Elmarit-R 180/2.8 v1 vs v2

[Guest]

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Art and job are two different things. Many people shoots only for memory picture or thinks that photography is only sharpness, see only the line for mm.......

Edited March 2, 2020 by Guest

[Guest]

Many marriage photographers and theirs customers don't worry if behind them, when the photographer shoot, there is a camion, a tower crain, or another disorder element and the customers are happy so.

[adan]

Different strokes for different folks.

As Bill Pierce, the TIME magazine photojournalist, photo columnist, and Leica user and author, once wrote:

"Never confuse "sharp" with "good" - or you may end up shaving with an ice-cream cone, and licking razor blades."

Quote

i was only working as a professional for upi and austrias largest newspaper for 30 years. nobody asked me about bokeh in all this time.

This reminds me of the character in Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (Moliere): "My faith! For forty years I have been speaking prose without knowing it!"

[Ornello]

I have owned four of these lenses:

180mm Apo-Telyt (lens designed for the Navy, 1974)

180mm Elmar (1977)

180mm Elmarit-R I (1967)

180mm Elmarit-R II (1980)

There is no question that the two best lenses from this group are:

180mm Elmar (1977)

180mm Elmarit-R II (1980)

[Giacomo Sardi]

I have v1 and v2... i made some test with the elmarit 180 V1 ... i love the v1 images look, more than the v2 .... v2 is sharper ok but v1 has a wonderful bokeh, and the dark zone have less contrast ... you can see lot of picture here https://matteottistudio.com/2020/03/26/leica-elmarit-r-180mm-f2-8-prima-versione/

[otto.f]

What is meant by with v2: the APO Elmarit 180? For me it is unsurpassed in bokeh by any tele lens in that range around 180mm

Edited April 2, 2020 by otto.f

[masjah]

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39 minutes ago, otto.f said:

What is meant by with v2: the APO Elmarit 180? For me it is unsurpassed in bokeh by any tele lens in that range around 180mm

Presumably v2 is the late modification which moved the innermost element further into the lens, to enable ue of the 1.4x extender.

[Ornello]

On 4/2/2020 at 5:19 AM, Giacomo Sardi said:

I have v1 and v2... i made some test with the elmarit 180 V1 ... i love the v1 images look, more than the v2 .... v2 is sharper ok but v1 has a wonderful bokeh, and the dark zone have less contrast ... you can see lot of picture here https://matteottistudio.com/2020/03/26/leica-elmarit-r-180mm-f2-8-prima-versione/

The second version (1980) has higher contrast and sharpness, weighs much less, and just out-performs the first version in every way. It may vignette just a bit more wide open, but so what? there is no reason to buy the first version at all.

[masjah]

7 hours ago, Ornello said:

The second version (1980) has higher contrast and sharpness, weighs much less, and just out-performs the first version in every way. It may vignette just a bit more wide open, but so what? there is no reason to buy the first version at all.

Sorry, just to be clear, I was responding to otto.f's query above, relating to two versions of the APO Elmarit 180.

[robert_parker]

At risk of taking the discussion down a different route, I owned the last version of the 180 2,8 Apo and found it to be a stunning performer and whilst the OOF effects featured less specular highlights, the smooth transition and orderly out of focus effect was for me, excellent.

[cirke]

Elmarit 2.8 version 2  is it the model 11923 ?

and what do you think to use it on leica SL2

thanks

Edited March 9, 2021 by cirke

[Deccan]

On 3/2/2020 at 1:55 AM, Guest said:

I will buy an Elmarit-R 180/2.8 v1: there is a sample like new at a shop in my locality.

Used that lens on my SL2 for stage, club and rock concert photography spanning several years. Don't know what they are talking about a halo around blue lights. There could be spot lights pointing directly into the lens and it rendered as a white disc with a razor sharp edge to total jet black surrounding it. Absolutely no lens flare at all if the lens was wide open at f/2.8. Uncanny control of internal reflection. True, it was a really big way heavy piece of glass but that actually helped at those kind of shutter speeds needed with the relatively slow transparency films of the period. (Kodak High Speed Ektachrome 160 pushed to 320). The lens was extra sharp but never harsh. f/2.8 is a WAY BEYOND USABLE real working aperture. The price paid for all that bulk and weight bought you ease of focusing in low lighting conditions especially when used with the brighter focusing screen of the SL2. The built in spot meter combined with the nearly vibration free mirror was a godsend. I ALWAYS used the lens wide open unless I was outdoors in daylight. Filters were huge and expensive. The tail wagged the dog. I mounted the tripod on the lens and the camera body helped balance the weight of the big front elements. In my experience, ALL Leitz lenses, from the 1970's onward, outperform ALL non Leica lenses including modern lenses. Some Alpa, Schneider, Rodenstock and Zeiss come close but can't match the color definition and consistency of Leitz.

As for the fellow saying that the 180/3.4 Apo-Telyt-R wasn't as sharp as modern lenses, one should note that that lens wasn't intended for civilian consumption. After the US Government reniged (reduced considerably) on a huge order of these lenses, Leica was stuck with a big supply of these SUPER Apochromat lenses that were illegal to sell to the public. Leica asked the government to allow the Apo- Telyt-R to be sold to the public. They needed to recover the lost revenue, even though the resolution was "illegal" citing that the lens was only theoretically a security risk because the highest resolution films the public could buy was Kodachrome 25 and Agfapan 25. Uncharacteristically, the government used common sense and relented, likely saving a relatively small company from financial disaster. The focus is consistent, from near infrared through visible light all the way to ultraviolet. No focusing index mark is needed on the lens, at any aperture, for infrared film.

This is arguably the best lens, ever offered to the public, of all time. I'm unable to understand the baseless perceptions, of which people cling tightly, as of late. I feel that the young, passionate and talented, just starting their journey, need information free of esoteric subjectivism. I hope you unreservedly enjoy your v1 180/2.8 Elmarit R! Congratulations, it will serve you well for years.