Leica STA-1 bracket & Vario-Elmar-R 80-200mm f/4

[AZN]

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There is a bit of conflicting information online and on this forum about whether the Leica STA-1 bracket will work with the Vario-Elmar-80-200mm f/4 zoom.  Hence this long-winded post.

Short answer → it does, but with a minor caveat.

We are talking about the Leica STA-1 bracket (catalogue number 14636) designed for the Leica Apo-Macro-Elmarit 100mm f/2.8

Shown below is a photo of the box it came in, along with the bracket mounted onto the 80-200 lens:

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Here is a close up of the Acra compatible plate, which is separate.  It is actually a Peak Design standard plate https://www.peakdesign.com/products/standard-plate-v3

The main issue online is the (endless) argument about whether the R lens alignment red-dot prevents the STA-1 from mounting properly.  

It doesn't:

Edited April 14, 2023 by AZN

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[AZN]

So far, so good.  Here comes the caveat.  Although the STA-1 will mount and tighten properly onto the 80-200 lens, the plastic collar of the mount will bulge:

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This is because the red plastic dot pushes up from inside on a "rail" in the STA-1 mount.  In the following shot you can see the impression the red lens dot has left on the interior of the STA-1 rear "rail"

 

[AZN]

Remains to be seen if this does any long-term damage to the STA-1.  Personally I doubt it.  Nevertheless wouldn't leave the STA-1 permanently mounted on the 80-200!

I bought my STA-1 from keh.com, but should have bought it off eBay as I discovered – after the fact – that current eBay prices (14 Apr 2023) for the bracket are half that of keh =/

Many posts online (and on this forum) talk about the necessity of removing the lens red dot.  As you can see from the photos above, there is no need provided you can live with the bulge in the STA-1 rear cover.

Hope this helps others thinking of getting a bracket for their 80-200mm