A superb copying lens!!

Flare when shooting into very strong bright light outdoors.

Outstanding lens for copy work! I use it with a 4-light copy stand to duplicate family photos going back 100 years for which negatives no longer exist. I load Technical Pan into my R8 set on the MANUAL exposure metering setting, determine correct exposure with a gray card, and easily copy photo after photo after photo. The results are stunning! I develop the film in Technidol and am always 100% pleased with the sharpness and tonality this lens produces!

Crisp bright colors, solid construction excellent detail rendition, good flare control.

I've had occasional problems with flare when the sun is just outside the picture area which I *think* is related to reflections from surfaces inside the mirror box of the Leicafelx SL.

The color quality more than anything else distinguishes photos made with this lens from the Micro-NIKKOR photos. Color saturation with the Nikkors is not nearly as rich or clean as with the Macro-Elmarit-R

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 55mm f/3.5 Micro, Nikon 55mm f/2.8 Micro

Superb reproduction from 1:2 (or 1:1 with macro extender) up to infinity. For optimum results, the lens should be stopped down to at least f/8 in the macro range. Colours are rendered very well and the image is sharp from the centre to the corners. Superb bokeh (quality of out-of-focus areas). Flat field, ideal for document copying. Deeply recessed front element needs no lens hood.

A little bulkier than a 50mm "standard" lens, owing to its macro construction.

I use it as my standard lens, since I don't usually need an aperture wider than f/2.8. If bought used, it's a fraction of the new price and there are usually plenty of examples available on the market. This was once the macro lens by which all others were judged.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Olympus Zuiko 50mm/3.5 macro.

very good contrast and flat field.snappier slides than my micro-nikkor 55.
i use it as standard lens,performance at infinity is excellent as well.mechanically very smooth focussing,but solid mount is heavy.use no sunshade,very deeply recessed elements.

a bit heavy

leitz lens quality of the highest order,ditto for price,but it will keep you happy for long time.

Customer Service

excellent, but not cheap!

Similar Products Used:

nikon 2.8/55mm optically ok. too,but mount develops far more play over time.
occasionally still use my oldest kilar 2