180mm F4 Elmar R Opinions

[cary]

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I am considering purchasing the 180mm F4 Elmar, what are users opinions of it? Please post some photos taken with it. The lens will be used on a Leicaflex SL MOT.

Edited March 31, 2024 by cary

[a.noctilux]

I had one long time ago quickly replaced by the long/less compact but optically superior Apo-Telyt-R 3.4/180.

When I used one compactness was very good but results were not great.

Have a look here

https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/180mm_f/4_Elmar-R

 

[adan]

Basically, the 180 f/4.0 Elmar-R was "designed to a size." Light-weight and compact (and did I mention light-weight? 😁). 540 grams.

At the time it was introduced, the APO f/3.4 was still mostly a top-secret military-surveillance project, just barely entering the civilian market. And the existing 180mm f/2.8 Elmarit v.1 in 1975 weighed 970 grams. 

The 180 Elmar-R weighs even less than the 135mm Elmarit-R f/2.8.

The target audience for the Elmar can be seen in its inclusion in Leica's first "Safari" kit: an R3 camera with 28, 50, and 180 lenses, all painted in jungle-warfare green (but standard black-anodized was/is the default color).

https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Leitz/R3-Safari-outfit.html

It was aimed at enthusiasts/travellers, tramping and traipsing for hours through countryside or city streets, while offering "acceptable" image capability, in good light, to reach out for details - without breaking one's back.

And very likely used (at the time, and for many years afterwards) with high-end color slide films (Kodachrome, etc.) that contained and added their own clarity, punch, color-saturation, and contrast.

The compactness, especially in that generally pre-APO and definitely pre-ASPH era, meant the image quality was "whatever Leica could fit into that size."

The main characteristic is lowish contrast, both overall and in edge clarity of the finest details. But still better than using a lighter 90 or 50 and cropping. Or using the heavier and still somewhat primitive zooms of the era.

And on the plus side - very consistent IQ corner to corner, with little vignetting (1/2 stop) - and already near its best performance wide-open (f/5.6 adds just a touch more contrast).

The only camera I have tried the 180 Elmar-R on was a digital Canon 5DII plus adapter.

The low contrast and dimmer aperture made it very hard to focus on the Canon's default "plain AF bright-screen" - it just did not "snap" into focus like the 180s with punchier contrast and larger apertures.

Thus I never really got around to seeing much of the actual image quality otherwise - and have no pictures to show 😰. Too many misfocuses.

It should focus much better with the Leicaflex SL's central-microprism focusing aide.

Edited April 4, 2024 by adan

[wagner]

In this thread I did post a lens test from the german magazin "Color Foto". The 180's of the early 80's have been compared. Even though it's in german, it might be from some interest. At least the graphs don't need any translation.....

Torsten

[Canonier]

It is a solid performer, as also this test shows.