For anyone interested, I just saw a 40mm F=2.8 Elmarit-C on Ebay for a whopping $1800. They are quite rare but I think I would rather buy a 75/1.4

-- mark (mramra@qwest.net), September 05, 2001

Answers

There is value assigned in Leicaland based only on production numbers that has little or nothing to do with inherent quality of an item or its usefullness. As long as the rest of the Leica collector buying world agrees that the value is there, it holds or goes up. Kind of like the stock market I guess.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), September 06, 2001.

Yes the 40 f2.8 is very very rare. In fact I understand it was withdrawn due to poor performance, or something like this (anyone enlighten us?). The collapsible 50mm Elmar presumably fits the bill for this for the Ms. Might be nice for a CL or CLE owner, but the usual 40mm f2s are pretty small and superb performers, so I think it is one for collectors only.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), September 06, 2001.

Stephen Gandy's web site indicates that the lens was never released to the public but that the 500 samples were sold to Leica employees after they decided not to produce the lens. As for the 50 Elmar, it should not be used on the CL as in the collapsed position it will interfer with or damage the meter arm. The lens is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I just thought it interesting to see one on ebay as they are extremely scarce.

-- mark (mramra@qwest.net), September 06, 2001.

Mark, I just saw that lens on ebay myself and was about to post a message but you had beaten me too it. I am very curious about the lens being a CL/CLE fan. I have pictures of a russian 40mm f1.8 made for the CL as well. I still think its an excellent focal length when you cant decide between a 35mm & 50mm lens. My 40mm F2 is a great lens. I guess its more interesting to those who have 40mm framelines. I would be interested in anyone who has tried this 2.8 Elmarit as far as its optical quality goes.

-- James Cooke (james.c@mis.net.au), September 07, 2001.

The 40/2.8 Elmarit-C is truly one of the rarest Leica bayonet mount lens. As far as optical quality, though, I doubt it is in the $ 1800 category. Other examples of extremely rare Leica lenses are: 1) 180/2.8 Tele-Elmarit for BM Visoflex (about 275 made, in yr 1965). 2) 15/8.0 Zeiss Hologon for Leica-M (?several hundreds made, 1973). 3) 50/2.0 Elcan (500 made for KE-7A camera (an M4 variant), 1974). 4) 35/1.4 Aspherical (1st version) (< or = 1000 made, 1990-1991).

Lenses 1) to 4) each cost more than $ 2000, if you could find one.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), September 07, 2001.

And then there were two...

www.woodcam.com has a 40/2.8 Elmarit-C for $2199.

-- mark (mramra@qwest.net), September 07, 2001.

Maybe its the same lens? I bet they traded it cheap, telling its owner "sorry sir we would offer you more than $125.00 if was the faster f2!"

-- James Cooke (james.c@mis.net.au), September 08, 2001.

Read it somewhere that the Elmarit-C 40mm/2.8 was meant to be an economical Romania-assembled standard lens for the CL (instead of the Summicron-C 40mm/2). If I remember correctly, the story was that a design or production fault caused a part of the lens (probably the aperture setting tab) to obstruct the CL's focusing window, and so the small batch of lenses produced was never put on the market.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), September 09, 2001.