rating: 3.33

LEICA APO-TELYT-M 135 mm f/3.4 ASPH

LEICA APO-TELYT-M 135 mm f/3.4 ASPH
A telephoto lens without compromises, it offers outstand-ing imaging performance at full aperture that cannot be further improved by stopping down. Minimal vignetting and the very slightest distortion are additional strengths. Even the finest details are rendered clearly with rich contrast.

A telephoto lens without compromises, it offers outstand-ing imaging performance at full aperture that cannot be further improved by stopping down. Minimal vignetting and the very slightest distortion are additional strengths. Even the finest details are rendered clearly with rich contrast. It is the longest focal length in the Leica M system and it bridges considerable distances, thus judiciously rounding out any serious outfit. It delivers impressive landscape photographs with a typical telephoto effect : the foreground and the background are visibly compressed. Another benefit is the ability to make format-filling portraits from a discreet distance that the subject will not consider as obtrusive.

LEICA APO-TELYT-M 135 mm f/3.4 ASPH Technical Data

Angle of view (diagonal, horizontal, vertical): 18°, 15°, 10.2°

Optical design: Number of elements / groups: 5 / 4
                         Focal length: 136 mm
                         Entrance pupil: 68 mm (related to the first lens surface in light direction)
                         Focusing range: 1.5 m to Infinity

Distance setting: Scale: combined meter/feet-increments
                           Smallest object field: 220 mm x 330 mm
                           Highest reproduction ratio: 1:9

Diaphragm:Setting / Type: with clickstops (including half values), manual diaphragm
                   Smallest aperture: f/22

Bayonet:Leica M quick-change bayonet

Filter (type):internal thread for screw-in type filters E 49

Lens hood:built-in, telescopic

Dimensions and weight: Length: 104.7 mm
                                       Largest diameter: 58.5 mm
                                       Weight: approx. 450 g

    

LEICA APO-TELYT-M 135 mm f/3.4 ASPH user reviews

    "The Leica 135mm f3.4 Apo-Telyt-M telephoto lens is yet another of the excellent designs coming from the Leica lens works while the firm itself is trying to remain financially solvent. Since the 135mm focal length is one that is difficult to use in a rangefinder camera, I am more than a bit surprised that Leica decided to replace two older, still excellent, 135mm lenses with this new design. Optically, as an apochromatic design it is quite superb. But I doubt that it is truly worth acquiring brand new at the advertised price. Furthermore, I wish Leica had decided instead of producing this lens to upgrade its venerable 50mm f2 Summicron-M lens; an older design that is finally showing its age, lacking much of the contrast and resolution wide open that is seen in the new 50mm f1.4 Summilux-M ASPH lens. If you are looking for superb optical quality in a Leica telephoto lens, then a better buy might be almost any of the 75mm or 90mm lenses (the sole exception being the new 90mm macro lens), which can be focused easily from the viewfinder of a Leica M rangefinder camera. "
--- John Kwok rated: 3
    "The 135mm f/3.4 APO-Telyt is for you if you find yourself in 'urban exclusion mode' a lot to keep images simple. It's the sharpest lens available in its focal length.

It also brings up the smallest frame in any of the Leica M-cameras. For this reason, it's best used with the M3's 0.91 viewfinder magnification, or an 0.85 M6 TTL or M7. It can otherwise be hard to make out what you're trying to photograph.

A super lens for ski photography because of its light weight and small size, mine goes everywhere, unlike some of my auto-focus behemoths. A photograph of lights marching up-slope at Squaw at the end of the day produced no flare or visible chromatic aberration. It's much better than the decades-older 135mm Hektor I used to use.

It shares the reach-into-it-real look of images from the 90mm APO-Summicron-M ASPH, but if you really need the narrow view, only the longer lens will do. "
--- Mark W. Bohrer rated: 4
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