I've decided recently that I don't get nearly enough use from my 135mm ( bug eyes version) and prefer using the 90 for most shots and I also have 28 elmarit that get's used, but mostly outdoors street shooting, so I was wondering if these two lenses combined would be a fair trade for a Tri-Elmar in good shape? Both the 135 and the 28 are in great shape. I picked up the 135 off of ebay. The 28 I got on a trip to Germany a couple of years back ( I still have the reciept ).

So... monetary wise would this be a fair exchange? How about Lens quality-wise? I already have two 50's and a 35, so there would be some overlap, but the Tri is just so darned convenient, and I often find myself trying to switch lenses while walking down the street ( a danger proposition at best).

Any thoughts?

-- Bob (bobflores@attbi.com), June 06, 2002

Answers

On a dealer trade against a new Tri-Elmar you're looking at adding about another $1000. If you were to sell them yourself you should have enough to buy a mint 1st-version Tri-Elmar, or with a few hundred added to it, a used second version.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), June 06, 2002.

Bob, I think Jay's response is right, regarding prices. As to lens quality, I have no complaints about the Tri-Elmar's performance and at 28mm you'd only be losing one stop compared with your 28 Elmarit. Leica admits that it performs best at 50mm and worst at 28mm and that at 28mm there is slight barrel distortion. Although I don't go in for lens testing myself, it's darned good at all focal lengths in my experience. Erwin Puts thinks very highly of it, see URL:
http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/mseries/testm/trielmar.html

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), June 06, 2002.

Yes I should have added that I sold a current 28/2.8 once I had the Tri-Elmar because I no longer found any use for it. Ditto my 35/2ASPH which I replaced with a 35/1.4ASPH. I still have a 50/2 but I rarely if ever use it anymore. My Tri-Elmar is the 1st version which I like much better than the second version. The v.2 has the obnoxious focusing tab which is very difficult to use when the camera is held in portrait orientation; it rquires special thin-mount filters, and the DOF scales leave me scratching my head long after the light has changed.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), June 07, 2002.