Is this eBay Elmarit 90 a screw mount?

[rogerzilla]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180626102978

I bought it anyway as it looks good, the price is right for an Elmarit-M and I was intending to use it on an M3 - but the photos aren't from the right angle to show the red plastic dot for ther M-bayonet, the serial number is in a range recorded as having been used for M and screw Elmarits and my e-mail server is down so I can't get a response from the seller!

So...could this be one of the 2,069 screw examples? And if so, should I use it or sell it?

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

You can't tell from the photos, so who knows. But, I've never seen a screwmount 90mm Elmarit. Lots of screwmount Elmars, but never seen an Elmarit.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Hard to tell, but screwmount versions certainly did exist as you suspect. They were among the last screwmount Leica lenses made, and were made from 1959-63.

Judging by the serial number, it is a 1959, so it might be a screwmount. KEH has one that's been on their site for at least 8 months, and in the same price range. Don't know if you'll get rich off of it, but you could try!

 

[rogerzilla]

The "M" lenses generally had a red Leitz roundel on top of the plastic keeper case -not sure they used them on the screwmounts, which of course didn't have a red index dot - but it could have fallen off.

The funny thing is that the screwmount Elmarit serial numbers are known except for three ranges which are a mixture of M and screw. This is in one of those ranges so could be either.

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Elmarit_f=_9_cm_1:2.8

 

[dexdog]

You can't tell from the photos, so who knows. But, I've never seen a screwmount 90mm Elmarit. Lots of screwmount Elmars, but never seen an Elmarit.

Yeah, they exist; I used to have one, swapped it here on RFF. Supposed to be pretty rare, though

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I'm sure they do. I've never seen one. They must be pretty rare, indeed.

 

[rogerzilla]

They are rarer than the Thambar, although not as funky.

 

[Vince Lupo]

And definitely not as valuable nor as desirable as a Thambar. But it's still a nice lens!

 

[rogerzilla]

There's a picture of one here:

http://ryboltcox.com/Photography/Cameras-10310/14045658_K3pez/2/1033801109_pnXZC#1033801109_pnXZC

I shudder to think what the author paid for that little collection.

 

[Mudman]

Here's hoping it's screwmount. A lot more versatile.

 

[awilder]

If it is a LTM, count your blessings! Easily converted to M mount with an adapter and if you ever get tired of it, you can sell it for more than a used M mount version.

 

[rogerzilla]

Here's another one for sale:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Leica-leitz-E...345745518?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item53e647b86e

That one looks severely underpriced as it comes with the 90mm finder. If I were in the USA I'd buy it.