Hi folks: Does anyone out there have experience using the old 90mm collapsible Elmar? I am not certain when they were made but I imagine sometime in the 50's or 60's. What attracts my attention about this lens is the fact that it can be collapsed to save space, especially when travelling.How does it perform? I presently own a 90mm Elmarit which rarely get used. Just curious. Thanks experts.

-- John Alfred Tropiano (jat18@psu.edu), November 23, 2001

Answers

I have not used the collapsible 90 Elmar but it is the same optical design as the contemporary rigid 90 Elmar, which was a decent performer in its day--which was a *long* time ago. The so- called "thin" 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit-M is not much longer than the 90/4 even when collapsed, but weighs less, offers substantially better performance, and a 1-stop advantage.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), November 23, 2001.

I've owned an Elmarit, but I do have 2 of the collapsible 90mm Elmars (& I'm, ahem, selling 1--look 3 posts down) & believe them to be good, but not spectacular, performers that are comparable to their contemporary competitors (I believe they were made from 1954 to 1968). They are indeed great travel lenses--once collapsed, the M body & Elmar will fit inside an everready case (roughly the same weight & profile as a rigid Summicron). Plus they look kind of cool when extended! That said, if you need the extra speed in your travels, best look elsewhere.

-- Chris Chen (furcafe@cris.com), November 23, 2001.

Sorry, the 1st sentence should have begun "I"ve *never* owned an Elmarit . . ."

-- Chris Chen (furcafe@cris.com), November 23, 2001.

John,

I came across a collapsible 90 in a trade. It had (and I am told that most of them) a circular pattern of fog on the interior of the lens that looked like a donut from the outer edges into the center. I was told this was basically a universal characteristic of this lens. Obviously, I can't speak for all of them.

It is an interesting optic (can Leitz bring it back like the 50 2.8 Elmar in an updated version?) but for current use I think the TE versions or the newer 90's would be a better choice!

Todd

-- Todd Phillips (toddvphillips@webtv.net), November 23, 2001.

This ia Manuel Alvarez Bravo, with a 90/4 colapsible, wide open.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), November 26, 2001.

I've used the 90/4 collapsible since 1958. It's a wonderful old lens that has a neat look especially when equipped with the 12575 hood. It's not going to win any speed contests but is quite sharp from f5.6 upward. With 400 ISO film this doesn't present any problems. Yes, these older lenses get the haze mentioned above but can be readily cleaned by a good technician. I enjoy using mine as an artifact of the past and the images it produces are quite acceptable even by today's so called higher optical standards.

-- Roy Moss (leicaroy@charleston.quik.com), November 26, 2001.