vario elmar 35-70 3.5 e60 or e67?

[lennycam]

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I have been looking for a good Leica mid range short zoom for a while. i found two that sound interesting. they both are 35-70 3.5, and they look almost identical in the photos, but one is e60 and the other is e67. what's the difference, which is better, should i consider the 28-90 or the 35-70 4 better choices?? please help

 

you know, years ago, when they announced the 28-70 2.8, i paid for it in advance, and it took more than a year after that for them to finally make it, and, when samys got the one lens, and i know i was the first person in line, they ended up selling it to Brad Pitt instead of me! i was so mad i jumped ship to Nikon for a few years. i still get pissed when i think about that.

[wildlightphoto]

The second (E67) version is preferable to the E60 version because the front element doesn't rotate when focussing, making it easier to use polarizing or graduated ND filters, the first version has a reputation for developing a wobbly focussing group with age and wear, and the larger filter size reduces the chances of vignetting at the wider focal lengths when using filters.

 

Optically the 35-70mm f/4 is a better lens at the widest apertures but because the front group is recessed at some focal lengths it is not as convenient to use with the pol and ND grad filters. The f/3.5 can be used on all Leicaflexes, the f/4 can only be used on R or (with modification) on the SL2.

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[lennycam]

thanks. what about the 28-90 2.8-4.5. i am not a big fan of aperture change, but, this lens was made in germany, there are fewer of them, and it seems to get a pretty penny when one pops up. is this the best option if i can find one? (and i think i might have).

[wildlightphoto]

thanks. what about the 28-90 2.8-4.5.

 

I have very limited experience with this lens but I believe that it's quite good. I'm not a fan of variable apertures either, and IIRC it's rather large.

[masjah]

thanks. what about the 28-90 2.8-4.5. i am not a big fan of aperture change, but, this lens was made in germany, there are fewer of them, and it seems to get a pretty penny when one pops up. is this the best option if i can find one? (and i think i might have).

 

Yes indeed, it is expensive. I have one and I am delighted with the quality of its images. It is also quite big and heavy (notwithstanding the smaller aperture at the long end). I take that as the price that the designers were prepared to pay to maintain this high image quality. Notwithstanding the size and the limited aperture, it is my travel lens of choice.

 

"Ex demo" examples turn up at dealers from time to time - that's what I bought, at virtually half list price, which was therefore much more affordable, and with full warranty.

[razerx]

I have the E67 version and it vignettes with a filter on it. It shows up in the pictures as four black corners. I can live without an UV on it but something you need a polarizer and and with the extra height of the polarizer the corners are just awful.