A fine performer.

For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.

I wrote about the ‘thin’ Tele-Elmarit here. This is an optically improved version of the earlier and heavier ‘fat’ model, with most being made by Leitz Canada. With the exception of the modern ridiculously expensive collapsible (a feature no one wants or needs) 90mm Tele-Elmar this is the smallest and lightest 90mm lens Leica has ever made, and it proves to be a fine performer. It’s also affordable. Into the light it’s flare prone but the ‘Dehaze’ slider in LRc does wonders for that defect. To keep bulk down I do not bother with a lens hood.

While it’s a tad on the long side for street photography the lens is adept at picking out architectural details and at a light 8 ozs. in a very small package it’s easy to pop it in a coat pocket on the off chance it could come in useful.

Here are some early results, all on the Leica M3 with Ektar 100 film, JPGs scanned HQ on a Noritsu scanner.

As one of the very few affordably priced and reasonably modern Leitz lenses, assuming you can find a copy without haze or fungus, the 90mm f/2.8 Tele-Elmarit is recommended. Mine cost $454 shipped and absent some minor wear on the barrel has untarnished optics, with smooth focus.

Not half bad.

For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.

M3, 50mm Canon f/1.4 LTM and a BIG print.
I added the red lens alignment index dome.

After the interminable wait for the scans to come back from the photo lab – sometimes I just hate film – they finally arrived 9 days after mailing in my Dropbox account and I duly downloaded the Noritsu HQ scans into LRc and immediately added EXIF data. I generally search the LRc catalog by lens used as that seems to work best for my memory.

What makes a lens ‘good’? For me I care little about resolution charts, coma tests, distortion measurements, you name it. What I want is a high resolution print at 13″ x 19″ in size, often cropped from just 50% of the original. Using that criterion the Canon 50mm f/1.4 LTM lens adapted to my Leica M3 is a fine lens indeed.

Here are some results, all on pokey 100 ISO Kodak Ektar. It may be slow but the grain is very fine indeed and the reds are the closest thing to Kodachrome since Kodachrome.

Barista girl. 1/15th, f/1.4. Ektar is sloooow!

Bench. f/8.

Local barber’s shop.

I couldn’t but think of Stieglitz’s famous Wall Street image.

Near-Kodachrome reds. Click the image for a larger version.

In the style of Keld Helmer Petersen.

More Keld.

Hard hat place.

If you do not want to spend megabucks on a Leica 50mm lens, the affordable Canon 50mm f/1.4 LTM optic is recommended.