Has anyone compared the Nikkor-Q 135 f/3.5 Leica screw mount lens to the Leica 135 Tele-Elmar f/4 lens. I am going to buy one or the other. Comments?

Dave Saalsaa

-- Dave Saalsaa (SaalsD@cni-usa.com), May 05, 2002

Answers

The old Nikkor is not in the same league of the tele-elmar--its more like the older 135mm Elmar. Sharp at f8 but not wide open.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), May 05, 2002.

Dave; I have a LTM 13.5cm f3.5 Nikkor-Q C ; the "Q" means 4 elements ; the "C" in red means the lens is coated. The lens of mine is chrome; and has a tripod socket. The bare lens alone weighs 571.4 grams; with my UV filter and lens hood 648.3 grams; with lens caps added 665.8 grams.....I got it off of Ebay awhile back.. as for weight; it seems damn heavy to me; it is made out of solid brass and looks like it will last forever..one probably could use the lens as a screw jack!..For a weight comparison; my Noctilux with caps weighs 671 grams; It is the first F1.0 series lens with the 58mm filter size...

The 135mm of mine is from the 1950's; coatings look very good/excellent...Older Nikkors rarely have coating or fog problems...Sartorius's book on lenses says the 1965 to 1998 M series Tele-Elmar weighs 550 grams; and is 5 elements in 3 groups...it is a lighter , newer design; and better lens than the Nikkor...

But the Nikkor is still a very good lens that probably will always hold its value well...Here is a shot with the 13.5cm F3.5 LTM Nikkor shot at 1/250 @f3.5 .The shot is thru the 1/2 inch thick scratched up plexiglass "glass" at the hockey arena... The vertical color bands in the full frame photo are from the interaction of the slow speed Leica M3 shutter curtain; and the 60 cycle Vapor High intensity arc lamps at the arena..they show up badly at 1/500; slightly at 1/250; and not at all at 1/125 sec...The same bands show up with my zorki 3c; Zorki 4; Zorki 6; Fed-2; and Leningrad LTM cameras...It also shows up on my friends M4 camera too! The bands NEVER show up with my nikon-F; or Bessa-R... Also the bands only appear at the arena! The bands never show up in any other photos; away from the arena.. The lighting Bozos probably did not place the lamp/banks on three separate circuits/banks wired to each of the three ; 3 phase AC power lines....this evens out the weirdness..Vapor lamps and flourescent bulbs vary their output during the AC 60 cycle supply.. Kelly





-- Kelly Flanigan (zorki3c@netscape.net), May 06, 2002.

The old 135mm Elmar is sharp at full aperture - or at least the macro details are - lowish on contrast, but it has a lovely look.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), May 06, 2002.