John Ricard Posted October 4, 2009 Share #1 Posted October 4, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've been pricing some Leica lenses in anticipation of getting an M9 in a few months. I see KEH.com has Canada 28mm lenses at a cheaper price than Germany lenses. Is there a way to know how old either of these lenses are (both are Elmarait) and is there a difference between a Canada lens and a Germany lens? How long has Leica been making Elmarait lenses? You see a lot of "mint" Leica lenses on ebay and in camera stores, but I still wouldn't want to buy a 20 year old lens.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 4, 2009 Posted October 4, 2009 Hi John Ricard, Take a look here Leica made lenses in Canada?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stunsworth Posted October 4, 2009 Share #2 Posted October 4, 2009 You can find the year of manufacture from the serial number - see this site... LeicaLenses serial number and production year - Leica Objektiv Serienummer In terms of image quality there is no difference between the same lens made in Canada or Germany. However the more recent Elmarit - the ASPH model - has only been made in Germany Why wouldn't you want to buy a 20 year old lens? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted October 4, 2009 Share #3 Posted October 4, 2009 Keep in mind that the Elmarit 28, apart the current asph, was built in 4 versions, and the last is the better : for instance, is someway logical that a 2nd version Canada costs less than a 4th version Germany. The 1st is scarce, is a collectible and the Wetzlar made is really rare so brings high price : isn't such a good lens, onto M8 it gives also uncorrect metering and I think it's so on M9 too, so is a lens to stay away for using. As Stunsworth said , same versions Canada and Germany have same quality... and 20 years old lenses, if in good conditions, are normal between Leica users. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted October 4, 2009 Share #4 Posted October 4, 2009 Why, I do occasionally use a 50mm Elmar made in 1960! Not for regular use, but when I want that old time look. Some people even use cameras made in the 1950's! Why not, if they do what you want them to do? The old man from the Age of the M3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted October 4, 2009 Share #5 Posted October 4, 2009 How long has Leica been making Elmarait lenses? You see a lot of "mint" Leica lenses on ebay and in camera stores, but I still wouldn't want to buy a 20 year old lens.... 'Elmarit' is just a speed name, meaning 'f:2.8'. So no, it is not a design or quality level, and yes, Elmarit lenses have been made in focal lenths ranging from 21 to 135mm. The first one was the 90mm Elmarit of 1968, and it was not half bad. The old man from the Age of the M3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModernMan Posted October 4, 2009 Share #6 Posted October 4, 2009 Every one of my rangefinder M lenses is made in Canada and over 20 years old. They work great. I used to live not far from the Leitz plant in Midland Ontario Canada. I may have to break down and buy into this ASPH stuff though, pretty impressive, but a different look. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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