"look" of the Vario Elmar R 28-70mm f/3,5-4,5

[Deeetona]

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I can pick up a Vario Elmar R 28-70mm f/3,5-4,5  that has seen better days, for a handful of EUR. What "look" does it produce? 1990s "zoom lens look", whatever that means?

I dont own an R body yet but am getting excited about the R6.

Edited February 7 by Deeetona

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[250swb]

I had one very briefly, and it isn't a bad lens. I wasn't put off by it being a Sigma design (built to Leica standards by Kyocera) but as soon as I started using it I felt the 28mm end wasn't very sharp and it was the wide end that I thought would be useful at the time. The lesson I should have known from using other zooms is the wide end is usually the least sharp and prone to distortion and so it was. If I'd had a 28mm prime I think I'd have carried that around as well. So off it went and I rationalised my camera bag and replaced it with the 21mm-35mm Vario Elmar and the 35mm-70mm, both of which do have 'prime' quality although the 21mm end is still a bit soft. 

[Deeetona]

Many thanks!

[bocaburger]

I had high hopes for that lens, used it w R bodies (on film) and EOS full-frame digital.  Sharpness, even at the 28mm end, was not an issue for me compared to the distortion.  Any straight line within a quarter of the frame from the edges at all focal lengths except in the 35-40mm range had obvious curvature (barrel <35, pincushion >40).  Walls, columns, doorways, floors, even tree trunks all curved one way or the other.  Fixable in post but not without eventual cropping.  

[chris_livsey]

On 2/7/2025 at 10:29 AM, Deeetona said:

for a handful of EUR.

I think the clue to the quality is encapsulated in those few words, very, very rarely does any Leica equipment present at a "bargain" price unless it has issues.

 

[davidmknoble]

The 35-70 f/4 is a much better lens and very similar to the Leica M MATE 28-50-35 f/4.  It is a Leica lens and comes in ROM.

[atournas]

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That was shot with the lens in discussion on an R7.