continuing my M 262 journey

[FlickM]

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1 hour ago, pippy said:

Lovely photographs, Flick, and lovely flowers too!

As far as the older 135mm lenses are concerned; I'm not sure which reviews you have read but, really, the only 135 Leitz lens whose rendering could be described as 'soft' would be the f4.5 Hektor(*). Apart from that one, though, they are all excelllent performers and most of which can be had for a very modest outlay.

Have a look through this review of the 135mm f4.0 Elmar by good old Ken Rockwell. There is also a 'Compared' section in the review where you might have a look at his reviews of the other 135 lenses available (including the Hektor);

https://kenrockwell.com/leica/135mm-f4.htm#compared

Just out of curiosity I've had a quick peek at Peter Loy's stock list and currently he has an example of the Elmar in M mount ("Condition 4-5/E {minor dust, aperture not 100% smooth}. c.1961. Tested - produces excellent quality images") on offer for £159.

FWIW if you are not after 'perfection' there is another London dealership offering a Hektor - "Smooth focusing. Noticeable internal haze inside the optics" - for the princely sum of £29...

Philip.

* One review of this lens said something like "Max Berek (Leitz' lens designer) named the 'Hektor' after his dog......and the lens performs in just such a fashion..."...

EDIT : I forgot to say I'm delighted to read that you have resolved the issue with your vision; great to hear the contacts are working well for you!

Hi Philip, I hope you are well. Thank you so much for your kind comment re the pics. I thought they were just test shots, but I've had a good response so have uploaded them to Adobe stock. It was the Hektor that I checked. There was one for sale on eBay. Now I've bought the 21mm Voigtlander, I'm going to have to wait a while before buying anything else, but a 135 is still on my list for consideration. Thanks for the comprehensive reply and info

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[rpsawin]

FlickM, on the wide end look at the Zeiss Biogon 25/2.8. Very nice lens and will not break the bank. Best of luck.

[a.noctilux]

On 4/26/2024 at 1:23 PM, FlickM said:

but a 135 is still on my list for consideration

I was 135 on M fan for many years.

Two periods:

- trying without choosing one above the other, Tele-Elmar 4/135 then Elmarit 2.8/135

a- 4/135 is light and 2.8/135 with the 1.5 magnifier is a dream to use, but less so to carry

b- now, for most ( 95% of use) with Apo-Summicron-M 90mm, and cropping (to 135 field) when needed, I don't use/carry 135mm lens much anymore

- having choices and use when wanted/needed, I keep the two 135mm lenses and use one (5% of time) of them once in a while,

they are "specialised" lenses and so cheap not good value while selling but very good use value

[TeleElmar135mm]

vor 35 Minuten schrieb a.noctilux:

(...)

a- 4/135 is light and 2.8/135 with the 1.5 magnifier is a dream to use, but less so to carry

(...)

they are "specialised" lenses and so cheap not good value while selling but very good use value

totally agree!

P.S. A bit pratice is needed but the rendering is beautiful.

[FlickM]

On 4/28/2024 at 4:53 PM, rpsawin said:

FlickM, on the wide end look at the Zeiss Biogon 25/2.8. Very nice lens and will not break the bank. Best of luck.

Thank you Bob

[FlickM]

6 hours ago, a.noctilux said:

I was 135 on M fan for many years.

Two periods:

- trying without choosing one above the other, Tele-Elmar 4/135 then Elmarit 2.8/135

a- 4/135 is light and 2.8/135 with the 1.5 magnifier is a dream to use, but less so to carry

b- now, for most ( 95% of use) with Apo-Summicron-M 90mm, and cropping (to 135 field) when needed, I don't use/carry 135mm lens much anymore

- having choices and use when wanted/needed, I keep the two 135mm lenses and use one (5% of time) of them once in a while,

they are "specialised" lenses and so cheap not good value while selling but very good use value

Thank you for this. 135 isn't a focal length I use all the time, but it's useful to have that extra reach on ocassions