Elmar 35mm & 50mm f3.5: An appreciation thread

[chris7273]

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Nice little lens. I have an Elmar 5cm f/3.5 with an M mount. It belonged to my grandfather. 

I tested it with my M11 and the results are very good : resolution and contrast at f/4 are good in the center and "OK" in the corners. Center and corners are good at f/5.6. Nice result for a 60 years old lens. But the aperture ring is frustrating because it turns while focusing.

 

[shirubadanieru]

18 minutes ago, chris7273 said:

Nice little lens. I have an Elmar 5cm f/3.5 with an M mount. It belonged to my grandfather. 

I tested it with my M11 and the results are very good : resolution and contrast at f/4 are good in the center and "OK" in the corners. Center and corners are good at f/5.6. Nice result for a 60 years old lens. But the aperture ring is frustrating because it turns while focusing.

 

THe elmar 50mm in all its iterations is simply amazing. The design of the actual lens dates back to 1925, so it’s close to 100 years now. THe elmar M f3.5 and f2.8 do turn indeed, which can be annoying but not a deal breaker for sure : ) Great that you got one from your grandfather!!

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[pegelli]

I've never used, or even seen, a Elmar 35/3.5. I guess I have to make do with a Summaron 35/2.8

But I do have a 1949 Elmar 50/3.5, bought new by my father and it's just like a Rolex: "you don't own it, you only guard it for the next generation"

But it is a nice little lens, also in the close-up regime, that's probably why it also worked well in the Valoy enlarger.

Here's an example of using it close-up:

 

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Sony A7 + Elmar 50/3.5 

[chris7273]

2 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

THe elmar 50mm in all its iterations is simply amazing. The design of the actual lens dates back to 1925, so it’s close to 100 years now. THe elmar M f3.5 and f2.8 do turn indeed, which can be annoying but not a deal breaker for sure : ) Great that you got one from your grandfather!!

I also have the "ugly" hood names "ITOOY" and the close up accessory "SOOKY" (pretty useless but fun to own) 🙂 

 

[shirubadanieru]

Leica 1A Elmar 50mm f3.5 (1930) | Portra 400 shot wide open. So sharp for such an old lens! 

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[Ray Vonn]

Can't wait to see any pictures done with the Sooky.

[lct]

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7 hours ago, pegelli said:

I've never used, or even seen, a Elmar 35/3.5. [...]

Coated 35/3.5 from 1948 here. I have not tried it on the M11 yet but it behaves rather well on Sony A7r2 mod and digital CL, without competing with modern triplets like Tessar 35/3.5 though. Full frame and 100% crop on Sony below. 

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[ocean2059]

Thank you for starting this thread @shirubadanieru! I really enjoy my Elmar 50/3.5 (red scale) very much. Here are few images taken last summer during a morning walk with M9 body.

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[ocean2059]

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[ocean2059]

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[AndreasG]

Am 24.1.2023 um 08:47 schrieb shirubadanieru:

Leica 1A | Elmar 50mm f3.5 | Portra 400

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Nice series, all along the Sumida

[shirubadanieru]

2 hours ago, AndreasG said:

Nice series, all along the Sumida

yes!! it's a great walk when the sun is out!

[shirubadanieru]

Elmar 35mm f3.5 with the M10M

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[JMF]

Such a lovely thread !

I'll chime in ...

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1929 1a with  close focus 50mm Elmar 3.5 and Kodak Ektachrome 100

[JMF]

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1930 3 digit Nickel 35mm Elmar f3.5 on M10-P

Edited January 29, 2023 by JMF

[JMF]

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1930 3 digit Nickel 35mm Elmar f3.5 on SL with close focus helicoid M adaptor

[JMF]

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50mm RS Elmar f3.5 on Bessa R with Ektar 100

[Ecar]

Nice thread. I have a short trip coming up, where space and weight are limited. I'll take this thread as a subtle nudge and won't need to think about which two lenses will come along 😉

In the meantime, here's one with a 1948 Elmar 35/3.5 on the M10P, wide open:

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[shirubadanieru]

Just for fun, I was testing my lenses at home, using the same shutter speed, ISO, and all focused to MFD. 

• Summilux 50mm f1.4 Chrome V2 (made in 1966)
• Summilux 35mm f1.4 SR remake (original in 1961, reissue in 2022)
• Elmar 50mm f3.5 early nickel (made in 1926)
• Elmar 35mm f3.5 w/ coating (made in 1948)

Below are the results zoomed in in the dead center of the frame, and then the actual shot zoomed out. All were shot at f3.5.

The slightly brighter shots are the Lux, the slightly darker ones are the Elmar. It seems that due to vignette wide open the Summilux are a bit brighter at f3.5 than the Elmar.

First, both 50mm lenses. They look to me equally sharp in the center (maybe the lux is a bit crispier?), which is quite amazing given the lux is closed down 2.5 stops while the Elmar is wide open. 

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Edited January 30, 2023 by shirubadanieru

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[shirubadanieru]

And now for the Summilux 35mm VS the Elmar 35mm.

Again, both shot at f3.5, and the slightly brighter shot is the Summilux.

Am I crazy or is the Elmar 35mm sharper than the Steel Rim remake?!?! The other interesting thing is that either the summilux can focus a bit closer, or the Elmar 35mm focal length is a bit wider than the Summilux, as there is definitely a bit more in the frame with the Elmar. 

Looking at all 4 lenses, while this was not a scientific test, it really amazes me how great Leica’s tries at creating a 35mm and 50mm lenses truly were. You cannot see almost any difference in the center sharpness, and really the main improvement the Summilux offers VS the Elmar are the better coatings and 2.5 extra stops of light, while giving a slightly more blurry OOF even at the same aperture. That obviously comes at the expense of 2x or 3x the size, weight and cost.

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Edited January 30, 2023 by shirubadanieru