A nickel Elmar 5cm f3.5 with no serial number. Distance scale in meters, half-rotation helicoid, uncoated, and helicoid number 1. Commonly known as the Short Elmar. Its unusually short barrel makes me wonder every time whether I have pulled the lens out far enough, haha.
This is not the so-called Old Elmar. It is believed to be a New Elmar originally fitted to a Leica Model A made around 1930, later factory-converted by Leitz at the time to Leica screw mount with rangefinder coupling.
A perfect match for black/nickel Barnack Leicas, and also enjoyable on modern digital M Leicas via an adapter. Nearly 95 years old, yet still very much ready for use.
英訳です。
This is an item we previously sold. It was carefully used by its owner and has now returned to our shop.
The condition remains unchanged from when we last sold it, and for a nickel Elmar, this is quite a nice example. There are some minor signs of rubbing, but the nickel plating still has a beautiful shine, with no noticeable scratches or dents. The collapsible section also shows only minimal rubbing marks, giving a very good overall impression.
Fully overhauled in 2026, including focus adjustment. The aperture and helicoid feel superbly smooth and beautifully finished. The matte lacquer inside the barrel, used to prevent internal reflections, has also been carefully repainted, so a more refined, contrasty rendering can be expected. Thanks to careful adjustment, the rangefinder coupling is also spot-on.
There are a few extremely shallow cleaning marks on the front element, and around two tiny pinhead-sized marks on the rear element, but these should have virtually no effect on shooting. The glass is free from haze and has excellent clarity.
Original front and rear caps are included. The front cap is made of Bakelite.
A lens you will want to pair with a nice clean DII or DIII.
