LEICA APO TELYT R 180mm F3.4
Review and Photo example of the LEICA APO TELYT R 180mm F3.4.
Table of contents
Gallery
- The example photo was taken using a HASSELBLAD X2D.
Review
The APO TELYT R 180mm F3.4 is a Leica R-mount telephoto lens of which 17,000 were produced between 1975 and 1998.
The APO TELYT R 180mm is a slender yet heavy lens, and when used with a relatively large camera such as the LEICA R8, it allows for stable shooting.
The aperture ring is attached like other R-mount lenses, and the focus ring is located a little forward of it. Considering the operability and design balance of a slender lens, I feel that a wider design would be better, but this is because the helicoid part of the old Elmar R 180mm lens is reused, resulting in this stretched design. The problem with the minimum shooting distance, which I will describe later, may be that the amount of extension was insufficient due to the reuse of the helicoid.
The problem with this lens when shooting is that the minimum shooting distance is 2.5m. Since the focal length is 180mm, I would like it to be able to get as close as at least 1.8m like other 180mm lenses.
By using the macro adapter (14299), you can get as close as 1.5m, but even then, the minimum shooting distance is still not enough.
By using the x2 teleconverter to set the focal length to 360mm and then using the macro adapter, the shooting distance becomes about 2m, which I feel is finally practical.
Although this lens has such shooting limitations, the clearness of the captured image and the beautiful bokeh are the characteristics of this lens, and I feel that it definitely produces images that are worth more than its price. There is almost no difference with the more expensive Apo-Elmarit.
When used with Hasselblad X2D, the image circle completely covers the 44x33mm of the medium format digital sensor, and there is no noticeable distortion even in the peripheral areas.
Since this lens has a wide image circle, I would like to use it with the LEICA S Typ007, but this is an impossible dream due to the difference in flange back between the camera and the lens.
Leica has released many variations of 180mm telephoto lenses for the R mount, different from other focal lengths. I have listed the specifications for some representative lenses. The focal length of 180mm is thought to be one that Leica put a lot of effort into, as it released the APO-Elmarit (Elmarit) in the final stages of the Leica R mount.
I purchased the APO-Elmarit 180mm and the Vario APO-Elmarit 70-180mm for the 180mm focal length, but I didn’t use them very enthusiastically. I tend to use telephoto lenses over 300mm, and lenses with shorter focal lengths under 90mm, so I am aware that I don’t get much use out of 135mm to 180mm as a personal photography preference.
I got this lens because the time I could get it coincided with the cherry blossom season, and the lens was cheap, so I decided to buy it and use it.
You can see this lens with 3-cam and R-cam ROM terminals on the second-hand market. The lens introduced this time is also a 3-cam. The strange thing about this lens is that I have never seen an R-cam. I don’t think 1-cam or 2-cam versions were manufactured.
Specification
| Items | ELMAR | ELMARIT-II | APO-TELYT | APO-ELMARIT-II | APO-SUMMICRON |
| Focal length(mm) | 180 | ← | ← | ← | ← |
| Max aperture | 4 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2 |
| Min aperture | 22 | ← | ← | ← | 16 |
| Leaf blade | 6 | 8 | ← | ← | ← |
| Lens Construction | 5elements in 4groups | ← | 7elements in 4groups | 7elements in 5groups | 9elements in 6groups |
| Min distance(m) | 1.8 | ← | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Lens length(mm) | 100 | – | 135 | 132 | 176 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 85.5 | – | 68 | 76 | 116 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 55 | 67 (Series 7.5 old type) | 60 | 67 | 100 |
| Weight(g) | 540 | 450 | 750 | 970 | 2,500 |
| Release date | 1976 | 1978 | 1975 | 1997 | 1994 |
| Production number | 11,500 | 12,000 | 17,000 | 1,900 | 1,700 |
Reference links
- All about the R-type Leica (2003 edition) / Author: Shinichi Nakamura / Edited by Asahi Sonorama Ads by Amazon
- APO-TELYT 180 description by Leica Wiki
Update history
- 2024.03.29
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