[Leica] 60mm Macro Elmarit-R

["Anderson, Ferrel" <AndersonF@ria.army.mil>]

I have the 60mm Macro Elmarit-R, 65mm Elmar (black), 100 Macro Elmar
(bellows lens), and 100mm Apo Macro Elmarit-R lenses.  My conclusion after
resolution tests with Technical Pan is that the 100 Apo is the best up to
and including f8, and the other lenses best it from f11 on.  The 60mm is
second best, and it is superb at every aperture.  I have no idea how to
qualitatively describe the 100 APO up to f8.  Super superb?  The 65 Elmar is
next in line, and at f8 and 26 times its focal length resolves over 80 lp/mm
from center to edge both sagitally and tangentially.  The other two lenses
best it across the field, especially at the wider apertures.  The 100 Elmar
is very good, but the performance of my sample is not what I want or expect
of a Leica lens.  It just barely resolves 80 lp/mm at the center and edges
at every aperture up to and including f11; however it has very uniform
performance from center to edge.  This represents by far the  worst
resolution performance of any of my Leica R lenses.  All of these lenses
offer brilliant contrast, have perfectly flat fields, and are superbly
constructed. 

In addition to doing resolution testing, I have also compared their
performance in controlled practical situations.  With slide films, K25 and
100 Ektachromes, at magnification ratios of around 1:5 - 1:10 I can detect
no difference in their performance.  With Technical Pan I can see
differences at the corners, but just barely.   I have come to the conclusion
that with almost all prime lenses from the major manufacturers at their best
apertures, one will not see significant differences if at all in terms of
resolution because these lenses can resolve more than these films can.
Color rendition and contrast and brilliance are a different story.