Re: [Leica]Elmar 2.8/50 Collapsible

["Jeff Segawa" <segawa@netone.com>]

From: Steve Hickel <smhickel@x2.alliance.net>
>I just got one of these. Nice lens. Can't wait to see the first results. A
>little slow for my liking but then the price is under $1000 too. Does
>anybody have any positives about this lens (hold the negatives for a
while)?

I got one: It looks more like an enlarging lens than a camera lens! I did
not like the screw-on metal shade much at first, but in practice, it's
actually had it's advantages: It's effective protection for the front of the
lens, so if the front cap comes loose in your camera bag, and it rattles
around for awhile, chances are, the glass will remain untouched. Watch for
stray light hitting the glass, and you'll be fine. Lens speed is sort of a
subjective thing: f/2.8 is as fast a lens as I've used in quite awhile, so
it works great for me! No, I don't use a lot of Tech Pan or Velvia, at least
not handheld. I'm happy with it. Whatever the black finish is made of, it's
pretty tough, and mine still looks new after a year of being hauled around a
lot.

Much pleased with Leica's discounts, as they have made the gear less
unaffordable :-) This year, I purchased my first new Leica lens, and
first-ever set of binoculars (8x32BA). The notion of gear which is not
pre-dinged is still taking some getting used to. In the past, I've done fine
without instruction booklets, but I'm finding that it's fun to know that if
I ever have to, I can safely rinse the binocs under the faucet; something I
admit, which would never occur to me without the manual. I hope my other
favorite German toymaker, Lehmann, follows suit (discounts, that is)