Leica r8 lenses???

[Monochrom]

Hi Guys!

This week i purchase an R8 with elmarit 28mm E55, 80-200 f4 and elmarit 135 f2.8. I pretend to resell it....but...

I´m in love with the camera, perhaps i can keep it, but i know nothing on lenses for this camera. for m bodies we have excellent Voigtlander glass even zeiss and of course old leicas canon etc.

For this R body i´d like to know if there are more choices than the ultra expensive leica lenses.

Please advise me on this matters pehaps some inexpensive 35mm will help me to keep this monster among my RF gear.

Bye 😛

 

[Godfrey]

Leica R lenses are currently bargain priced for their quality. There are six Elmarit-R 35mm f/2.8 lenses on Ebay at present for prices from $337 to $500.

But I'd suggest this one: http://www.ebay.com ... Elmarit-R 35mm f/2.8 III for $650 Buy It Now. It is a later model (1978), 3-cam lens and provides full compatibility with the R8.

How much less expensive are you looking for? You're not going to find a better SLR body, might as well put a decent lens on it.

You should understand about R lenses ... there are several variations (1 cam, 2 cam, 3 cam, ROM, R-only). The sweet spot for the R8 is the 3 cam lenses, which also happen to be the most common. This website will tell you all about them: http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/Lens-R.html

G

 

[Monochrom]

Hi Godfrey, thank you very much i need to catch up with this line of lenses.

I´ll check on those 35mm ones.

I thought maybe some aother brand could provide nice glass for these superb bodies.

Thanks

 

[Monochrom]

...And what about the zoom lenses?

Are there any good that you might recommend?

I´ve never used a zoom in my life 😎

 

[Godfrey]

I don't know if any of the third party lens suppliers shipped Leica R mount products. I tend to doubt it ... Leica R users bought into the system for the lenses, mostly.

G

 

[f16sunshine]

I don't know if any of the third party lens suppliers shipped Leica R mount products. I tend to doubt it ... Leica R users bought into the system for the lenses, mostly. G

Angenieux ....

I still have a f3.5 70-210 for Leica R which is a really killer 2 ring zoom.
There are a couple other lenses from that series in different focal ranges also for R mount.

 

[burancap]

I believe Schneider may have too. Spiratone as well! The best Leica R zoom was widely regarded as the 35-70/4. Having had one, I'd agree. The 60/2.8 is excellent, not to mention the 50/2 and, of course, the various Summilux.

 

[Monochrom]

Thanks! i check on those recommendations!

 

[dave lackey]

My 50 Cron is absolutely the best all around. Reasonably priced too. Check Thorsten Overgaard's reviews!

 

[Monochrom]

Wow, nice site!!!! Thanks a lot!

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

I liked the rendering of the 35/2. It wasn't sharper than my Canon AF 35/2, but the bokeh was kind of 'classic.' The late version 28mm Elmarit was really good. But, not inexpensive. The 50 Summicron did not make me want to sell my Canon EF 50/1.4 or Contax Planar 50/1.4.

 

[Shac]

Monochrome - you ask about Leica R zooms -well you already have an excellent one - the 80-200 f4. Like Jeff, another I recommend (& have) is the 35-70 f4 (not the f3.5) - you might consider it instead of the 35 Godfrey suggested. It has a useful close-up function as well and IQ is again excellent - you only lose one stop (2.8-4).
For portraits, the second version of the 90mm elmarit-r is excellent and reasonably priced.
R lenses as Godfrey knows work very well on the Sony A7 series of bodies too.

 

[Monochrom]

Thanks!

Dear CK Dexter Haven, i have around one planar 50mm f1.4 is there an adapter to use it on a leica R?

Dear Shac, the 28 elmarit e55 and the 80-200 i already have are simply gorgeus but i will sell them and just in a gas attack i plan to keep the r8 body...but i need an inexpensive lens for the moment, if not all the puepose of buying this gear will be futile 😀 and my wife will make me beg for mercy 😀😀

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

The 35mm f/2.8 is a lovely lens. If I was doing a one lens one year stunt it would be the one for me (but with an old R5).

I miss mine, but when I sold it on ebay there was a bidding war for it and a well known London dealer outbid everyone. I don't have to say more, do I?

Regards, David

PS Isn't there an M's on R's adapter?

 

[maitani]

note before re-selling the

elmarit 28mm E55, very nice always-on lens on the R8.

is a 2000$ lens nowdays highly sought after, the best 28mm I ever tested.
and hard to find, seems like you got a good overall package for the price

 

[gbealnz]

If you want cheap, Tamron years ago made the "Adaptall" series, with a fair selection of lenses and interchangeable adapters, I still have a Leica R adaptor, no lenses though.
Gary

 

[leicapixie]

My simple answer is to first use the camera and lenses.
See if there are any pluses to using the "Hunchback of Solms" and it's lenses, over other owned equipment.

When the the first Leicaflex was introduced, with the "clear" condenser groundglass, except for micro-prism for focus, the lenses at time,
35mm Elmarit, 50mm Summicron, 90mm Elmarit and 135m Elmarit were all considered and tested as best ever!
The years past and the Leica SLR bodies went thru many changes and more disasters.. Extra cams,ROM whatever..
The Leica legend was severely challenged as histories came to light.
Leica no longer service many models..parts not available, whatever.

So in place of adding to a dead horse, new wagons, carts or carriages, use your purchase, for a good period.
Then consider maybe adding to the collection.
I have added "electronic" Minolta and lenses BUT prices were quite different!
Some lenses were $5. The 2 bodies all working $20.
Worst scenario, bodies go turtle, add my first EVIL DSLR.
Congrats and enjoy.

 

[Monochrom]

Dear MAitani, yes i think i´ve got a real gain with this equipment. I´m very grateful, but the 28, 80-200 and 135 must go...should go also the body but i kind of like it.

Dear Gbealnz, thanks for you idea. I´ll check on those adaptall tamrons.

Dear Leicapixie, for sure you have a point. I´m tempted by the leica devil himself...i´m very strong against other demons.

I think i can manage to get me a 50 summicron and then if needed the not so reputed 28-70 3.5 4.5 zoom.

Thanks

😉

 

[Dunk]

Before buying (or disposing) any Leica R lenses please consider acquiring 'Leica Pocket Book 8th Edition' which illustrates every 'R' lens made since inception together with performance data … and also access the Leica R section on the Leica Forum. And please avoid buying and using Tamron lenses with R adaptors … marque R lenses are better. Giving anyone advice about R lenses in a few sentences is not easy … anyone new to the system should study all the options and the book is a good starting point.

Most Leica R cameras can be serviced either by Leica in Germany or by specialists in USA and UK (and other countries) . In the UK a Leica R camera service should be less than £150 plus VAT … TTBOMK all the London Leica dealers use the same London based servicing engineer.

There's not a lot you cannot tackle with a 50mm Summicron R, a 2x extender R (very cheap s/h compared to their original new price), and some Leitz Elpro close-up lenses … latter are achromatic (doublet) supplementary c/u lenses and enable images as good as those obtained with marque macro lenses.

dunk

 

[Monochrom]

Thank you Dunk, since i post here my thoughts i´ve studied a lot on R lenses.

After all the whole equipment went away i gained a lot and i´m happy about it.

...at the beginning of this week i found again another r8 (black), this time with another 80-200 and a 35-70 f4 Macro rom lens.

lucky me 🙂

I´ve already sold the 80-200 f4.

The 35-70 f4 macro seems to be a far better lens than the 35-70 f3.5!

This time i don´t need to sell all the thing quickly. I´ll give it an extensive try. I hope i can keep this beaut!