135MM SCREW MOUNT LENSES

135mm f/4.5 Elmar 

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The 135mm f/4.5 Elmar lens was introduced in 1931 and was the third commercially produced lens for Leica cameras, following the 50mm f/3.5 Elmar and 50mm f/2.5 Hektor lenses³⁶⁰. Notably, it was the first non-50mm lens made for Leica³⁶⁰. This lens has a standard four-element design, with the rear two elements cemented together³⁶⁰. Although the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar was a new addition to the Leica lineup, some Leica historians argue that the long-focus Elmar was not entirely new in design. According to these historians, the optical design of the non-coupled 135mm f/4.5 Elmar lens predates the Leica camera itself, having been created by Professor Max Berek in the mid-1920s. It was initially designed as the standard lens for a 9x12cm plate film camera and was later adapted for use as a long-focus lens on the Leica I Model C¹⁷⁵. Consequently, the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar was classified as a long-focus lens for plate cameras (as opposed to "telephoto"), later fitted with a focusing mount featuring a male Leica thread³⁶⁰.

The lens was available in both standardized and non-standardized mounts, with later versions featuring rangefinder coupling³⁶⁰. All variants include a double aperture scale, which is necessary due to the rotating mount that allows for aperture reading from various positions³⁶⁰. Additionally, every version has a tripod bush positioned at the center of gravity of the combined camera and lens unit³⁶⁰. The 135mm f/4.5 Elmar was produced from 1931 until 1936, and over 5,000 units were manufactured³⁶⁰.

Several variants of the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar were produced³⁶⁰:

• Variant 1: Uncoupled, non-standardized, with a three-digit compatibility number; available in black and nickel finish³⁶⁰.
• Variant 2: Standardized mount (marked with the symbol §), uncoupled and unnumbered; available in black and nickel finish³⁶⁰.
• Variant 3: Standardized mount (marked with the symbol), coupled and unnumbered; available in black and nickel finish³⁶⁰.
• Variant 4: Standardized mount, coupled and numbered; available in black and nickel finish³⁶⁰.
• Variant 5: Standardized mount, coupled and numbered, with infra-red markings on the aperture scale; available in black and chrome finish³⁶⁰.

Code names

135mm f/4.5 Elmar in non-coupled mount is identified by code EFERN in the 1931 Ernst Leitz catalogs for Wetzlar and London and by code LEDUP in the the 1931 Ernst Leitz, New York catalog¹⁷⁵. This led to a unique situation where one product was identified by two different codes, which was rectified by the time the new Leica II Model D was listed in the 1932 catalogs. Both catalogs then referred to the rangefinder-coupled 135mm f/4.5 Elmar with the code EFERNKUP¹⁷⁵.

Field of view

Early Leitz advertising described the image angle of the EFERN/LEDUP lens as 19 degrees while also stating that it could cover a full 60 degrees. This discrepancy is unusual and somewhat confusing. An explanation for the two image angles can be found in a 1931 Ernst Leitz catalog, which stated: "The image angle of the 13.5 cm lens as utilized for Leica negatives is 19 degrees. The full angle of which this lens is capable exceeds 60 degrees."¹⁷⁵

Design

One notable change occurred either during the prototype stage or early in production, resulting in the "sleeved" version. This sleeved design simplified the engraving and alignment processes for assembling and calibrating the focusing mount, and it was likely implemented for that reason. This design feature became common across virtually all thread mount, bayonet mount, and Visoflex lenses introduced by Leitz between 1931 and 1961 that had a focal length greater than 50mm¹⁷⁵. Also, the earliest models did not feature a tripod mount, which was included in later versions²⁹⁴. In addition to that, in the earlier lenses, the tube connecting just below the depth-of-focus scale had a butt joint, whereas later models incorporated a rolled lip²⁹⁴.

Closing Remarks

In 1936, the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar was discontinued with only about 5,259 units produced²⁹⁴. Despite its significance, the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar was commercially unsuccessful. It struggled with poor color correction and failed to meet the demands of 35mm photography¹⁷⁵. Lastly, it is interesting to note that the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar was listed in Ernst Leitz, New York catalogs for several years after the announcement of its replacement in 1932. Both the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar and the 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor were available simultaneously until mid-1936. The last catalog listing for the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar appeared in catalog number 1244, dated May 1936¹⁷⁵.

13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor 

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Introduced in 1933, the 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor lens (code-named HEFAR²⁵⁹) remained in production until late 1960, when it was replaced by the bayonet-mount 135mm f/4 Elmar³⁶⁰. The 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor succeeded the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar of 1931³⁰¹. However, unlike the screw-mount 135mm f/4.5 Elmar, the 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor had enhanced color correction and resolution²⁹⁴.  It is composed of four glass elements, featuring a central cemented pair³⁶⁰. Due to these improvements, the 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor was offered at a higher price. By the following year, it had outsold the 135mm f/4.5 Elmar by a ratio of more than 4 to 1²⁹⁴. 

Starting from serial number 141600, the filter mount is non-rotating and has an E39 front³⁶⁰. From serial number 590551, which was produced in January 1,  1946, the lens comes factory-coated¹⁹. With a total production exceeding seventy thousand units, the lens is available in various variants³⁶⁰:

• Variant 1 has a coupled mount; has a serial number; finished in black and nickel³⁶⁰.  
• Variant 2  has a coupled mount; has a serial number; finished in black and chrome³⁶⁰.  
• Variant 3 has a coupled mount; has a serial number; finished in black and chrome, with infrared markings on the aperture scale³⁶⁰.  
• Variant 4 features a deep, sunk mount; finished in black and chrome³⁶⁰.  
• Variant 5 includes a large front that accepts filters designed for the 5cm f/2 Summitar; finished in black and chrome³⁶⁰.  
• Variant 6 is a post-war model: lightweight design with an A36 filter mount; finished in all-black and factory-coated³⁶⁰.  
• Variant 7 has a lightweight construction; features a factory-coated A36 filter mount; finished in all chrome with a black vulcanite  band³⁶⁰.  
• Variant 8 includes a non-rotating lens mount; also available with a bayonet mount; finished in all chrome, but comes with an E39 filter mount. A known prototype (no. 0000370) exists³⁶⁰.  
• Variant 9 is a short lens head (with click-stopped aperture settings) designed for use with the Visoflex³⁶⁰.  

Covered with sharkskin

It's known that between 1948-1951 the 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor were supplied with a "sharkskin" trim ²⁵⁹ on focusing mount, but only for a limited period¹⁸⁸. As a result, these lenses are less common than those covered with pebble-grain vulcanite material and are encountered only occasionally. 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor lens can be found in either chrome or black finish with sharkskin trim¹⁸⁸.

Grey paint finished 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor lenses

There exists grey paint finished 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor lenses³²⁴. It's known that during August and September 1944, Leitz Wetzlar shipped the 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor to Berlin. At least four shipments are recorded in the delivery ledgers preserved in the Leica Germany archive³²⁴. The examples from 1944 feature grey-painted focusing mounts paired with black lacquered lens heads. The records do not specify the finish of these lenses. An earlier shipment from September 1941, in the 558XXX range, is noted as “grau” (grey)³²⁴.

Any grey-finished 13.5cm f/4.5 Hektor lenses are distinctly different from the ordinary black lacquered models. It is reasonable to speculate that most of the grey samples were lost or destroyed as World War II drew to a close³²⁴.