DavidBM Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Well I've finally done it. After a year of agonising about buying a used slow 180mm lens for around a thousand US dollars I've pushed the button on one in good nick in M42 mount at a not too awful price given what they go for!
Why you ask? Because Ming Thein and Lloyd say so? Not really.
It's just that I never take my 70-200 f4 with me overnight hiking, which is where many of my best pics come from. Never. And the Apo-Lanthar is really small; 8cm long with a 49mm filter (11cm including a Novoflex adapter which I happen to have for M42); and less than 500g.
Ok there are slightly lighter (but not shorter) ways to get a 200 - like the Zuiko 200 f5. Cheaper too. But though that lens is fine, and so are a few others I've tried, they aren't great. 200 mm lenses just needed more tech than most manufacturers were prepared to throw at something not ultra fast.
How good is the Apo-Lanthar going to be? Well that remains to be seen: it'll take a while to arrive.
Here are the data points that make me confident:
(1) I've seen careful images which show it to be a bit contrasted and sharper than the excellent Leica Apo-Telyt f 3.4 (which was my other option), except maybe at infinity (where haze tends to be the determining factor)
(2) Ming Thien likes it, and he's pretty picky
(3) Jim Kasson shows that the Sony 70-200 is pretty much a wash with the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 at the long end.
(4) Jim has also shown that the Apo-Telyt is a wash with the Sony at 180 in the middle, but rather better in the edges.
Putting all that together, I should have a lens which is at least as good as a modern zoom at 200, maybe better in the edges, and much much smaller.
I'm not expecting miracles (a nice Loxia Apo-Tele-Tessar might give us those!) since this is a 17 year old design, absurdly overpriced just due to rarity, but I do think it'll be every bit as good as my zoom but (importantly) I'll have it with me.
But I've given up waiting for a modern compact slow quality tele, so here goes. I can always sell it if buyers remorse gets me.....
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