REVIEWS - Leica 135mm F3.4 Telyt-M APO Telephoto

BUILD QUALITY

The Leica 135mm F3.4 Telyt-M APO is consistent with Leica’s exacting standards. Compared to the Leica 135mm F4 Tele-Elmar M, the focus 135mm APO’s focus ring throw is pretty short at ~120º of rotation. The 135mm Tele-Elmar’s long focus throw is tedious at times, but if trying trying to make small adjustments to focus, the longer focus travel is appreciated. Whereas the 135mm APO’s shorter focus throw speeds up the focus process; though, making fine adjustments may not be as easy. The 135mm APO’s focus ring is wide by M lens standards, so no gripes there. Focus is smooth and well dampened.

The Leica 135mm APO is beautifully made and the quality is apparent - from the fit and finish, to how the focus ring is dampened. If I had to put forth a complaint, it would the short lens hood. The short lens hoods are inadequate at night with stray light, such as a street light just outside of the frame and its light falls within the frame. In these situations with moderate side light, there tends to various forms / degrees of veiling and flare. If shooting into the sun or if the sun is slightly off-axis, the 135mm APO will flare to varying degrees.

In 2013 Leica started 6-bit coding new 135mm APO’s. Earlier 135mm F3.4 Telyt-M APO’s can be sent to Leica for coding at a cost of ~$375 US (yikes!) If considering a Leica 135mm F4 Tele Elmar-M, no 6-bit coding option exists. The only option is to manually select the 135mm F4 Tele-Elmar M via Leica camera menu, such as the Leica M10-P and Leica SL Typ 601.

ERGONOMICS AND HANDLING

The 135mm APO weighs 100 grams less than the previous model 135mm F4 Tele Elmar M. The 100 grams may sound trite, but in use the difference is appreciable. The 135mm Tele-Elmar M is nose heavy, whereas the 135mm APO feels more balanced. For handheld shooting the 135mm APO is the easy winner.

Being a long lens, the 135mm APO’s barrel is visible in the Leica M's rangefinder window. The 135mm APO does NOT block the 135mm frame line area. Framing with the 135mm frame lines is a guide, not an exact science. If I need to be more precise, the Leica EVF or Live View is the best option with the Leica M-P Typ 240. Of course, this is a total non-issue on the Leica SL Typ 601.

The 135mm APO’s minimum focus distance is 1.5 meters, typical of 135mm rangefinder lenses. Most M lenses have a minimum focus distance of .7 meters or 1 meter, so there are times where the 135mm APO’s longer minimum focus distance catches me by surprise and I need to take a step back.

For close-up work, I have tried the tube based solutions and the trial & error of stacking 1, 2 or 3 tubes to get right focus distance is tedious. Leica’s new Leica Macro-Adapter-M with a built in focus helicoid is a more convenient solution.

FOCUSING

Most M shooters will concede that focusing a 135mm lens via the RF mechanism is a roll of the dice. With the Leica M8 and M9 my in-focus keeper rates were dismal. Before the Leica M-P Typ 240 and having Live View, I simply chose not to use 135mm lenses.

That said, proper rangefinder calibration is half the battle, so if both the M body and 135mm APO are well calibrated, the focus accuracy odds improve radically. Normally I am not a fan of 1.25x or 1.4x magnifiers because they reduce contrast in the RF window, but in the case of the 135mm lenses, the benefits outweigh the risks so to speak. Without a magnifier, my in-focus keeper-rate is pretty low, especially at wider apertures. Fortunately my Leica M-P Typ 240 and 135mm APO are well matched, and with a 1.25x magnifier the wide-open in focus keeper rate is ~50% (usually shooting around F5.6).

While 50% might sound okay, the discussion fundamentally changes with the Live View. While the Leica M-240 based cameras' Live View is less than ideal, I muddle through with the Leica Visoflex EVF2 and Leica M Monochrom Typ 246. Even with a well calibrated rangefinder and 135mm APO, I still gravitate towards the EVF because my confidence level is higher. And with the new Leica M10-P and the Leica Visoflex (Typ 020) Electronic Viewfinder, focusing the 135mm APO is very easy. While the Leica M10-P is a bit fugly with its EVF atop, the combination works exceptionally well.

OPTICAL PERFORMANCE

The 135mm APO’s ability to resolve details is stunning - it is probably the sharpest, highest resolving Leica M lens I own. Pixel peeping with the 135mm APO is a guilty pleasure. Chromatic aberrations in the plane of focus are pretty much non-existent. Distortion is minimal - I never notice any nor apply any distortion corrections in Phase One's 'Capture One' raw editor.

Contrast is beautifully balanced - images are neither overly contrasty nor washed out. I probably enjoy the Leica 135mm APO’s contrast the most with the Leica M Monochrom Typ 246 with city-scape pictures. I often use a red filter for daylight pictures. The contrast and “pop” are excellent. From time to time I will also stack a polarizer. There is a bit sharpness lost due to the filters, but the 135mm APO is so sharp, that the sharpness lost (due to the filters) is a non-issue.

The new ASPH designs set new standards in wide open sharpness and contrast. The most common trade-off I see in the ASPH lenses is “busy” bokeh (nisen bokeh). It is more noticeable in wider lenses such as the Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH FLE, but even the Leica 90mm F2 Summicron-M APO can have its moments. Fortunately the inherent telephoto traits of a 135mm focal length keep the nisen bokeh at bay. The tree branches in the picture below posed a good bokeh challenge for the 135mm APO -

The 135mm APO is very bokeh capable; however, it cannot match the degree of bokeh produced by a Canon 135mm F2 L @ F2. That is a Captain Obvious statement, but I think it needs to be noted to ensure potential buyers have realistic expectations.

One thing I did not like at all about the Leica 135mm F4 Tele-Elmar M (#11861) was the chromatic aberrations in its bokeh. Bokeh orbs exhibited green / magenta CA, and blurred objects exhibited similar green / magenta outlines. All lenses do this, just to varying to degrees. The 135mm Tele-Elmar was not “horrible” and most people would probably have to look really hard to see the differences. The Leica 135mm APO definitely shows better, but it too will show some CA in the bokeh around bright edges.

CONCLUSION

The Leica 135mm F4 Tele Elmar-M is widely regarded as an exceptionally sharp lens. With the 135mm APO, Leica made the lens a 1/2 stop faster, improved wide open sharpness, reduced CA in the bokeh and decreased weight by 20%. That is an impressive feat. Optically, the 135mm APO's results are superb and there really is nothing to fault. I have used the 135mm APO with the Leica M8, M9, M-240, M-246, M10-P, Leica SL, Sony A7II, Sony A7rII and Sony A7rIII. It has performed well on all these cameras.

While there are many 135mm SLR lenses that could be used on a EVF capable Leica M such as the Leica M10-P, very few of those lenses match the 135mm APO compactness and none will match the Leica 135mm APO’s performance to size ratio. And, if wanting telephoto reach with a focus-coupled rangefinder lens, the 135mm APO is the best option. That said, pairing the Leica 135mm APO with an EVF-based camera (or a Leica M with an EVF accessory) goes a long ways towards realizing consistent focus results.

I keep beating the EVF drum because 16 of the 22 images presented in this review were captured using an EVF. My current 135mm APO was purchased in late 2015 and I have always had a EVF-capable camera on hand during that time, so the results make sense. I have owned 135mm APO's before 2015, so searched the hard-drives for edited 135mm APO images (aka - "keepers") taken with the M8 and M9 and founding nothing. That was a bit surprising. So my conclusion (for my uses) - an EVF is key to getting good results from the 135mm APO. Your mileage may vary of course, but food for thought.