LEICA APO VARIO ELAMR TL 55-135
A review and photo examples of the Leica APO-Vario-Elmar TL 55-135mm F3.5-4.5.
Table of contents
Gallery
- Sample photo taken with the LEICA T typ701.
Review
1．Overview
The APO-Vario-Elmar TL 55-135mm F3.5-4.5 is a zoom lens released in 2015 that covers a focal length of 80mm to 200mm in 35mm format. The lens length is shortest at 55mm at the wide-angle end and extends to 43mm at 135mm at the telephoto end. It is the longest focal length lens in the Leica APS-C line.
2．Usability
アThe APO Vario-Elmar TL 55-135mm F3.5-4.5 is a dark telephoto zoom lens, and the F3.5 at the wide-angle end of 55mm is barely tolerable. However, since the F value at the telephoto end of 135mm is F4.5, I was troubled by camera shake when using slow shutter speeds.
The image is high-resolution among zoom lenses, and the 135mm can produce a reasonable amount of blur. It is worthy of the name APO lens, and it is worth the price, as it is less likely to produce false colors in leaves, etc.
When I took it out to photograph autumn leaves at Kuwayama Shrine in Kyoto, I took photos from dusk to night, and it was a battle against camera shake and subject blur. In particular, with the Leica T, which does not have an EVF attached, you shoot while looking at the rear LCD screen, so there is a high possibility of producing a large number of blurry photos if you hold it only with your arm. Also, even if the shooting results look fine on the rear LCD screen, there were also many photos that were blurry when viewed on a PC monitor.
I would like to have an APS-C body with in-body image stabilization, but the future looks bleak as the Leica TL / CL series has already been discontinued. There are also problems with the camera body, and the autofocus speed is slow and the focusing accuracy is not good when used with the LEICA T. The AF performance of this lens is about the same as the APO Macro Elmarit 60mm.
In terms of AF speed, the top has faster autofocus operation and better focusing accuracy in the following order.
ELMARIT-TL 18mm =SUMMILUX-TL 23mm
SUMMILUX-TL 35mm
APO MACRO ELMARIT 60mm= APO-VARIO-ELAMR-TL 55-135
It’s a bit of a disappointing lens, and I feel it would be more practical if it had a variable aperture from F2 to F2.8 or a 5-way aperture of F2.8.
3．Summary
In conclusion, the APO-Vario-Elmar TL 55-135mm F3.5-4.5 is a valuable mid-telephoto zoom lens in the LEICA TL series. However, considering its price, it is dark at F4.5 at the telephoto end and prone to camera shake.
Although the lens is larger, it is cheaper and more practical to use a full-frame telephoto zoom lens made by Sigma.
Specification ・LEICA T/TL Zoom lens Variations
| Lens name | SUPER VARIO ELMAR | VARIO ELMAR | APO VARIO ELMAR |
| Focal length(mm) | 11-23 | 18-56 | 55-135 |
| 35mm equivalent focal length | 16.5-34.5 | 27-84 | 82.5-202.5 |
| Max aperture | 3.5-4.5 | 3.5-5.6 | 3.5-4.5 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Lens Construction | 14elements 10group | 10elements 7group | 12elements 10group |
| Min distance(m) | 0.2〜 (11〜23) | 0.3〜0.45 (18〜56) | 1.0〜 (55〜135) |
| Lens length(mm) | 77〜92 | 60〜80 | 110〜153 |
| Lens diameter(mm) | 73 | 63 | 68 |
| Filter Size(mm) | E67(67mm) | E52(52mm) | E60(60mm) |
| Weight(g) | 386 (Lens only) | 256 (Lens only) | 500 (Lens only) |
| Release date | 2015.3.1 | 2014.4 | 2015.3.1 |
| List Price(Yen) | 230,000- | 200,000− | 230,000- |
Reference links
- LEICA lens official page
- LEICA TL・Shige’s hobby
Update history
- 2024.07.01
- 2024.03.06
- 2022.11.25
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