Re: [Leica] VARIO-ELMAR-R f/3.5-4.5/28-70 mm

["Doug Richardson" <doug@meditor.demon.co.uk>]

In response to my question about this lens, FIGLIO4CAP@aol.com wrote:

>So often I read comments like this which quote from a limited number
of
experiences. We do not know the failure rates of these lenses or of
many other
pieces of equipment as well.

I certainly don't, but would regard the views of a specialist Leica
dealer from a major capital city as some degree of evidence. The exact
words my dealer used to describe the first version of the 28-70mm were
a lot more colourful  than "quality-control problem" <grin>. And I've
heard similar comments from another dealer whose opinions I respect.
Towards the end of the first variant's life, it was reported here on
the list that Leica were experiencing a high reject rate with the
Sigma-produced lens, and were withdrawing it from production.


>Simply to say that a couple of people had a lens fall apart is not to
say that it has "problems".

I used to be an engineer - if anything  I designed broke in the field
(not through mis-use) that was either a design problem or a
quality-control problem. As a young engineer I once told my
departmental head that in any product some failures were inevitable.
He made it very clear that if that was my attitude, I should consider
change of employer. I chaged my attitude.


As you say, a limited sample tells us nothing. However the fact that
you ran your lens "for years" says that you must have been pleased
with its results. I'm trying to decide whether to add a 35mm between
my 28mm and 50mm or move to a short zoom. My gut feeling is to get a
35mm, it would be cheaper and would be Leitz-made and contemporary
with my mid-1970s camera, not Leica-made and late-90s. (Although I use
my cameras, I'm a sort-of-collector.) But I'm painfully aware of how
much time I already spend changing lenses. In Greece last year I saw a
great possible shot in a narrow street, but had to frantically change
from 50mm to 28mm before the opportunity vanished. On the other hand
the 35mm would be a good general-purpose lens, and I could close the
ERC over it . . .

My own experience of failures in almost 40 years of Leica owning has
been:

A Leica II which jammed in 1962 (needed lubrication for the first time
in its life)

A poorly-assembled Leica-era ball & socket head

The meters on several 20+ year old Leitz-era cameras now read wrongly
in poor light, and unused slow speeds on several have now failed. All
show various minor maladjustments, looseness & slop. Time for an
en-mass CLA . . .


Regards,

Doug