ianman Posted October 28, 2018 Share #21 Posted October 28, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) No prob using Chrome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 28, 2018 Posted October 28, 2018 Hi ianman, Take a look here Leica 90 Tele Elmarit?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
lct Posted October 28, 2018 Share #22 Posted October 28, 2018 33 minutes ago, _Michael said: I just looked at the serial number reference and it seems the one I am looking at was produced in 1979. "Thin" T-E # 11800. My canadian one is from 1979 as well. It had no 12575 clip-on metal hood then but a screw-in rubber hood # 11250. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/290947-leica-90-tele-elmarit/?do=findComment&comment=3621599'>More sharing options...
_Michael Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share #23 Posted October 28, 2018 Thanks for sharing that. I had read about the rubber hood. The one I am considering has the clip-on 12575, the read cap and nothing else. Shows some wear for sure but for the age and price I’d kind of expect it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted October 28, 2018 Share #24 Posted October 28, 2018 (edited) to _Michael: The overall problem with the 90 Tele-Elmarits is variability, due either to age, or even factory assembly "sloppiness". Like Forrest Gump's "box o' choklats," you never know exactly what you are going to get. I've tried many, and owned some, of each type. Some were very good, and some were just not that great. Also keep in mind that the driving design goal for both of these is that they were small enough to fit into a standard, fully-enclosed "neverready case" just like a 50 Summicon/Summilux - other factors like optical performance were secondary (although as good as possible, allowing for the size constraint). The Tele-Elmarit v.1 (Fat) 1964-1973 - I have never encountered one of these that was really sharp at f/2.8, compared to any other Leica 90. I tried one in about 1982 that was so soft that it put me right off Leica M for 20 years or so. And the corners tend to stay fuzzy or smeary right down through f/8, although most of the frame gets "adequate-to-very-good" fairly fast. In part, that is because Leica assumed a certain amount of film corner-cropping back then, either by negative carriers in the darkroom, or slide mounts, so the far corners were "expendable". I just tried yet another v.1 last week (hope springeth eternal) and got the results below at f/4 (top left corner, whole image, bottom right corner, Leica M10). Pretty dismal. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The v.1 is also a bit blue and cool in color rendering, as were many 1960s Leitz lenses. The Tele-Elmarit v.2 (thin, later versions engraved Tele-Elmarit-M) 1974-92 - In my experience, quite a bit better optically at any aperture. But has one quite large flaw - fogging and flare due to internal reflection from the inside of the lens barrel, in all copies. Plus the fairly rare "rear-element haze disease" in some early examples. The barrel flare can pop up anytime there is a strong light (sun, spotlight, window) between about 30-60° outside the image area. Keep the light behind you, or inside the picture (sometimes). Even the larger metal Leica 12575 lens hood is not able to eliminate the flare, in many cases. And the rubber shade as lct shows above is vestigial and pointless (IMO) - but part of the "fitting into a neverready case" design paradigm. But, if you keep away from the dangerous light situations, it is actually one of the sharpest Leica 90s, surpassing any Summicron until the APO. I'd even put it up against the successor Elmarit-M (built-in hood) for raw resolution (but not contrast and "snap", even avoiding the gross flare). And the Summarit (which is a recycling of the design of the old pre-APO 90 cron, minus a half-stop). However, the "variability factor" still crops up - the v.2 I tried most recently had the usual flare, and also quite smeary corners, about like the v.1 example above. And quite strong pincushion distortion and a stiff lens mount - noticably flawed compared to other v.2s I've owned over the years. That example was late 1970s, but did not yet have the large yellow 90 engraved on the lens mount. I take that yellow 90 as a sign of "late enough production to probably be a very good sample" - but test and verify! At the moment, having encountered two less-than-ideal samples, I am 90-less, and depending on a 50 and a 135 to get me through until I run across another "good" v.2 90TE. Edited October 28, 2018 by adan 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The v.1 is also a bit blue and cool in color rendering, as were many 1960s Leitz lenses. The Tele-Elmarit v.2 (thin, later versions engraved Tele-Elmarit-M) 1974-92 - In my experience, quite a bit better optically at any aperture. But has one quite large flaw - fogging and flare due to internal reflection from the inside of the lens barrel, in all copies. Plus the fairly rare "rear-element haze disease" in some early examples. The barrel flare can pop up anytime there is a strong light (sun, spotlight, window) between about 30-60° outside the image area. Keep the light behind you, or inside the picture (sometimes). Even the larger metal Leica 12575 lens hood is not able to eliminate the flare, in many cases. And the rubber shade as lct shows above is vestigial and pointless (IMO) - but part of the "fitting into a neverready case" design paradigm. But, if you keep away from the dangerous light situations, it is actually one of the sharpest Leica 90s, surpassing any Summicron until the APO. I'd even put it up against the successor Elmarit-M (built-in hood) for raw resolution (but not contrast and "snap", even avoiding the gross flare). And the Summarit (which is a recycling of the design of the old pre-APO 90 cron, minus a half-stop). However, the "variability factor" still crops up - the v.2 I tried most recently had the usual flare, and also quite smeary corners, about like the v.1 example above. And quite strong pincushion distortion and a stiff lens mount - noticably flawed compared to other v.2s I've owned over the years. That example was late 1970s, but did not yet have the large yellow 90 engraved on the lens mount. I take that yellow 90 as a sign of "late enough production to probably be a very good sample" - but test and verify! At the moment, having encountered two less-than-ideal samples, I am 90-less, and depending on a 50 and a 135 to get me through until I run across another "good" v.2 90TE. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/290947-leica-90-tele-elmarit/?do=findComment&comment=3621612'>More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted October 28, 2018 Share #25 Posted October 28, 2018 Having read all the input from various people I really have to say that the Summarit seems like a safer option even if it costs a bit more. The resale value will always be higher than the Elmarit so see it as an investment. If you go to my Flickr page I posted a couple of artistic shots using my 90mm Summarit. I am really pleased with them. The restrictions on posting large photos on this site make it impossible for me to share them with you here. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted October 28, 2018 Share #26 Posted October 28, 2018 I like much the 90/2.5 as well but it is not as small and light as the T-E. I prefer the 75/2.5 from this standpoint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Michael Posted October 29, 2018 Author Share #27 Posted October 29, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thank you all for the great input. Not fully decided, but with this copy coming from across the country I won’t have an opportunity to check it first. I’ve seen enough to cause some additional consideration. Leaning towards skipping it at this point. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianman Posted October 29, 2018 Share #28 Posted October 29, 2018 1 hour ago, Peter Kilmister said: The restrictions on posting large photos on this site make it impossible for me to share them with you here. You can copy the BBcode from the share option in flickr (no size restriction AFAIK but I use a max width of 1240px). Or just reduce the size of the image file if you want to upload to the forum. It's easy peasy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted October 29, 2018 Share #29 Posted October 29, 2018 4 hours ago, _Michael said: I’ve seen enough to cause some additional consideration. Leaning towards skipping it at this point. Always a good choice if you have doubts. However, since I gave you the worst-case "buyer beware" version, let me add this temptation, for when the time is right. This is from the same "less than perfect" v.2 I mentioned above. In "safe" lighting - (f/2.8, M10, near minimum focus, and in a composition where the corners didn't matter a damn - 100% crop and full image). It's why I keep coming back to the v.2, despite its occasional weaknesses. You'd be hard-pressed to find any Leica 90 that can do this at minimum focus and f/2.8 (the Macro probably can, at f/4). Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/290947-leica-90-tele-elmarit/?do=findComment&comment=3621705'>More sharing options...
adan Posted October 29, 2018 Share #30 Posted October 29, 2018 (edited) But for completeness, this is where the v.2 flare comes from - in this case a row of powder-room vanity light bulbs above and outside the image area reflecting off the black inside of the lens barrel.) The v.1 flares slightly less - less "empy barrel" behind the rear element. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited October 29, 2018 by adan 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/290947-leica-90-tele-elmarit/?do=findComment&comment=3621706'>More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted October 29, 2018 Share #31 Posted October 29, 2018 I have both the fat and thin versions, and at one time I also had the most recent Elmarit. The thin T-E is my travel lens, and has never let me down. I use the 35-50 vented shade on it, as it's about the same size as the rubber shade it came with (which cracked apart years ago). The 90-135 clarinet-bell shade is better but also nearly doubles the length of the lens, and fattens it about 50% in the bag. The reason I sold the e46 Elmarit is it was too close to the e55 Summicron (which I love but use only when f/2 will be needed) in size and weight, and performs equally from f/2.8 and smaller. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.noctilux Posted October 29, 2018 Share #32 Posted October 29, 2018 Size comparison 90mm Elmarit, Tele-Elmarit then Summarit-M 2.5/75mm this last one is my better choice, modern, good grip and not prone to flare 75mm can become a good 2 lens-combo along with moderate wide as 28mm or 35mm See how compact is the T.E. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/290947-leica-90-tele-elmarit/?do=findComment&comment=3622261'>More sharing options...
_Michael Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share #33 Posted October 30, 2018 3 hours ago, a.noctilux said: Size comparison 90mm Elmarit, Tele-Elmarit then Summarit-M 2.5/75mm this last one is my better choice, modern, good grip and not prone to flare 75mm can become a good 2 lens-combo along with moderate wide as 28mm or 35mm See how compact is the T.E. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Thank you for the comparison! At one point I was looking at the 75, and have begun to think that will be a good direction. How much viewfinder blockage do you get with the lens. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted October 30, 2018 Share #34 Posted October 30, 2018 I didn't have significant finder blockage with the 75 'rit, and used the f/2.5 version for 5 years or so. Optically, it is (IMHO) Leica's very best short tele of any era - and I dearly wish Leica made a 90 that is as well "sorted" optically and free of almost any flaws as the 75. It is at least as good as the 90TE sample I showed above, minus the flare problems - and with better corner performance to boot. The 90 Summarit and even the 90 APO Summicron (under 3 meters) can't match it. With luck, the next time Leica revises the 90 'cron (it's 20 years old) they'll use the 75 Summarit as the model for performance. My only mistake was upgrading to the f/2.4 for the closer 0.7m focus range. The extremely light focus touch (at least in the copy I got) and extended focus range still crammed into only a 90° throw of the ring just made it too "twitchy" to nail focus wide-open in too many cases. (The 90 TE uses 180° of focus ring movement - much easier to zero in the RF.) But I'd highly recommend the f/2.5 version, if you don't need the tightest close-up framing, and aren't definite about needing 90mm. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marchyman Posted October 30, 2018 Share #35 Posted October 30, 2018 15 hours ago, _Michael said: How much viewfinder blockage do you get with the lens. The 75mm f/2.5 with optional lens hood barely blocks the bottom right corner of the frame within the 75mm frame lines. I never noticed it as an issue. I did, however, add a 1.25 viewfinder magnifier. The 75 mm with magnifier is perfect for my eyes. I've since purchased a 75mm Summicron. Haven't made any decisions as to what I'm going to do with the Summarit. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyniev Posted October 30, 2018 Share #36 Posted October 30, 2018 90 mm Elmarit I bought from ebay $250= very light good for travel : Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/290947-leica-90-tele-elmarit/?do=findComment&comment=3622732'>More sharing options...
ktmrider2 Posted October 30, 2018 Share #37 Posted October 30, 2018 The 90f2.8 Tele Elmarit M is one half of my small and super light travel kit. The other lens is a 35f2.8 C Biogon. I think I have owned the 90 since the mid 1990's. I had it cleaned a couple years ago by Youxin Ye, not that it needed it but it was over 20 years old. It has never disappointed. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snap Happy Posted October 31, 2018 Share #38 Posted October 31, 2018 I have a 90mm Elmarit M dating c1960 in good condition. It's a wonderful lens! And inexpensive. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamboat Posted November 1, 2018 Share #39 Posted November 1, 2018 I have the thin tele-elmarit bought new in about 1975. I have made some good photographs with it. That said I've mostly used it as a travel lens when only taking the Leica. I never cared to take portraits with it. I probably didn't try hard enough. 🙂 Or I had a Nikon available which is 1000% better at that focal length. It's a great lens and was once described as being just a bit longer than a 50mm Summicron. I found it virtually useless on the M8.2 because it was even longer in effective focal length. Amusing to use but useless. On the M-P typ 240 it's good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblutter Posted November 2, 2018 Share #40 Posted November 2, 2018 +1 for the thin one - tho I don't use it that often. I've had others & that's the one I'm sticking with For portraits I prefer the Voight 75 2.5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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