long focals"... with the disadvantage of questionable VF/RF usability... which anyway would need a REAL NEW DESIGN (cost...) for the mount... (as an EVF only lens, on the contrary, they could take the old design as is... adding an elegant- well made, but simple, "tube" of appropriate length  = Viso+OUBIO...) 

 

And finally (I like to speculate on such funny matters)... MACRO !  

1) Take the recent goggle design of the Macro Elmar 90 (or the older one - Tele Elmarit 135) and (with proper optics on goggle )mount on it a remake of ELMAR 65

2) Adjust slightly the mount.. keeping style and principle... to remake a DR SUMMICRON, fully usable on digital Ms

Edited December 22, 2017 by luigi bertolotti

[michaelwj]

Going from the last two lens releases, it should be a lens that had some special qualities that can be exploited with the current digital technology. The slow aperture of the 28/5,6 is less of an issue with high ISO sensors, and the special character of the Thambar becomes more "predictable" with live view and instant feedback.

I'm not sure of any other lenses in the back catalogue that fit the bill. The wide angles were all symmetrical and don't play nice on digital so they're out.

The 1,9/73 could be released as as a 75mm? The 85 Summarex, would it be an 85 or a 90?

 

The only known fact about it is that it will be out of my price range!

[adan]

Given the - approximateness - of the Leica framelines anyway, a 73mm using the 75 lines and an 85 using either the 75 or 90 lines (depending on assumed subject distance) would be "close enough." You want better framing, time for the EVF.

 

The - issue - with these "what next" threads is always - are we saying what we want, or guessing what Leica will actually do? (The two are not always the same). In which case, I want the 90TE, but I buy the idea that something more exotic and "worthy" of an exotic price is more likely. My guess is, the 73mm is older, and looks more retro externally, and possibly in its imaging, than the Summarex. which was more "modern" in design and performance.

 

Leica did manage to make a digital-compatable symmetrical 28. But the (Schneider) 21 Super-Angulons, like the 15 Zeiss Hologon, are not Leica designs nor Leica trademarked.

[michaelwj]

What I want is a pre-asph 35mm summilux that focuses to 0.7m and has a filter thead but is otherwise the same as the original. But I highly doubt Leica will make one.

If I had to place a bet I'd go with the 73/1.9 with a small possibility of a 50/3.5 Elmar.

Edited December 22, 2017 by michaelwj

[Utz Nagal]

I see in my crystal ball a 50mm/1.5 from the mid fifties.

[wattsy]

What I want is a pre-asph 35mm summilux that focuses to 0.7m and has a filter thead but is otherwise the same as the original. But I highly doubt Leica will make one.

It would be a desirable lens for sure but I don’t think Leica would make it because it would lack the authenticity of the original spec. For these reissues, Leica does seem happy to change the coatings and some aspects of the visual appearance (fonts, knurling, etc.) but I think they like to adhere to the original optical and mechanical design.

 

 

I see in my crystal ball a 50mm/1.5 from the mid fifties.

Yes, this is possible. Depending upon how the Thambar sells (and I doubt it will be the kind of success story that the Summaron-M has proven), Leica may decide to go with something more mainstream and the F1.5 Summarit would fit the bill. That is, assuming that they are committed to producing more “retro” lenses. Knowing Leica, they are as likely drop the “retro” idea completely as they are to reintroduce further examples.

[james.liam]

Purely from a business perspective, they cannot create a lens that's a beloved earlier version of an existing product and under-cutting the sales of the current model, like a 35 Summicron 8-element or 50 Rigid.

 

Therefore the 35 Summaron, 73 Hektor or 50 Summarit, Collapsible Elmar or Summar would be better candidates.

 

(Even the 35 Summaron might present a problem for 35 Summarit sales).

Edited December 22, 2017 by james.liam

[wattsy]

I think Leica would rather sell a 35 Summaron for, say, £3500 than a 35 Summarit for £1250 (even allowing for different margins). Any reissue that competes with an existing product is likely to command a significant premium. Besides, many of the customers buying these lenses already have the current lenses so these retro lenses provide additional rather than lost sales.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited December 22, 2017 by wattsy

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[a.noctilux]

If Leica make in M mount Anastigmat 5cm f:3,5 like my fixed lens "0" Replica, I'll buy one.

Out of curiosity, I took it out to make some photos with M10 (really for slide duplication ) but not far away photos.

MTF graphs quite promising (page 155 of Pocket Book 8th edition).

 

It's already designed and just adapt an M mount to be made in M retro-novo modern Anastigmat.

[enboe]

All good ideas, but for lens #5,000,000, I would release a screw mount + M adapter version of the Leitz Anastigmat, the lens that started it all.  I realize this was not interchangeable on the 0-types, and was re-released on the 0-type special editions more recently, again, not interchangeable.

 

Eric