Leica 180:2.8 APO and 1.4X APO extender ....

[glenerrolrd]

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There used to be a thread that contained the serial number transition for the 180 2.8 APO .   At some point Leica moved the back element farther into the mount .  This was to allow the extension of the 1.4X extender to fit .  I know they eventually changed the part number .....to 11357 ,,,,but I remember that the actual change occurred earlier .   I am looking for a 180 2.8 apo that will take the 1.4x and its hard to be sure without knowing the transition serial number .  

[Keith (M)]

According to my copy of Eastland's 'Leica R Compendium', the 180mm f2.8 is an Elmarit. APO designation is applied to the f3.4 Telyt and f2 Summicron.  If it is the Elmarit code 11923 that you have, then according to Eastland the APO-Extender-R x2 and x1.4 will fit. Hope that helps.

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[glenerrolrd]

3 hours ago, Keith (M) said:

According to my copy of Eastland's 'Leica R Compendium', the 180mm f2.8 is an Elmarit. APO designation is applied to the f3.4 Telyt and f2 Summicron.  If it is the Elmarit code 11923 that you have, then according to Eastland the APO-Extender-R x2 and x1.4 will fit. Hope that helps.

Thank you but Leica did in fact make two 180:2.8 APO R lenses .  I have one in hand and I ve used it for years .  The issue as I explained before is that initially it would not accept a 1.4X due to the facing element of the 1.4X .  Leica made a design change and that moved the real facing elements of the lens forward .   The challenge when sourcing a 180 2.8 APO is determining if you are looking at the newest lens .  

This is one that works. 

IMG_4791.HEIC

[Keith (M)]

Ah, Eastland's book predates the APO f2.8 by quite some time - didn't think of that!  Checking my copy of Erwin Puts's 'Leica Compendium' reveals details of the lens, which he highly praises.  The final sentence of his brief review "In 2003 a slightly redesigned version (physically) appeared on the market to allow the use of the 1.4x extender."  No mention of relevant serial number though.

[otto.f]

If you type in the serial on this site http://www.summilux.net/numeros/ , you might be able to see if it was from before or after 2003. Puts will be reliable with that date. 

Edited December 25, 2021 by otto.f

[nbgronlie]

Hi Roger,

To tell the two APO Elmarit-R 180mm f/2.8 lenses apart, all you need do is inspect the lens barrel next to the "Lens Made in Germany" engraving. The lens model for both the earlier 11273 lens (will not accept the 1.4x extender) and the later 11357 lens (will accept the 1.4x extender) appears right after the word "...Germany" on the lens barrel. I would buy the lens needed based on the model number, not on a 11273 model serial number lower bound. I think you could have problems both with buying and with selling later if you used the 11273 serial number approach.

I've had both lenses and still have pictures of the lens barrels for reference.

Best regards,
Neal