Which Elmar?

A

alfisti

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Feb 23, 2011
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Hi folks. I have somehow managed to get a hold of two 90mm Elmar lenses - one is the original screwmount (looks exactly like this http://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/images/90mm-f4-m39/D3S_9705-0768.jpg) and the other is the 90mm M-Rokkor (a.k.a. Elmar-C).

My need is for regular use - I am not a collector. Image quality and good function are my primary needs, but $$ could factor in as well (i.e. if I can sell one for much more money than another, that might be a factor as well).

Opinions?

Thanks
-Glenn
 
The Elmar-C should be a much better performer. That being said, the earlier Elmar is a decent lens when stopped down. Both are not very expensive or valuable lenses by Leica standards (the Elmar-C going for around 200 EUR and the 4-element Elmar 90 for around 100 EUR), so I would just try them and keep the one you prefer. You will need a quality (!, original Leitz or Voigtländer, forget the cheap junk) m-mount adapter for the screwmount Elmar. The weak point of the older Elmar is that its lenses are prone to haze (fogging) and cleaning marks. The weak point of the Elmar-C is that if you work a lot with filters (b+w photography), the absence of a standard filter thread can be a problem, because the Series 5.5 filters are almost impossible to find and you will have to fiddle around with an adapter to use standard 39mm filters.
 
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