LEICA APO TELYT R 280mm

Review and Photo Examples of APO TELYT R 280mm F4 Telephoto Lens for Leica R.

Gallery

Sample photos taken with the LEICA SL typ601.

Review

Apo TELYT R 280mm F4 is a popular telephoto lens released at the end of the Leica R mount.
Production began in 1993, and by 1997 about 2,000 units had been made, with 3-CAM, R-CAM, and ROM terminals available. It is equipped with a tripod mount and cannot be removed, but it can be rotated by loosening the screw on the side.
The filter diameter is 77mm, which is unusual for Leica. In addition to this front filter, a drop-in filter can be inserted at the base of the lens.
Compatible with Apo Extender x1.4 and x2.0 as lens options.
The hood was built-in and could only be pulled out and used; there was no locking mechanism.

The author goes to Shirakaba Pass in Nagano Prefecture every year to watch the hawks migrate, and it is recommended to use a focal length of 500mm or more when photographing there (this is the only time you will see Nikon or Canon 800mm/F5.6 in the field). , I change cameras and lenses every year when I go out to shoot, but in 2017 and 2018 I used a combination of this lens and x2 APO-EXTENDER on the LEICA SL.

The model I owned had a 3-CAM specification, and the focus ring was light and quick compared to other R mounts from this period, but it was difficult to make subtle adjustments. Since it is a used lens, there is a possibility that the grease may have come off. Since there is a certain rotation angle from infinity to the shortest focusing distance of 1.7m, the heavy focus ring can be a pain.

The image quality was as expected, and I didn’t notice any deterioration in the image whether it was the original 280mm, 392mm with x1.4APO-EXTENDER, or 560mm with x2APO-EXTENDER.
I think it’s a great lens adapted to the digital age.

It seems to be extremely difficult to adjust the focus at 560mm/F8 with the finder of the R8/R9, but fortunately the body I was using this lens with was a LEICA SL typ601, and the 4.4 million dot Eye Res finder was able to adjust the focus at 560mm/F8. I was able to do it to a certain extent.

The LEICA SL does not have image stabilization, so even if the focus is correct, the camera may shake, but the new LEICA SL2/SL2-S is also equipped with image stabilization, so it would be better to use this lens.

This lens is one of the lenses that is rarely seen on the Japanese market. In 2017, I saw it used at an affordable price on an online shopping site that I used to visit, so I went a little further and bought it. Compared to the Apo TELYT R 280mm F2.8 and Apo TELYT Module System R, which have the same name, the list price is reasonable. At used prices, it sells for almost the same price as the Apo Terito R 280mm F2.8, which has the same focal length and is brighter, suggesting that demand for Leica R-mount telephoto lenses is weak.
I used the telephoto lens for about a year and then got rid of it because I didn’t use it often and wanted to use the money to buy other lenses.

Specification

Items	Value	Note
Focal length(mm)	280
Max aperture	4
Min aperture	22
Lens Construction	6群7枚
Leaf blade	8
Min distance(m)	1.7
Lens length(mm)	208	Distance from mount surface
Max diameter(mm)	88
Filter Size(mm)	77
Weight(g)	1875
Production number	2000
Release date	1993