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If you have a 135mm lens, how often do you use it?


david.kize

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Hello Everybody,

 

Altho it is clear that an M3 was designed to be used with a 90mm lens. It also functions well with a 135mm lens without goggles.

 

The additional cropping of extraneous top, sides & front, beyond what the M3 range/viewfinder frame does for a 90mm lens, is well within the capabilities of the 135mm frame @ .91X. And the slight visual compression can sometimes be very nice.

 

Beside that: If you have a 135mm, F4, Elmar or an earlier version of the 135mm, F4, Tele-Elmar: You also have a perfectly good Macro Lens of an appropriate focal length to provide both proper perspective & adequate distance when photographing smaller objects.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Edited by Michael Geschlecht
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1. 135 was my least used focal length on rangefinders for usual framing and focusing reasons but it is one of my favorites on TTL full frame and APS cameras.

2. Mainly portrait on FF and landscape on APS. 
3. Visoflexes are too sluggish for my taste but EVFs are advisable for focusing at faster apertures than f/5.6.
(4) For travelling light i don't carry a 135 but a 90 with both compact FF and APS cameras.
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135 is my least used fl but I own three lenses (and 4 if you count zoom) in this fl. Only one is M lens though. Rest is by EVF.

 

I don’t value lenses by frequency of usage. Each fl has its own usage, and it changes over time based on preference and opportunity. For me current usage is shooting my cat. How frequently do you think I shoot my cat! :)

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(4) For travelling light i don't carry a 135 but a 90 with both compact FF and APS cameras.

 

I also used, and really liked, a 90 TE on the M8 (1.3x crop - equivalent "120mm") and for a half-year on the APS-C Epson R-D1 (1.5x crop - equivalent "135mm") - which was just more confirmation that that longer view is what suits my eye.

 

In my SLR days, I did use 180s at times (even, briefly, an unbelievably massive Zeiss Jena Olympia Sonnar converted for Nikon F mount - god, what a boat anchor - 1.38 kilos!), but even then tended to prefer a 135 for the lighter weight and smaller size, with just "enough" reach (Canon FD, Nikon F, Contax MM - used them all).

 

NB - while the 135 TE is heavy as M lenses go (510 E39/550g E46) it is still lighter than either the 75 f/1.4 or Noctilux f/1. The APO-Telyt weighs less than any 90 Summicron.

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I bought a second hand APO Telyt 135 and had hardly used it until I returned from Cherbourg to Portsmouth last week. Then it came into its own as two Cunard liners passed by; Queen Elizabeth, then Queen Mary 2, as well as a Viking cruise ship. The shot of the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth Harbour is worth the money I paid for the lens. 

If I had any idea how to attach a file that exceeds the limit then I'd post it. Sorry, just look at my Flickr site.

 

You have a lot of photos of the same kinds of subjects that I like to take photos of.  I really liked looking at your linked Flickr page.  I have about ten photos of the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, but yours is the best.

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I am considering the purchase of an APO Telyt M 135mm f/3.4 lens for use on my M10 camera.  At present, I am NOT planning to buy this lens.

 

I own three Leica lenses: the Summicron 35mm and 75mm, and the Summilux 50mm.

 

My questions are for those of you who own a 135mm lens (any type) that you mount on an M camera body:

 

1)    How often do you use this lens?

 

2)    Primarily for what purposes?

 

3)    Do you find that a Visoflex 020 (or other) EVF is highly advisable for focusing?

 

I own Nikon DSLRs (D500 and D800) with telephoto zoom lenses, which if used, would include the range afforded by the 135mm prime lens.

 

I will be taking two vacation trips this summer, and I want to travel light.  I may not even take all my Leica lenses.  But the 135mm APO Telyt is in my mind as a possibility, in lieu of taking any DSLR and zoom lens.    

 

Even if I were to bring all my Leica lenses, all but one or two of them would likely stay behind in a hotel or ship or car.  I would make do with whatever I have on my person at the time.  I would have no time to concentrate on taking pictures if I found myself doing lots of lens swapping from a carried bag or daypack.

 

Here’s my own view of the 135mm prime lens:  I am dubious on how often I would need 135, as compared to using the 75 (or even the 50) and cropping if needed.  Once one needs a longer focal length than 75 or 90, it’s most likely that a DSLR with a long telephoto zoom or prime lens is going to be needed, instead of 135mm.  I also have questions regarding my ability to focus the 135mm lens on an M10.

I would not advise anyone to buy an 135 for the M unless you have a very clear need/want for it. Disclosure - despite selling off my Apo-Telyt, i still have three  in the cupboard - and use them rarely, if at all :( . I would say that a Visoflex is mainly useful for composing on a wider canvas - focusing, with a bit of experience, is not too difficult.

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Just purchased a brand-new APO Telyt from Adorama for my M system. Love it. First extensive use coming in about three werks on first trip with it, but I use the 135 locally for architectural landscapes/abstracts and to compress scenics like I posted towards the end of this

 

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/284290-farewell-to-the-135-apo-telyt-m/page-10?do=findComment&comment=3535243

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#6 Adrian, I just checked M9 + Tele Elmar 135

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I have the f4 Tele-Elmar-M and, quite recently, the f2.8 Elmarit-R. Both incredibly cheap.

 

They both get used, but not a huge amount - I wouldn't be without at least one of them though.

 

The f2.8 for portraits or any other purpose which doesn't involve carrying it far, the f4 mainly for landscapes and if I feel I need a long lens when out and about.

 

Either usually with the Visoflex 2 on the M10, the f4 occasionally on my A7II. I very rarely use the RF for the f4.

 

A favourite shot from the time before I had a live view Leica - the Tele-Elmar on the A7II:

 

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I have an Elmar f/4 and a T-E (1st model, e39 filter).  I did have an APO-Telyt but quickly sold it on because I could only find improvement in controlled testing conditions, and even then it was slight. 

 

1. Not very often anymore.  In the film days I shot slides so cropping meant duplicating, so there was significant IQ loss.  Since the M9, now M240 I find cropping a 90mm shot to a 135 FOV quite viable, and my 90 T-E is much lighter and smaller to travel with.  That said, the 135 T-E is blisteringly sharp, with the Elmar not far behind (just lacks a bit of contrast at f/4 compared to the T-E).  Note that these old lenses are a crapshoot when it comes to calibration, especially with digital sensors.  My Elmar was luckly spot-on; the T-E required some machining to get it there. 

 

2.  Mostly for picking out details in landscapes.  135's work nicely for closeups with tubes or diopters also, they're quite flat-field.

 

3. I find the EVF convenient for framing due to the magnification and self-adjustment for field size.  However I also like the old Leitz 135mm/13.5cm BL finders because they show 100% @ infinity.  As to focusing, I find the rangefinder perfectly adequate, given that my lenses are in proper calibration.  If not then LV would be useful.

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What is the word which means “the expressing of an affirmative by the negative of its contrary“?

 

Aluminary? Coppery? Tinry? Leadry? Brassy! Yeah, brassy. That's it.

Edited by pico
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I bought my first 135 Tele-Elmar for a specific at sea assignment, and later used it for some portrait work. Found that I rarely used it though, so sold it. A few years ago I bought the APO, but it was just too contrasty for me, so rebought the Tele-Elmar, and when I got a Barnack camera, also bought an Elmar. For me a 135 is rarely used, but I do like using its head with a bellows or rings for certain macro work - usually on a DSLR rather than with the Visoflex. As far as focusing ease, IMHO it does take a little practice with any M body, but be very easy with an EVF...steady hands, fast shutter speed, or sturdy support strongly encouraged. Attached is one shot from the sea series showing its performance in a highly contrast shooting situation

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