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.
Leica has released many variations of telephoto lenses with a focal length of 180mm for the R mount. The representative lenses are as follows. This APO TELYT 180mm was the earliest 180mm lens released.
Leica R 180mm Lens List
- APO TELYT 180mm
- ELMAR 180mm
- ELMARIT 180mm Old
- ELMARIT 180mm New
- APO ELMARIT 180mm
- APO SUMMICRON 180mm
The inclusion of the Summicron 180mm F2 in this lens lineup shows that Leica was particular about 180mm.
The Summicron 180mm F2 is a lens that I am very interested in, but it is expensive because it was produced in small numbers, and there are not many uses for the long focal length of 180mm, so I have not yet purchased one.
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.
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 a LEICA S Typ007, but this dream cannot come true due to the difference in flange back between the camera and the lens.
I purchased the Apo-Elmarit 180mm and the Vario Apo-Elmarit 70-180mm for a focal length of 180mm, but I was not very enthusiastic about using them. I often use telephoto lenses of 300mm or more and short focal length lenses of 90mm or less, and I am aware that I do not have much use for 135mm to 180mm as a personal photography preference.
3．Summary
To sum up the APO-Telephoto R 180mm, apart from its long minimum shooting distance, it is a telephoto lens with a wide image circle and good color reproduction. It is reasonably priced, so it is a good candidate if you are looking to buy a lens with a long focal length.
For manual lenses, long focal lengths for medium format lenses are cheaper, so if you don’t need an APO, they are a good alternative.
Specification and series lens
I compared the lens configuration diagrams of the earliest APO TELYT 180mm and the latest APO ELMARIT 180mm.
The latest APO TELYT 180mm has a telescope-like lens arrangement with the front and rear groups separated, making the design look old. Also, compared to the APO ELMARIT 180mm, the lens diameter is 8mm thinner and the lens length is 3mm longer, so the balance when attached to a large camera such as the LEICA R8 is worse than that of the APO ELMARIT 180mm.
- The lens construction diagrams are quoted from each company’s materials, and the sizes have been adjusted by us, so they are not exact.
| Item | Apo telyt | elmar | apo elmarit |
| focal length(mm) | 180 | 180 | 180 |
| Maximum aperture | 3.4 | 4 | 2.8 |
| Minimum aperture | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Lens configuration | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| Leaf blade | 7 elements in 4 groups | 5 elements in 4 groups | 7 elements in 5 groups |
| Minimum distance(m) | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Lens length(mm) | 135 | 100 | 132 |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 68 | 85.5 | 76 |
| Filter type | 60 | 55 | 67 |
| Weight(g) | 750 | 540 | 970 |
| Hood | 組み込み | 組み込み | 組み込み |
| Lens mount | ライカR | ライカR | ライカR |
| Release date | 1975 | 1976 | 1997 |
| Production numbers | 17,000 | 11,500 | 1,900 |
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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