APO TELYT R 180mm F3.4
The eldest of the Leica 180mm brothers
A 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
1．Overview
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 lens consists of 7 elements in 4 groups, 8 aperture blades, and a minimum shooting distance of 2.5m.
This lens is available in 3-cam and R-cam mounts with ROM terminals on the second-hand market. The lens introduced here is also a 3-cam. What’s strange about this lens is that I’ve never seen an R-cam version.
2．Usage
The APO TELYT R 180mm is a heavy lens for its slimness, and it can be used with a relatively large camera such as the LEICA R8 for stable shooting.
The aperture ring is located at the base of the lens barrel, like other R-mount lenses, and the focus ring is located a little forward of it. Considering the balance between the operability and appearance of a slim lens, a wider focus ring is better.
This design is because it uses the focus part of the Elmar R 180mm lens, which was released at the same time. 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 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 at least 1.8m closer, like other 180mm lenses.
By using the macro adapter (14299), you can get as close as 1.5m, but I still feel that the minimum shooting distance is not enough.
By using a x2 teleconverter to make the focal length 360mm and attaching a macro adapter, the shooting distance becomes about 2m, which is finally practical.
Although this lens has such limitations in terms of photography, the clearness of the captured images and beautiful bokeh are the characteristics of this lens, and it certainly produces images that are worth more than its price. In some scenes, you won’t feel any difference compared to the more expensive Apo-Elmarit 180mm.
3．Add Info.
When used with Hasselblad X2D, the image circle completely covers the 44x33mm of a medium-format digital sensor, and no noticeable distortion is felt even in the peripheral areas.
This lens has a wide image circle, so I would like to use it with LEICA S Typ007, but this dream cannot come true 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, unlike other focal lengths, and I have listed the differences in the specifications of the representative lenses.
Among them, the Apo-Telito 180mm is the lens released earliest, so I call it the eldest son.
This focal length of 180mm is thought to be a focal length that Leica focused on, as they 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 focal length, but I did not use them very enthusiastically. I generally use telephoto lenses of 300mm or longer, and short focal length lenses of 90mm or shorter, and I am aware that I don’t have much use for 135mm to 180mm lenses due to my personal photography preferences.
I purchased this lens because the time when it was likely to be available coincided with cherry blossom season, and the price of the lens was low, so I decided to buy it and use it.
Specification
| Items | ELMAR | ELMARIT II | APO TELYT | APO ELMARIT II | APO SUMMICRON |
| Focal length(mm) | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180 |
| Max aperture | 4 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2 |
| Min aperture | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 16 |
| Leaf blade | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Lens Construction | 5elements in 4groups | 5elements in 4groups | 7elements in 4groups | 7elements in 5groups | 9elements in 6groups |
| Min distance(m) | 1.8 | 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
- 2025.1.6
- 2024.03.29
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