LEICA LEITZ ELMAR 3.5cm (35mm) f3.5 LTM EKURZ 1938 GORGEOUS

LEICA ELMAR 3.5CM f3.5 - LTM L39 LEICA SCREW MOUNT. LEICA LEITZ ELMAR 3.5cm (35mm) f3.5 LTM - EKURZ - 1938 - GORGEOUS! A very rare 35mm postwar Leica lens offered in excellent condition! Leica, just say it, Leica... The holy grail for photographers the world over, but destined to remain out of reach for all but a few, due to their crushing, though well deserved expense. Leica have always had a mystique about them, it was they who single handedly developed the 35mm format and as a result are the greatest influence on all that followed, right up to the digital cameras we use today. This offering is a real treat, a 1938 Leica Elmar 3.5cm/35mm which survives in excellent condition. Obviously the majority of LTM lenses that you will see are 50mm variants, but the 35mm was for many years regarded as the lens of choice for reportage photographers and indeed still is in some quarters. The 35mm length offers a wider view and lends itself to many genres, either on your Leica, or a compatible digital body, such as my a Panasonic or Olympus (Micro Four Thirds) Sony NEX, Samsung NX, with increasing demand coming from those who have invested in the fabulous full frame Sony A7 and A9 mirrorless system. This lens is inconspicuous even by Leica standards, its profile is exactly as you see it here, it is a non collapsible design, there is nothing to collapse! Such exquisite, efficiency of design makes even modern day'pancake' lenses look practically obese. Information on the 3.5cm/f3.5 Elmar is a little scarce, produced from 1930 to 1950, this is a very rare 1938 example, produced as Leica was taken over for wartime production. First offered as a wide angle compliment to the ubiquitous 5cm Elmar as the new 35mm format hit its stride in the post war years. As with all Leica kit, this Elmar feels nimble, is easy to use and as reliable as the Universe. Turning to this lens specifically, the nickel finish bears only the tiniest of marks. Barrel markings are present and enjoy good contrast. The classic weak spot on any LTM lens is the nickel on the underside of the infinity lock, which is subject to more friction than the rest of the lens. On this example however, this area shows very little sign of wear at all, which would indicate to me that it has seen little extended use. The tiny, jewel like, four element optic is all you could wish, with just a little haze, but no dust at all visible held up to the daylight.

The focus ring turns easily, cleverly designed to be adjusted by the front milled edge, while the aperture ring runs smoothly with no detents, stops are from f3.5 to f22, adjusting six blinds which give this lens an almost perfectly round, iris like aperture, enabling that wonderful, organic bokeh for which Leica lenses are so renowned. The lens is supplied as shown, with front and rear caps, ready for you to get to work! All vintage Leica glass is special, there is no doubt about that, but this lens is in another league entirely, it is eighty years old and still going strong. This is a lifetime for many of us, years in which the world has changed in almost every way imaginable, but in which the value of this stunning object, hewn in the fires of post war Germany, still shines bright. Someone has invested in and loved this lens for those 80 years, but seemingly used it only sparingly, so I can offer it to you here, an incredible little time capsule.

Built with a level of quality and simplicity which is frankly beyond modern understanding, with a little care, this lens will easily last another seven decades and being Leica, when you, your children or grandchildren come to sell it on, you will like as not achieve much more for it than you paid here. Personally, I never look upon my own kit as property, It is just on a long term free loan!

The item "LEICA LEITZ ELMAR 3.5cm (35mm) f3.5 LTM EKURZ 1938 GORGEOUS" is in sale since Monday, November 18, 2019. This item is in the category "Cameras & Photography\Lenses & Filters\Lenses".

The seller is "rfcvb72" and is located in Worthing, West Sussex. This item can be shipped worldwide.

Camera/Camcorder Fitting: Leica LTM
Model: Elmar
Camera Type: Rangefinder
Compatible Brand: For Leica
Focal Length: 35mm
Maximum Aperture: f/3.5
MPN: EKURZ
Focus Type: Manual
Brand: Leica
Mount: Leica M