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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

GL Optics Leica-R

Dan Kanes said:
The nice thing about using a Leitax back and some good focus gears a la duclos is that you can use other canon mount lenses for your wide - I.e. sigma 18-35, which personally I feel is a good match to the leica R for your wides.

of course there is the matter of manual focusing with the 18-35 with a gear ring (not so hot)
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Luckily we also do the 18-35mm with a 300 degree focus though :)
 
Tarquin Cardona said:
Hi Christoffer

The catch is in between the lines of what some have already said here. Leica R are awesome if you get the right ones. For example a very late SN version of the 90mm is a killer of a lens.
35 Lux late model is insane. So one needs to research a fair bit to find the ones where the optics were improved over time as is the case with the V2 of the 19mm. Some lenses like the 70-180 and 35 -70 2.8 zooms have basically been swallowed up and are insanely expensive now for example. Because they are just that good.

What I am getting at is that just being a Leica R lens does not make it inherently awesome. So if GL Optics are picking up Leica R glass with no real emphasis on cherry picking the best for the rehouse, then you are paying a crazy premium for what lenses that may have been acquired for a few hundred bucks, rehoused and spat back out at 25K. So for me if you are going to play the vintage game in Leica or Contax or whatever. Better to do your research and have a solidly reputable house do the mods for you. It's more personal and more reliable.

Also, based on experience with the Sigma zoom GL mod, I had exactly the back focus problems others have mentioned. For me I won't trust this type of stuff anymore. Someone can get a good one, but a lot of folks get lenses that are functional but not really professionally perfect.
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Hello sir, we have an office in LA and you can come out your hands on the glass any time, I assure you we are cherry picking...

also, if you wanna "cheery pick" your own glass you can always send it in to us and we will mod it, (with no back focus issues) for $2500 a lens...


www.CinemaGlass.com
www.WhiteRevolver.com
 
Christoffer Glans said:
Got some word back from Avi about the lenses. Supposedly they now have a columator/projector to correct markings that are off so he guaranteed me 100% accurate on that. He also wrote back about what lenses that are the basis for the Leica-R series. So what's your take on these?

  • 19mm version II
  • 28mm e48
  • 35mm f1.4 e67
  • 35mm f2.0 e55
  • 50mm f1.4 e55
  • 50mm f2.0 e55
  • 60mm macro e55
  • 80mm f1.4 e67
  • 90mm f2.0 e55
  • 135mm f2.8 e55
  • 180mm f2.8 e67

The lenses I've been looking at are these and I think, based on the info he gave, these are the versions that the rehousings are based upon:

19mm version II
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/19mm_f/2.8_Elmarit-R_II

35mm f1.4 e67
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/35mm_f/1.4_Summilux-R

50mm f1.4 e55
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/50mm_f/1.4_Summilux-R_I

80mm f1.4 e67
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/80mm_f/1.4_Summilux-R

Opinions?
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Christoffer :)

Just saw all this just now... and here you were with all the proper info and the thread died eh? ;)

Maybe these folks will chime back in with some more input, it seems like they were avid about all of it for a bit above here.

Let me know if you have any more questions :)
 
Hey Avi,

For some of the top-of-the-line Leica Rs primes that aren't part of your standard sets like the 28mm version II, 50mm Summilux E60 and 90mm APO ASPH Summicron, have you all successfully rehoused those too and worked through any potential kinks?

Thanks
 
Mark M said:
Hey Avi,

For some of the top-of-the-line Leica Rs primes that aren't part of your standard sets like the 28mm version II, 50mm Summilux E60 and 90mm APO ASPH Summicron, have you all successfully rehoused those too and worked through any potential kinks?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi Mark below is the list we do

  • 19mm version II
  • 28mm e48
  • 35mm f1.4 e67
  • 35mm f2.0 e55
  • 50mm f1.4 e55
  • 50mm f2.0 e55
  • 60mm macro e55
  • 80mm f1.4 e67
  • 90mm f2.0 e55
  • 135mm f2.8 e55
  • 180mm f2.8 e67
+ the 100mm macro now :)
 
Avi,

this is the craziest thing and ive said it to you a dozen times for a product that has been out there for three years now and lenses that have thousands of loyal fans not one set has been seen that i know of and thats not good...I have all the cherry picked versions
as you know and does he take them apart to use the insides and rebuild a new lens? once its done we cant go back? who in Los Angeles will service? Duclos i cant imagine will as its directly oopsed to his mod service. I have been confused by this situation for
some time although i had a GL tokina and it was ok, was what it was never any problems.
 
I love my GL 18-35 300˚, but I'm pretty sure it's not locally serviceable. I knew this going into that purchase but the price range of the Leicas is a different tier. If I were looking at the Leica rehouses, I sure would want to see shots of the inner workings and have assurance that they can be serviced by a cinema grade service facility as with any other cinema lens.
 
sergio arguello said:
Avi,

this is the craziest thing and ive said it to you a dozen times for a product that has been out there for three years now and lenses that have thousands of loyal fans not one set has been seen that i know of and thats not good...I have all the cherry picked versions
as you know and does he take them apart to use the insides and rebuild a new lens? once its done we cant go back? who in Los Angeles will service? Duclos i cant imagine will as its directly oopsed to his mod service. I have been confused by this situation for
some time although i had a GL tokina and it was ok, was what it was never any problems.
Click to expand...



Seeeergio :)

we are working out local service as we speak :)

Call me and come over to the office today and Ill show you a set I have in my palms...

and yes, short of the long of it, you cannot go back, we rebuild the entire focus system etc... we completely break down the lens so there is no going back...

Further more our QC is tight now that were in full swing production and I you shouldn't have any problems down the line in general just like the tokina rehouse you had.

anyhow, give me a buzz, lets talk shop.

Avi
www.CinemaGlass.com
 
i wonder if there is an option on the sigma to keep the ef electronic mount so it can communicate with the new raven active system and fool control
 
jordan levy said:
i wonder if there is an option on the sigma to keep the ef electronic mount so it can communicate with the new raven active system and fool control
Click to expand...

Doubtful. I've seen inside the rehouse, I'm pretty sure the electronics aren't connected to the optics after the rehouse.
 
Sergio,

If you're in the market to rehouse your Leica R's I would not hesitate to send yours to GL Optics. I think they are the best rehouse of this glass out there. I own a set of Dalsa Leicas done by Dan Sasaki and have added a 135mm GL to complete that set and in some respects I prefer what Nan and GL have done. Not many vendors are willing to do a complete new helical for increased focus rotation... It's much easier to retain the original focus mechanics and just through a cine style "sleeve" around them and call it a rehouse... But that's only a nice dressing on a wilting salad. These are full mencanical rebuilds around the inner core lens head holding the elements in place. Iris remains original, but that's where the original mechanics ends.

I have watched GL tighten up their tolerances over the past few years and the work is pretty astounding , especially at the price point they are offering.

That's my $.02 on the matter.
 
Christoffer Glans said:
Thing is that they have a set of specific lenses they rehouse at GL optics. Here's what they do... :)

Screenshot1.png
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They are good look lenses .
 
Christoffer Glans said:
So no one has any experience with the cinema glass rehoused versions of these Leica-Rs? I find it strange that these aren't more popular than they seem, what's the catch here?
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I bought a set of Leica R's about two months ago and absolutely love them. They are all Duclos modified and late serial numbers. Excellent condition.

19mm V2
24 2.8
35 1.4
50 E60 V2 1.4
80 1.4
70-180 APO

The 70-180 is an incredible lens. I can't say enough about it. I've compared it to the Nikon 80-200 and Canon 70-200 and it beats them both. The Leica R 70-180 is as equally sharp as some primes in that focal length.

All I need now is something to replace my Tokina 11-16 that works on a full frame sensor. It gets too much vignetting at 15mm 5k.
 
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