Elmar 50mm f3.5, commonly known as the Red Elmar or Red Scale, distinguished by its red depth-of-field markings. The Leitz product code is ELMAR. Serial number in the 1.34 million range, made in 1956. 4 elements in 3 groups. A36 filter fitting. The helicoid distance scale is marked in feet.
The Red Elmar was the final version of the A36 Elmar 50mm f3.5, a lens produced for more than 30 years since the era of the Leica Model A.
As the ultimate evolution of the A36 Elmar, it offers an exceptionally high level of refinement, from the solid rigidity of the barrel to the fine texture of its matte bead-blasted chrome finish.
The correct original hood is the FISON. Our Flashback Original FB-07 hood for the Elmar, which allows the aperture to be adjusted while the hood remains attached, would also make an excellent companion.
The nameplate shows some light rubbing. There is also a very tiny ding on the front edge of the barrel, which is a real shame, but overall the lens has a clean and presentable appearance.
A full overhaul was completed in July 2026. Both the aperture ring and helicoid now operate smoothly, and the rangefinder coupling is spot-on.
The front element has a few extremely faint cleaning marks visible only under strong LED light, while the inner element shows some coating deterioration. There is also slight balsam separation at the very edge of the rear element, but none of these issues should have any noticeable effect on actual photographs. The results of our shooting test were also excellent.
Third-party front and rear caps are included.
