Hi agian,

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?

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

THANX

-- Cris (doublestroke@gmx.net), May 11, 2002

Answers

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.

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.

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.

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.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), May 11, 2002.

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.

-- Arnold Y Chong (yonnhaechong@prodigy.net), May 11, 2002.

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.

-- Albert Knapp MD (albertknappmd@mac.com), May 11, 2002.

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?

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.

-- Andrew Nemeth (azn@nemeng.com), May 12, 2002.

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.

-- James Mason (james@zidar.net), May 12, 2002.

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.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 12, 2002.

Cris,

Take a look at the "What wide-angle R? 19/2.8 or 21/4? (paolo folzani, 2002-05-07) " thread below...

-- Jacques (jacquesbalthazar@hotmail.com), May 13, 2002.

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.

-- Steven Fong (steven@ima.org.sg), May 14, 2002.