Leica Projector Lenses

Dust long having settled on the carcass of the industry, it seems in hindsight that Leica treated the production of domestic slide projectors more seriously than the Zeiss / Zett / Voigtlander combine. Leica’s catalogue of projector lenses represents the acme of the craft, matched by none for breadth and few for depth: for image quality, only Rollei and Braun’s finest lenses compare.

Leitz projectors date to at least 1933, when the catalogue shows four models, including a Standard projector (UKLON), onto which was fitted the four-element Elmar 50/3.5 (commonly marked 5cm) taking/enlarging lens. The UBELA and UDANO projectors had a film magazine and semi-automatic transport and was capable of deplying the stock Elmar 5cm, or 90/4, 105/6.3 and 135/4.5 variants, as well as the Hektor 73/1.9. Finally, UKABY was supplied with fixed 80mm or 120mm lenses.

By 1939, Leitz had a compact model in the range: initially called Gnom, but renamed in the 1940s to Parvo. These models had fixed Hektor 80/2.5 or 100/2.8 lenses. Parvo evolved into Parvo II and by the early 1950s, the Prado range.

Before singling out individual lenses for comment, we can draw from Delta’s archive the following summary:

Pre-1950 Leitz lenses for VIII, etc	Cat. No.	Elements	Date
5cm for VIIIa		4 / 3	1932-1936
50mm Milar / Epis		4 / 3	1934-1937
73mm for VIIIa			1932-1936
80mm Milar / Epis		4 / 3	1934-1937
80mm (black version)		4 / 3	1926-1932
8cm Milar for VIIIb		4 / 3	1932-1936
80mm (chrome version for Umino)		4 / 3	1935-1938
85mm		4 / 3	Various
90mm for VIIIa			1932-1936
85/2.5 Hektor for VIIIa (2nd Gen)		4 / 3	1937-1951
100/2.5 Hektor for VIIIa (2nd Gen)		4 / 3	1937-1951
135mm for VIIIa			1932-1936
12cm Dimax for VIIIb			1932-1936
20cm Dimax for VIIIk/m			1935-1936
25cm Dimax for VIIIk/m			1935-1936
Pre-Colorplan Leitz Prado 100/150/250/500 Lenses
8.5cm / f2.5 Hektor for Prado 150	DUUYO	4 / 3	1957-1967
10cm / f2.8 Dimaron for Parvo II / Prado 250	UDOYO		1950-1968
100mm Dimaron for Prado S/SM			1956-1960
10cm / f2.8 Hektor for Parvo II / Prado 250	UDREU		1950-1968
10cm / f2.8 Dimaron for Prado 150	DUUXA		1957-1967
120/2.5 Hektor		4 / 3	1956-1960?
150mm Hektor for Parvo II / Prado 250 [31540 S]	FOWUU		1950-1968
150/2.5 Hektor for Prado 66	YHRUU		c.1956-1968
150/2.8 Dimaron for Prado 66	YACUU		c.1956-1968
200/4 Dimar [31560 W]	FEUUG		1954-1968
200/2.5 Hektor	FUUZC?	4 / 3	1954-1968
300/2.8 Hektor			1954-1968
Leitz Pradovit-Era lenses (1958-1982)
35/2.8 Elmaron	37 041		c.1969-1982
45/2.8 Elmaron for Pradovit Color 110	37 007		c.1974-1976
50/2.5 Colorplan for Pradovit Color 110	37 006		c.1974-1976
50/2.8 Elmar for Pradix			1964
50/2.8 for Pradolux			1964
50/2.8 Elmarit-P for 150, 1500, 2500 Series	37 011		c.1981
50/2.8 Elmaron for Pradovit RA150, etc	37 008		1974-1979
60/2.8 Elmaron for 1500, 2500 Series (not 150)	37 004		1979-1981
85/2.8 Elmaron for Pradix			1964
85/2.8 Elmaron for 150, 1500, 2500 Series	37 003		1979-1986
90/2.5 Colorplan for Pradovit F [V1 Chrome Barrel]	FEDUU	5 / 4	1958-1967
90/2.5 Colorplan [V2 Chrome barrel/black nose]	37 005 37 010?	6 / 4	1967-1982
90/2.5 Colorplan CF [Chrome barrel / black nose]	37 015	6 / 4	c.1981
100/2.5 Hektor for Prado 500		4 / 3	1964
100/2.8 Elmaron for Pradix / Prado 150			1964
100/2.8 for Pradolux			1964
100/2.8 Elmarit for Pradovit FA (perhaps also Elmarit 90/150)			1964
120/2.8 Elmaron [-P?] for Pradovit RA150, etc [V1 Chrome]	37 019		1971-1979
120/2.8 Elmaron for RT-300, 150, 1500 and 2500 [V2 chrome/black]	37 022		1980-1987
120/2.8 Elmaron CF for RT300	37 012		1980-
120/2.8 Elmarit-P CF for Pradovit/Pradolux (4/4)	37 012		1980-
150/2.8 Elmarit-P CF for Pradovit 150, 1500, 2500 and Pradolux (4/4)	37 013		c.1980-1981
150/2.8 Elmaron-P CF for RT300	37 013
150/2.8 Elmaron for 1500, 2500 (in 1979 – same as -P? or revised?)	37 030		1979-1981
150/2.8 Elmaron [-P?] (announced for RT300 in 1980)	37 030?		1980
150/3.2 for Pradolux			1964
150/3.2 Elmaron for Prado Universal, 150, R15-, RT300	37 031		1968-1984
200/3.6 Elmaron (announced for RT300 in 1980) and 1500, 2500	37 062		1980-1981
250/2.8 Hektor for Prado 500 Auditorium			1964
250/4 Elmaron for 1500, 2500 Series	37 082		1979-1981
300/2.8 Hektor
300/4.3 Epnor	34 837		1979-1981
80-125 Leitz-France Cadrovit (aperture undeclared)		6 / 6
Leitz / Leica P-Series Lenses (for Kindermann-Produced Projectors) Pradovit R/ RA 152, 153/253, C/ CA 2502, Color 2			1982-1990
35/2.8 Elmaron	37 041		1969-1987
50/2.8 Elmaron	37 051
50/2.8 Elmarit-P	37 011		1987
60/2.8 Elmaron	37 004		1987
60/2.8 Leica PC-Elmarit-P
85/2.8 Leica Elmaron	37 003		1986-1987
90/2.5 Leitz Colorplan (Chrome)	37 005		1982-1986
90/2.5 Leica Colorplan-P	37 005 37 010	6 / 4	1986-1990
90/2.5 Leitz Colorplan-P CF	37 015	6 / 4	1982-1990
90/2.8 Leica PC-Elmarit-P	37 509
100/2.8 Elmaron	37 002
120/2.8 Elmaron [V1 Chrome]	37 019
120/2.8 Elmaron [-P?] [V2 Black]	37 022		1987
120/2.8 Leitz Elmarit-P CF	37 012		-1986
120/2.8 Leica Elmarit-P CF	37 012		1986-
120/2.5 Hektor	37 020	4 / 3
150/2.8 Elmaron	37 030
110-200/3.5 Leitz Vario-Elmaron-P	37 027		1982-1986
110-200/3.5 Leica Vario-Elmaron-P	37 027		1986-1987
150/2.8 Leitz Elmarit-P CF	37 013		-1986
150/2.8 Leica Elmarit-P CF	37 013		1986-1989
150/2.8 Leitz Elmarit-P	37 017		-1986
150/2.8 Leica Elmarit-P	37 017		1986-
60-110/3.5 Leitz Vario-Elmaron-P	37 026		1982-1986
60-110/3.5 Leica Vario-Elmaron-P	37 026		1986-1990
200/3.4 Leica Elmaron [-P]	37 009		1987
200/3.6 Leitz Elmaron	37 062		-1986
250/4 Leica Elmaron	37 082		1987
300/4.3 Leica Epnor	34 837		1986-1987
Leica P-Series Lenses Made in Portugal
90/2.5 Colorplan-P CF (Curved Field)	37 015	6 / 4	1986-
Leitz Colorplan CF 90/2.5 marked Leitz Wetzlar	37 015	6 / 4	1982-1986
Leitz Colorplan 90/2.5 marked ‘Made by Leitz Portugal’
Leica P2-Mount Lenses (Zett Factory Produced) for Pradovit P150, P155, P255, P300 (1990), P2002			1990-2008
Pradovit 600 (P2-Series)			1995-2006
Pradovit IR (P2-Series)			2002-2008
Pradovit PC (P2-Series)			2003-2008
60/2.8 Elmarit-P2	37 510
85/2.8 Hektor-P2	37 511	3 / 3	1990-2008
90/2.5 Colorplan-P2	37 512	6 / 4	1990-2008
90/2.5 Colorplan-P2 CF	37 513	6 / 4	1990-2008
90/2.5 Leica Super Colorplan-P (for P2002)	37 085	5 / 4	1993-2000
90/2.5 Super-Colorplan-P2	37 514	5 / 4	1993-2008
120/2.8 Elmarit-P2 (2003) (Elmaron misprint in 1995?)	37 515		1990-2006
150/2.8 Elmarit-P2	37 516		1990-2006
70-120/2.8 Vario-Elmarit-P2	37 518		1990-2006
200/3.4 Elmaron-P2	37 520		1990-2006
250/4 Elmaron-P2	37 521
100-200/2.5 Vario-Elmaron-P2	37 522
100-200/3.5 Vario Elmaron-P2	37 524
85-150/4
Leica Pro Mount Lenses (52.5mm diameter) for Kodak-produced Pradovit RT-m, RT-s. Made in Portugal.			1998-2004
35/2.8 Elmarit-Pro	37 352		1998-2004
45/2.8 Elmarit-Pro	37 353		1998-2004
60/2.8 PC-Elmarit-Pro	37 361		1998-2004
90/2.8 PC-Elmarit-Pro	37 362		1998-2004
90/2.5 Colorplan Pro	37 354		1998-2004
90/2.5 Super-Colorplan Pro	37 355	5 / 4	1998-2004
120/2.8 Elmarit-Pro (all new design)	37 356		1998-2004
150/2.8 Elmarit-Pro (all new design)	37 357		1998-2004
200/3.4 Elmaron-Pro	37 358	5 / 4	1998-2004
70-120/2.8 Vario-Elmarit-Pro	37 363		1998-2004
100-300 Vario-Elmaron-Pro	37 360		1998-2004

Pradolux cheaper range from 1962-1970 with plastic barrel lenses.

All single focal length Pro lenses have 67mm front filter.

Super-Colorplan and 120 Elmarit absent from May 1987 catalogue

Elmarit and Elmaron [TBA]

The Colorplan Story

Leica’s Colorplan slide projector optics are, quite properly, the best-known and most highly regarded lenses of their kind. While other products may match their performance (Rollei’s AV-Apogons, Braun’s Ultralits and Schneider’s Xenotars are certainly in the running for ultimate honours), nothing matches the heritage of the Colorplan, originally designed by Walter Mandler in 1958/9. Given how well our 1960 test sample performed in 2022, it must have been a revolution – its complex design a shark among triplet minnows in the early Sixties.

They are also marked out by offering an unusually high level of performance at an affordable price. Leica made them well and sold a lot of them, for a long time – resulting in a potentially daunting number of variants – seemingly all 90mm and f2.5 – swilling around today’s marketplace, commonly divorced from the projectors that once housed them. If you’ve only ever heard of one projector lens, it’s probably a Colorplan. If you’ve only ever taken pictures with one projector lens, it’s probably a Colorplan. However not all Colorplans are the same – or even 90mm.

Its history is somewhat tarnished by reports of inferior build quality in the early phase of Portuguese production – from approximately 1980 to 1985. The factory in Vila Nova de Famalicão began to output optics for Leitz in 1975, but Colorplans of the 1975-1980 period all seem to be German-made. In 1981, Leitz debuted a ‘CF’, or Curved Field, variant of the Colorplan 90/2.5 that was produced in both Germany and Portugal during the early 1980s. Evidently production of Colorplans at this time was split between both facilities, and it’s unclear whether there are meaningful differences in build quality between the two factories, or whether the differences are by design. Marco Cavina’s article documents a series of cost- and weight-cutting measures undertaken by Leitz in the early 1980s to lower production costs to the point where most Leitz projectors could ship with a Colorplan lens: ‘Made in Portugal’ models are almost 60g lighter than the late 1970s Colorplans, and generally inferior in construction, which impacts on performance by making them more prone to internal reflections. The optical formula was unchaged. Given the global cachet of ‘Made in Germany’, it’s somewhat mystifying that Leica chose to advertise the provenance of the Portugeuse lenses so prominently – perhaps a rare triumph of honesty over (political) ‘optics’.

However, when Leitz restructured and rebranded in 1986, the German-made P-Series Colorplans, now marked Leica Colorplan-P (instead of Leitz Colorplan) were made using the same ‘cost-efficient’ parts as the Portugal models. In fact, subsequent production was split ‘silently’ between Solms and Vila Nova de Famalicão, and standards improved at the remote facility to the point where the distinction between German and Portuguese lenses became meaningless.

Purists still argue that peak Colorplan (mechanically, at least) was the original [V1] ‘Leitz Wetzlar’ production. Optically, though, the later six-element lenses were slightly superior. As taking lenses, both are fine: the early five-element models are actually sharper in the frame centre, but the late six-element version is better in the outer image circle.

Here we explain the when, what and where of Leica’s Colorplan 90/2.5 models – or Leitz Colorplan as they were known pre-1986 . . .

Lens Designation	Cat. #	Production	Elements	Notes
Leitz [Wetzlar] Colorplan [V1]	FEDUU	1958-1967	5 / 4	All-metal silver barrel. Marked ‘1:2.5/90mm’ Single-coated. Made in Germany.
Leitz [Wetzlar] Colorplan [V2a]	37 005	1967-c.1975	6 / 4	Silver metal barrel / black plastic nose with markings around the side. Made in Germany. Single-coated.
Leitz [Wetzlar] Colorplan [V2b]	37 005	c.1975-1986	6 / 4	As [V2a] but marked ‘1:2.5/90mm . . . LENS MADE IN GERMANY’ on outer edge of slim, flat fascia.
Leitz [Portugal] Colorplan [V2]	37 005	c.1980-1986	6 / 4	Marked on inner fascia ‘COLORPLAN 2.5/90’. Same formula as [37 005] but inferior build. Multicoated.
Leitz [Wetzlar] Colorplan CF [V2]	37 015	1981-1986	6 / 4	As [37 005] but ‘Curved Field’. Marked ‘2.5/90mm’. Markings on inner fascia. Made in Germany. Multicoated.
Leitz [Portugal] Colorplan CF [V2]	37 015	1981-1986	6 / 4	As above but ‘Curved Field’. Multicoated.
Leica Colorplan-P	37 005	1986-1990	6 / 4	Leica-branded silver barrel / black nose. Made interchangeably in Germany and Portugal. Multicoated.
Leica Colorplan-P CF	37 015	1986-1990	6 / 4	As above, but ‘Curved Field’.
Leica Colorplan-P2	37 512	1990-2006	6 / 4	Made in Portugal. Black plastic barrel. Revised optical formula. Leica-branded and multicoated.
Leica Colorplan-P2 CF	37 513	1990-2006	6 / 4	As [37 512] but ‘Curved Field’
Leica Colorplan-Pro	37 354	1998-2006	6 / 4	For Pradovit RT Series. Black metal barrel. Multicoated.

Although we have here differentiated eleven versions of the 90mm f2.5 Colorplan for the purpose of accurate dating and identification, not every difference is significant. There are three major variations to take note of:

1. The original single-coated, five-element [V1] produced from 1958-1967 (FEDUU)
2. The six-element [V2] (catalogue 37 005) and ‘Curved Field’ variant (catalogue 37 015), which together stretch from 1967-1990, gradually acquiring multicoating, dipping in build quality during upscaled Portugeuse production of the early 1980s, and including the original P-series Colorplan – and:
3. The final, and most desirable, post-1990 ‘P2’ revision (catalogue 37 512).

Leica Super-Colorplan Variants

The trio of Super-Colorplans are products of the Leica era, not arriving until 1993 and apparently simultaneously launched in P and P2 mounts – the former only fitted to the Pradovit P2002 and the latter initially provided as a factory option for the Pradovit P300, although it naturally became an option for all subsequent P2 series models.

A fitting apotheosis to the Colorplan story, the final Super-Colorplans were five-element designs like the original FEDUU variant. They were hugely more expensive than the six-element standard Colorplans of the Leica era, featuring aspheric glass and state-of-the-art multicoating. Mount aside, all versions appear to be identical optically – although it’s likely that the final Pro models had improved coatings to match their all-metal construction.

As taking lenses, Super-Colorplans offer performance similar to the Elmarit primes of their day, albeit with a fixed f2.5 aperture, and better optimised for long than short distance. Zone A sharpness is very high, matched only by elite 35mm projection lenses like the Rollei AV-Apogon. Bokeh is smooth and harmonious, though not quite as attractive as the six-element versions, in my opinion. However, colour reproduction is unmatched among optics of this type.

Lens Designation	Cat. #	Production	Elements	Notes
Leica Super-Colorplan-P	37 085	1993-2000	5 / 4	Silver metal barrel / black plastic nose. Multicoated. Fitted to Pradovit P2002
Leica Super-Colorplan-P2	37 514	1993-2008	5 / 4	Black metal barrel. Multicoated. Fitted to Pradovit P300 / P600
Leica Super-Colorplan Pro	37 355	1998-2008	5 / 4	Black metal barrel. Multicoated. Fitted to Pradovit RT Series