Leica's collapsible short tele — the 90mm f/4 Elmar, compact coated screw-mount glass.
The collapsible Elmar 90mm f/4 is the mid-1950s redesign of the long-standing 9cm Elmar, built with a barrel that retracts to make a compact short telephoto for the screw-mount Leica system. It sat in the Leica Thread Mount line alongside the collapsible Elmar 50mm as a matched, packable pairing for travel.
This is a manual-focus, rangefinder-coupled Leica Thread Mount lens with a 90mm focal length and a maximum aperture of f/4, distinguished by its collapsible mount. It is coated and finished in chrome over brass; verify the filter thread and exact optical layout on the specific example, as production varied.
A 90mm f/4 remains a comfortable portrait and short-telephoto lens on a rangefinder, and the collapsible barrel makes this version notably shorter to carry than the earlier rigid 9cm Elmars. Coated glass gives it cleaner contrast than the pre-war versions while keeping the classic rendering of the focal length.
Used values are collector-driven and depend heavily on the collapsible mechanism working correctly. Inspect for haze and cleaning marks, coating wear or scratches, and element separation; make sure the barrel collapses and locks firmly, the focus is smooth and the aperture blades are free of oil. It mounts on Leica M via a 39-to-M adapter and on mirrorless through an L39 adapter.