Elmarit 19mm 2,8

Hi agian,

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again I need some help for choosing my next R lens! I'd like to buy a wide angle lens under 20mm, so there is the 19mm Elmarit. But as usual there're different versions. I only wanted to know whether it's unimportant to choose the old or the new version released in the early 90's? Are between these two lenses seriously differeces?

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Does anyone know a site where I can find photos take with it?

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THANX

I've only tried shooting with the early 19 - it's OK but not great.

It's one of Leica's early attempts at a really wide retrofocus design.

Pretty sharp at the center but very soft reaching the corners. The 21

f/2.8 preASPH M lens, designed 5 years later, is much better. For that

matter the Canon 20mm f/2.8 FD manual focus lens, designed 2 years

earlier, is much better.

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Not having tried it, I can't comment directly on the newer 19, but from

the pictures I've seen it seems to be a big leap forward - which, of

course, the prices reflect.

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The early 19 is BIG, but I found it to be fairly light and well-

balanced on an SL body. But given the prices most sellers seem to want

($900+) it's really a pretty weak performer. IMHO.

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Erwin Puts sez you need to stop down to f/11 to get the corners sharp,

which more or less jibes with what I observed.

I have early version of 19 mm F2.8 Elmarit, I took picture of night

scene of Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas, using Tripod, R8, with spot

meter exposure, F8, about 10 seconds or longer, using Kodak 800

negative film. I have 20 x 30 inch, poster size enlargement made, it

is tack sharp, with no perspective distortion, meaning, building

lines are straight, I was very impressed with the performance of

this lens.It is my favorit lens when I travel and expect to take

lots of wide angle pictures.

Cris: I have been using the newer version of the 19mm f/2.8 for

the past three years for travel photography and find it a

marvelous performer. I have had phots enlarged and they are

tack sharp. My only concern is the inability to place a protective

UV on the front optic but c'est la vie.

I would like to ask a Q about the current 19mm R Elmarit - how

bad (good?) is corner vignetting, especially at f2.8, f4 and

f5.6?<P>

I mainly use W.A. lenses for virtual-reality photography, where

you have to join a number of images together to create one

seamless panorama. Corner vignetting is a huge bug-bear here

as it makes the seams stick out and thus results in banded

skies or walls etc etc.

I had the older version of the 19 Elmarit and it was an unusually

good lens. I am still amazed when I run across a transparency I

shot with it. Once I shot a picture of the Portland, Oregon skyline

from the top of what was then the highest building in town. The

scanner operator at the very high quality shop which did the

production called me at 3 in the morning to ask what lens that

was. He said he'd never seen anything like it. He made a 30x45

inch chromalyn print and kept staring at it, amazed, the editor told

me later.

If you are mainly shooting travel and landscape photography at f/5.6-

f/11 there is no better overall choice in R lenses (IMO) than the

21/4. The early 19 is comparable performance-wise, but un-filterable

and very bulky. As Albert pointed out, the later 19 can not be

filtered on the front either, but it is much better at f/2.8-4 and

much smaller. If you are mainly wanting to shoot PJ stuff, thet's

the one to get...be prepared to pay a lot for it though.

Cris,

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Take a look at the "What wide-angle R? 19/2.8 or 21/4? (paolo

folzani, 2002-05-07) " thread below...

I use the previous version (82mm front) a lot and i am very happy with

it's performance, even wide open. Yes the corners are not as sharp as

the centre but very much usable IMO. Stop down it is quite fabulous.

other than the size i have no complains esp. when it is so much cheaper

than the current one. Absolutely no distortion.