The Vario-Elmarit-R 35-70mm f/2.8 ASPH is a high performance lens with a constant high speed of f/2.8 throughout the entire focal length range. The heart of this "highlight" is a polished optical system in connection with a new type of precision mechanics. The lens consists of eleven lens elements in nine groups. Five of these elements are made of glass with high anomalous partial dispersion (for color error correction) and four elements are of glass with an extremely high refraction index. Additionally, the lens has a Leica precision-ground and polished aspherical element against distortion. All lens surfaces have an antireflex coating so that reflections and stray light can be reduced as much as possible.

Weight: 1,050 gr, length from bayonet flange: 133mm, built-in telescopic lenshood. E77 filter size.

Its Leica catalog number is 11275. This lens has only been available for a very short period (December 1999 till mid-2000) with customer queus of more than one year. Production has been stopped since it has proven too time-consuming to manufacture this lens within the extremely small tolerances (given the high share of manual labor involved). This lens has already become a collectible and demands a high premium since only about 500 samples have been made before production was stopped. If you can find one second-hand, don't hesitate !

Already at open aperture, the Vario-Elmarit-R 35-70mm f/2.8 ASPH shows high image performance over the entire field and throughout the complete focal length range. Contrast and resolution can be improved just slightly by stopping down to f/4.0. Rest image errors are hardly existent. In the tele range (70mm) the image performance nearly measures up to an apochromatic corrected system. Throughout the entire setting range, distortion and vignetting are slight.

Click for the Leica product information sheet.

Click here for an in depth-test report.