Does anyone have any opinion on the allaegation that the Red Scale 5cm Elmar was "better" than it's predecessors?

Does anyone know at what point Red Scale 5 cm Elmar production began? I have heard 905000 and 955000. Apparently there was intermixing, since I have an f22 non-Red Scale #971,260.

Adam

-- adam g. lang (aglang@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002

Answers

Erwin devotes a page to the 50/3.5 red scale Elmar and the design consideration and serial number issues on his website. To make the story short, it is indeed an updated design, but Erwin doubts there is significant improvement as compared with the earlier version of the same lens. Thus he rates the lens as new but not necessarily better. I can tell you that even though it may not be any better, it will most definitely be more expensive than the earlier lens.

The actual serial number at which the red scale Elmar production began is not known, although somewhere in the range you stated is probably correct. From long experience collecting Leica, I can tell you that "intermixing" is entirely possible. There are so many examples whereby a later lens has some early type features and vice versa.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), April 17, 2002.

Elliott-

>I can tell you that even though it may not be any better, it will >most definitely be more expensive than the earlier lens.

Ah, but IS IT better?

-- adam g. lang (aglang@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Adam. According to Erwin, the answer is it is either the same or only marginally better optically. I haven't made a comparison myself, but I have no basis to doubt this statement. It is definitely a more collectible version of the Elmar.

Another thing you might want to consider is that your lens (which has a late enough SN to be red scale) could have the new optical formula without the red D.O.F scale. The way one could tell is from the curvature of the front element being different between the two different optical formulas (see Erwin's site). I never tried this method myself.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), April 17, 2002.

Eliot-

I have two ELmars in front of me, 971260 and an early postwar example 631190. The coating on the later lens is more red, but I see no difference in the front elements' curves or the two sets of visible reflections of overhead lights. The reflections off the rear elements appear identical although the optical unit appears to be in a different sleeve. Looks like the same optical design, except coating.

-- adam g. lang (aglang@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.