[Leica] 90mm Tele-Elmarit Redux

[Phil Marcus <pmarcus@swbell.net>]

After reading much about the trials and tribs of the 90mm Tele-Elmarit and
witnessing several specimens giving home and comfort to a variety of flora
and fauna, I bought a relatively clean model.

I, too, felt the lens could be sharper. It looked clean under close
inspection, but there were marks indicating someone had used a caliper
(poorly) to get inside. Sherry Krauter cleaned the lens and sent it back to
me, and I just had the results of my first test of the cleaned lens
processed.

The result of the cleaning is nothing short of incredible! Where the lens
once was flat, it's contrasty and saturated. I was fooled by a layer of
slime! It informally tests as a rather nice piece of glass. Maybe not a new
Summicron, but closer than I would have thought. I recommend a good cleaning
to anyone who has one that produces slightly flat pictures. My guess is that
the "variance in production quality" and fungus and lubrication travel
problems might be one in the same.