[Leica] Russar 20mm - early conclusions

[Alex Brattell <alex@zetetic.co.uk>]

First of all let me state loud and clear - at the risk of being tedious -
we are reasonable people, this is a friendly and accomodating group, I'm
impressed. I enjoy subscribing and it's the great attitude of people here
that keeps me reading despite the occassional moronic bickering.
I posted a dull little message asking for help retrieving LUG messages - I
received friendly and useful advice both on and off list. Thanks to all who
helped. This has happened with nearly everything I've posted on the LUG. It
is very reassuring to know that there is so much goodwill out there, and a
vast pool of experience to draw on.

And so it was with the Russar 20mm I recently bought  - here are my first
impressions;

I've processed film with some Russar images on it and the negs look
surprisingly good (no prints yet), as good (as far as the eye can tell) as
my Pentax 20mm. The lens seems well built but the finish (the finesse of the
numbers etc) is a bit crude as with much 'Eastern Bloc' equipment. So far,
overall, I'm delighted with the lens for the price.

BUT - I went back and changed the lens I got sent due to some bits of swarf
between the elements - looking through the lenses in the shop with a
magnifier  they all had a certain amount of crap in there, that's the way it
is. The negatives from the first lens look identical to those from the
second under a high powered lupe (I repeated the same views from my window)
- - I don't think it makes any difference to the image at all.

I found what looks like a double-ended back cap for the Leica M (it's grey
plastic and a bit rough so I'm not sure it's made by Leica) which is deep
enough to fit on the back of the Russar with the M adaptor fitted, with a M
body cap on the other end of it. Also managed to find an old pouch to keep
the finder in. The Russar lens cap is a 49mm and a bit fiddly (push on,
lever off). I'm sure it would loosen up but I replaced it with a cap from a
Pentax standard lens (50mm 1.7 or 1.4). This also meant that the Russar
would take 49mm filters which I already have (again, from the LX system), so
I can put an orange on it for dramatic skies etc. This gives a tiny bit of
vignetting that can be cropped off in the darkroom but at least it can be
done. The only other 'pancake' lens I've got is the Pentax 40mm - it sounds
stupid, but however experienced you are you've got to be really careful not
to put your finger over the lens when using it!

Overall I'm delighted with this lens - it's a little eccentric, somewhat
stylish and it's given me ultra-wide capability on my Leica long before it
otherwise would have happened (for financial reasons), and it has the great
advantage of weighing virtually nothing. In dense crowds or vast landscapes
I have tended towards this angle of view, so it's great to have it.

All the best, Alex