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Your Mandler MVP's (Most Valuable Players)


grahamc

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2 hours ago, lct said:

Most valuable i don't know but my favorite Mandler lenses would be as follows. 
BTW the Summilux 50/1.4 v3 is too late to be a Mandler design and its optics are not identical to v2 but very close. Not listed below because only one lens is allowed per focal length and i use more 50/2 v4 and v5 besides the Karbe's 50/1.4 asph.
• Elmarit 21/2.8: No experience but it is the only Mandler 21
• Elmarit 28/2.8 v3: No experience but it is the only Mandler 28
• Summicron 35/2 v4: German version preferably for its lack of plastic parts
• Summicron 50/2 v4 or v5: v4 for compactness, v5 for built-in hood
• Summilux 75/1.4: Big lens i don't use much but it is the only Mandler 75
• Summicron 90/2 v2: My favorite M 90 but big lens
• Tele-Elmar 135/4 v2: No experience but excellent reputation

Very nice !  Thanks for this contribution .  The 50:2 v4 is lovely isn't it - I got it recently (thinking for some unknown reason it would be too 'modern' for me), and I love it . Great pairing also with the 35:2v4 for travel which I think I will do  

I realised afterwards that the 'valuable' was a poor choice of words in the Leica context, as I'd meant it in the favourites sense...  

Cheers lct :D

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Eight years after 'discovering' Leica, and trying quite a lot of different lenses, my lens arsenal seems to have settled down into being nearly all Mandler-designed; I much prefer them to more modern, ultra-crisp and contrasty approach. The one exception is the non-Mandler Rigid 50, my everyday 50 - but even that gets less use now than the 35/1.4.

28 - no experience of Mandler's Elmarit v.III but I assume the marvellous v.IV is a development of it - one of my favourites

35 - Summilux v.II - the lens most likely to be on my camera

50 - Noctilux F1 - exquisite colour, and if any lens deserves to be called 'magical' this is it.

75 - Summilux - lots of magic about this too - but I now have the R 80mm version of it and marginally prefer it. And I have had £2000 more in the bank. 😁

90 - Summicron - a beast, but a bargain too - lovely results.

135 Tele-Elmar - another bargain - it's helped me take some lovely portraits.

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3 minutes ago, Musotographer said:

Eight years after 'discovering' Leica, and trying quite a lot of different lenses, my lens arsenal seems to have settled down into being nearly all Mandler-designed; I much prefer them to more modern, ultra-crisp and contrasty approach. The one exception is the non-Mandler Rigid 50, my everyday 50 - but even that gets less use now than the 35/1.4.

 

Thanks for contributing .... the 35 :1.4 is getting a lot of love in the 35 category.  Cheers for all of this, lovely choices (although most I don't know - I've only read about :D

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14 hours ago, lct said:

Most valuable i don't know but my favorite Mandler lenses would be as follows. 
BTW the Summilux 50/1.4 v3 is too late to be a Mandler design and its optics are not identical to v2 but very close. Not listed below because only one lens is allowed per focal length and i use more 50/2 v4 and v5 besides the Karbe's 50/1.4 asph.
• Elmarit 21/2.8: No experience but it is the only Mandler 21
• Elmarit 28/2.8 v3: No experience but it is the only Mandler 28
• Summicron 35/2 v4: German version preferably for its lack of plastic parts
• Summicron 50/2 v4 or v5: v4 for compactness, v5 for built-in hood
• Summilux 75/1.4: Big lens i don't use much but it is the only Mandler 75
• Summicron 90/2 v2: My favorite M 90 but big lens
• Tele-Elmar 135/4 v2: No experience but excellent reputation

According to leica wiki and italian historian marco cavina the 28mm elmarit version 2 is a mandler design.

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my small line up of mandler lenes.

28mm elmarit version 2

50mm summicrom version 5

90mm tele-elmarit thin 

I have recently bought a 28mm elmarit version 4 for my landscape stuff but have found that it fits in well with my mandler 50mm version 5 for people pictures so i am using that combination often.

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1 minute ago, steve 1959 said:

You said "28mm elmarit V3 no experience but is the only mandler 28 " 

Maybe i have misread your post?

I've corrected my post above sorry. Just to elaborate, the listing below has been approved by W. Mandler apparently and does not mention the Elmarit 28/2.8 v2. Only v3. 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

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11 minutes ago, lct said:

I've corrected my post above sorry. Just to elaborate, the listing below has been approved by W. Mandler apparently and does not mention the Elmarit 28/2.8 v2. Only v3. 

Thanks,

I have noticed that list before but then stumbled into a detailed review by marco cavina and its also listed on leica wiki as a mandler lens.

Maybe walter was ashamed of the poor corner performance of the V2 so forgot to mention it😃

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Erwin Puts and Dennis Laney also credit the 28mm Elmarit v.2 to Dr. Mandler's team in Midand, Canada. It was certainly only produced at ELCAN/Midland.

I'm afraid I don't find that list especially probative on its own - hearsay quoting hearsay of the recollections of a retiree in his 70s more than 20 years after the fact.

Many Leica lenses were "team efforts."

Three names appear on the patent for "1969 JUL 13 - OBJECTIVE HAVING LONG BACK FOCAL DISTANCE WITH REGARD TO ITS FOCAL LENGTH (4 / 3 - 8 / 6) - Mandler, Wagner, Edwards" - the beginning of the development of what would become the 28 Elmarit-M v.2 ("long back focal distance" = "retrofocus" - to allow ttl metering (M5))

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Walter_Mandler

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Erich_Wagner

Edited by adan
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On 11/1/2021 at 8:24 AM, Al Brown said:

Absolutely my 75 Summilux. The essence of Mandler.

+1

 

I absolutely love it. Hard to focus, it gets little use, but once in a while I get a fabulous portrait with it.

Amazing painterly OOF. But very sharp when stopped down.

I had mine CLA'd and adjusted for digital in Wetzlar a few years ago. Since then, results are fabulous. A little yellow paint had got off on the "5" from the 75 marking on the barrel; Leica Customer Care was very nice to correct that last week when I brought some of my stuff for check. It looks as new again :)

 

I also like the tiny Elmar-M (the latest) a lot, but not sure it is a Mandler design. Very nice rendering, excellent for close-up, and very flare resistant.

 

The 50 summicron (4th gen) is one of my favourites too.


 

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9 hours ago, lct said:

Been doing this for 20+ years together with a Tele-Elmarit "thin" 90/2.8 :).

Brilliant. That’s what I’m thinking also although I’m going to give the Minolta Rokkor 90:4 go first as there is one available locally which will complete my CLE set. I also don’t use 90 often so it may do the job. I’m looking forward to trying it 

 

Edited by grahamc
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2 hours ago, lct said:

I've corrected my post above sorry. Just to elaborate, the listing below has been approved by W. Mandler apparently and does not mention the Elmarit 28/2.8 v2. Only v3. 

Thanks for the list… it seems I have another of his lenses, the Tele-Elmarit FAT. I guess I should pay more attention to what I have :)

However the list seems to contradict what you wrote a bit earlier:

17 hours ago, lct said:

BTW the Summilux 50/1.4 v3 is too late to be a Mandler design and its optics are not identical to v2 but very close.

The 50mm Summilux isn’t even mentioned in the list Andy linked to.

Edited by ianman
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2 hours ago, steve 1959 said:

my small line up of mandler lenes.

28mm elmarit version 2

50mm summicrom version 5

90mm tele-elmarit thin 

I have recently bought a 28mm elmarit version 4 for my landscape stuff but have found that it fits in well with my mandler 50mm version 5 for people pictures so i am using that combination often.

Great stuff.  I’m liking the look of the v3 and v4 in photos although can find more v3 samples to look at.  If I was to buy I think the v4 would be sized more to my liking so it’s good to know you like it with 50:2 v4 

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1 minute ago, Artin said:

Yes but I do not think the design was changed so therefore he is still credited for it 

Not sure it is by Leica. They wrote me the lens was totally redesigned optically and mechanically. I will retrieve their message if you are interested.

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3 minutes ago, Artin said:

Sorry I was wrong the 50 Summilux V3 with the built in hood is a Karbe design

In 1994/1995 really? I have no idea, just that Leica wrote me this in 2017: 

« The LEICA SUMMILUX M 1.4/50 lens (code 11868) was launched approx. 1994 on photokina in Cologne. The first deliveries have been made beginning of 1995. This lens in question was the third generation of this SUMMILUX lens and was totally redesigned, optical and mechanical. E.g. The close-up focus was now 70 cm. and it had an telescopic lens hood.  The lens was discontinued approx. 2004. Hoping this information will be helpful. Have a nice day »

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