90 vs 90

[oldwino]

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I am looking at a nice 90mm Elmarit 2.8 in screw mount. Will I see a marked improvement to my 90 Elmar f4? I find the Elmar need to be at f8 to really sharpen up. 

[luigi bertolotti]

I have one (in BM) which hasn't anymore used for 20 years or so...  I can refer only to old film times...😉 ; as far as I remember, it wasn't a significant improvement over the classic Elmar (I used the retractable version, so a rather "modern" one) so that some time after I got the Tele Elmarit  (first version) which was also of the same league, but combined the compactness of the Elmar retractable with the aperture of the Elmarit 😃

Don't remember other details... but at the end is one of the few Leitz lenses I found "not interesting"... and never felt the desire to take it out from the drawer... iirc, neither had the curiosity to test it on digital Ms..

[oldwino]

Thank you Luigi!

[jc_braconi]

4 hours ago, oldwino said:

I am looking at a nice 90mm Elmarit 2.8 in screw mount. Will I see a marked improvement to my 90 Elmar f4? I find the Elmar need to be at f8 to really sharpen up. 

I used the Elmarit 2.8 screw mount in both IIIg and M3 in M mount for many years mostly for portrait pictures and for me it is one of the best lens I used.
Also with the head mounted on viso and bellow combo.

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[tranquilo67]

Hi,

I don't know which Elmar 90 you currently have. My very personal experience about the 90's (please have in mind that this is based on actual pictures and not scientific tests):

- Thin Elmars despite they're not very much loved by Leica fans, to my eye it has a really nice rendering (even the uncoated ones). I have a few of them and like them all.

- The rendering of the collapsible version is in line with the thin ones.

- The 3 elements that has a very high reputation, to my eye it's just marginally better.

- The Elmarit (like the one shown above) doesn't have a great reputation but, once more to me it's a really competent lens.

- The Tele-Elmarit 5 elements I like a lot. The rendering is a bit better than the long one but it's size it simply great.

- The thin Tele-Elmarit, that once more, has a good reputation, I like less than the 5 elements not only because if its shape but also the results doesn't like me so much.

- The Elmarit-M (with integrated hood) has the most modern rendering.

And just in case, the Summicron 90 versions II and III, once more to my eye, are nothing really special but I use them quite less frequently due to their size.

I don't know if the above comments are somehow distorted by the expectations that I had on them at front.

I have neither the Elmar-C nor the Macro version so I cannot provide you first hand experience on them.

As, once more, they're my personal feedback I don't know if it will help.

Best wishes,

Augusto

[wizard]

vor 8 Minuten schrieb tranquilo67:

The 3 elements that has a very high reputation, to my eye it's just marginally better.

I have heard that from a friend as well, who had the 3-element in BM and sold it. My own copy, however, a screw mount version, is exceedingly good. I also own the Elmarit-M 90mm with integrated hood, and the results from my 3-element and the Elmarit-M are almost indistinguishable (on slide film at least, when projected large. I have not tried those lenses on a digital body yet).

Andy