Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/3.5

Leica · Leica R · 1983

Also known as: Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/3.5 · Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f3.5 · Vario-Elmar-R 35-70 f3.5 · Vario-Elmar-R 35-70 f/3.5 · Vario-Elmar-R F3.5 35-70mm · Vario-Elmar-R F3.5 35-70 · Vario-Elmar-R 3.5/35-70 · Vario-Elmar-R 3.5/35-70mm · Vario-Elmar-R 3,5/35-70 · Vario-Elmar-R 3,5/35-70mm · Vario-Elmar-R 1:3.5/35-70 · Vario-Elmar-R 1:3.5/35-70mm · Vario-Elmar-R 1:3.5 35-70mm · Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm · Vario-Elmar-R 35-70 · Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mmF3.5 · Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm 3-Cam · Vario-Elmar-R 35-70 3cam · Vario Elmar R 35-70mm f3.5 · Vario Elmar R 35-70 F3.5 · Vario Elmar R 3.5/35-70 · Vario Elmar R 35-70mm · Vario Elmar R 35-70 · Vario-Elmar R 35-70mm · Vario-Elmar R 35-70 · Vario Elmar-R 35-70mm · Vario Elmar-R 35-70 · Elmar R 35-70mm f/3.5 · Leica R 35-70mm f3.5 · Leica R 35-70mm f/3.5 · Leica R 35-70 f3.5 · Leica 35-70mm f3.5 Vario-Elmar-R · Leica 35-70mm f3.5 · Leica 35-70mm f/3.5 · Leica Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f3.5 · Leitz Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f3.5 · Leica 35-70mm 3-Cam · Leica 11244 · Leica 11248 · ライカ バリオエルマーR 35-70mm F3.5 · バリオエルマーR 35-70mm F3.5 · ライツ バリオ エルマー R 35-70 F3.5

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
First version, E60 (11244) Leica R, 3-cam 1983–1988 up to 3393300 (Leitz's accessory table: the E60 lens 'to No. 3 393 300') —
Second version, E67 (11248) Leica R, 3-cam 1988–1997 from 3393301 (Leitz's lens accessory table: 'from No. 3 393 301') —
  1. Specification from Leitz's LEICA R handbook of December 1989, for the 11248: angle of view 64° to 35°, eight elements in seven components, E67 with an internal M 67 × 0.75 thread, fully automatic diaphragm with click stops at half values, smallest aperture 22, focusing to 1 m, smallest field 632 × 947 mm at 35 mm (about 1:26) and 338 × 507 mm at 70 mm (about 1:14), separate zoom ring, black anodized, built-on telescopic hood, front lens 75 mm, 66.5 mm from the bayonet flange, 76.5 mm across, 0.450 kg.
  2. Weight and size. Leitz gives 450 g and 66.5 × 76.5 mm for the 11248. cinelenswiki gives 420 g and 64.5 mm without saying which version; Kamerastore gives 420 g and 72 × 65 mm for an 11244 and 450 g and 67 × 78 mm for an 11248. English Wikipedia gives 450 g and 76.5 × 66.5 mm for both. The family figures here are Leitz's.
  3. Blades. Kamerastore and cinelenswiki both give seven; no Leitz document consulted gives the number.
  4. Dates. English Wikipedia gives 1983–1988 for the 11244 and 1988–1997 for the 11248; Kamerastore gives 1983 and 1988 for the two introductions; cinelenswiki gives 1983–1996 overall, says the E60 lens was made by Minolta until 1985 and dates E67 serials from 1986. Leica's 2000/2001 range table no longer lists the lens, and its successor, the Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/4 (11277), was launched in 1997 by Dr Joseph Yao's account. No factory document dating the last lens was found.
  5. Production. cinelenswiki gives a total of 31,610 for both versions. No split between the versions has been published.
  6. Body fit. Leitz's 12/89 handbook heads the specification page 'for LEICA R models (all programs), LEICAFLEX SL / SL 2 models' and does not name the original Leicaflex, although the same handbook heads other lenses 'LEICAFLEX models' or says they can be modified for 'all LEICAFLEX cameras'. Kamerastore's product text says this 3-cam lens fits all Leicaflex and R bodies, and the site's Leicaflex page records that 3-cam lenses generally carry the first cam that body reads. The two do not agree; this page follows Leitz and lists the lens against the SL, SL2 and the R bodies, not the original Leicaflex. No source consulted says why Leitz left the first Leicaflex off, so a buyer who wants to use it on that body should try the fit, mirror clearance included, before relying on it. On the R8 and R9 it works through the stepped R-cam without the ROM functions.
  7. Extender. Leitz's 12/89 bag tables list the Extender-R 2x carried mounted on the 3.5/35-70, and the Extender-R 2x is specified for focal lengths of 50 mm and longer. Leica's 2000/2001 table of approved APO-Extender-R combinations lists the f/4 35-70 but not this lens.
  8. Prices. No period list price in DM or dollars was found. In November 2026 Kamerastore's pages for a used 11244 and a used 11248, both out of stock, showed US$538 and US$615; these are dealer asking prices, with duties and taxes calculated at checkout.
How to tell them apart (expand)
  • Front ring engraved VARIO-ELMAR-R 1:3.5/35-70; constant f/3.5, aperture ring 3.5 to 22
  • Built-on telescopic hood, which the later 35-70mm f/4 (separate screw-in hood 12437) does not have
  • Focuses only to 1 m and has no macro setting; the f/4 has a macro setting to 0.26 m (Leica 2000/2001 handbook)
  • Separate zoom ring (two-ring zoom) and three cams with no ROM contacts; Leica's 2000/2001 handbook lists ROM conversion as not possible
  • The filter size tells the versions apart: E60 is the first, Japanese-made version and E67 the second. The f/4 11277 also takes E60, so check the aperture and the ROM contacts before reading E60 as the first version

First version, E60 (11244):

  • E60 filter thread at the front; the front lens group and the filter thread turn as the lens is focused (Kamerastore, Nemeth)
  • Stamped 'Lens Made In Japan' (Kamerastore)
  • Three cams at the back of the mount: two sloped Leicaflex cams and the stepped R-cam; no ROM contacts (Kamerastore)
  • Serial number at or below 3393300 (Leitz 12/89)

Second version, E67 (11248):

  • E67 filter thread, with 'E 67' engraved on the front ring of the example Kamerastore photographs; the front does not turn when focusing (Kamerastore)
  • Serial number from 3393301 (Leitz 12/89)
  • Three cams, no ROM contacts, as on the first version
  • Sellers list it as made in Germany ('GERMANY', 'ドイツ製' in Yahoo! Auctions titles); Kamerastore says production moved from Japan to Germany

Serial-range notes

3393300 / 3393301
The changeover, from the factory's own accessory tables in the Leitz 12/89 and Leica 2000/2001 handbooks: the E60 lens runs 'to No. 3 393 300' and the E67 lens 11248 'from No. 3 393 301'. A serial therefore settles the version even where the filter ring is damaged or a step ring is fitted. cinelenswiki dates the first E67 serial to 1986. Leitz serials were reserved in blocks, and a block's date is when it was reserved, not when the lenses were finished.

Specifications

Formula
Zoom of eight elements in seven groups; a Minolta design per English Wikipedia, made in collaboration with Minolta per Kamerastore
Construction
8 elements / 7 groups
Aperture range
f/3.5–f/22
Diaphragm blades
7
Min. focus
1 m
Dimensions
76.5 × 66.5 mm
Weight
450 g
Filter
60 mm, E60, internal thread M 60 × 0.75; Series 7.5 through adapter 14263 (Leitz 12/89 and 2000/2001 accessory tables) (First version, E60 (11244)) · 67 mm (0.75 mm pitch), E67, internal thread M 67 × 0.75 on the 11248 (Leitz 12/89); built-on telescopic hood (Second version, E67 (11248))
Years manufactured
1983–1997
Country
Japan for the first version, made with Minolta; Germany for the second
Material
Black anodized metal barrel (Leitz 12/89)

What reviewers say

History

The Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/3.5 is the standard zoom of the 1980s R system, and one of the lenses that came out of its co-operation with Minolta. English Wikipedia calls it a Minolta design, and Kamerastore says the first version was made in collaboration with Minolta and is stamped “Lens Made In Japan”. It is a compact constant-aperture zoom of eight elements in seven groups, with a separate zoom ring, a built-on telescopic hood and focusing to 1 m. Leitz’s December 1989 handbook gives 450 g. Phillip Reeve, reviewing the Minolta MD Zoom 35-70mm f/3.5, says Leica used the optics of Minolta’s MD Zoom Rokkor 35-70mm f/3.5 of 1978, which also focused to 1 m. The later Minolta version he tested, of 1983, focuses to 80 cm and has a 1:4 macro mode, so it is not the same lens mechanically.

There are two versions, and the filter size tells them apart. The first, order number 11244, takes E60 filters, and its front group and filter thread turn as it focuses. That makes a polarizer awkward, and Andrew Nemeth adds that it had problems with vignetting when used with filters. The second, 11248, has an E67 thread and a front that does not turn. Kamerastore says its production moved from Japan to Germany. cinelenswiki names Ernst Leitz Wetzlar as the maker and Nemeth says it was made in Solms. The changeover is in Leitz’s own accessory tables: the E60 lens runs to serial 3393300, and the 11248 starts at 3393301. English Wikipedia and Kamerastore date the second version to 1988, while cinelenswiki dates its first serials to 1986. Both versions have the same optics. cinelenswiki gives 31,610 lenses made in all.

Both versions are 3-cam lenses, and Leica’s 2000/2001 handbook lists a ROM conversion as not possible for either. Leitz’s 1989 handbook heads the lens “for LEICA R models (all programs), LEICAFLEX SL / SL 2 models” and leaves out the original Leicaflex, while Kamerastore says it fits every Leicaflex and R body. This page follows Leitz; anyone hoping to use it on the first Leicaflex should try the fit first. On the R8 and R9 it works through the R-cam without the ROM functions. Leitz’s bag tables of 1989 show the Extender-R 2x carried mounted on it. Its successor, the Leica-designed and Kyocera-built Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/4 of 1997, also takes E60 filters but has ROM contacts, a MACRO setting and a separate hood. Nemeth, comparing the short R zooms, recommends the f/4, noting that this lens focuses only to 1 m.

When buying, read the front ring for 1:3.5/35-70 and check the filter size against the serial. An E60 lens should be numbered 3393300 or below, and an E67 lens 3393301 or above. Look at the back of the mount for the two sloped cams and the stepped R-cam. Pull the telescopic hood out and back to check that it holds its position. Check that the zoom and focus rings turn smoothly without play, and look for haze as on any lens of its age. On an E60 lens, the turning front is how the lens was made, not a fault. In listings the lens is often sold on an R3, R4 or R5, and the fixed Vario-Elmar 35-70mm of compacts such as the minilux zoom and Z2X shares the name without the “-R”.

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This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

More sample photos elsewhere

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Sample photo wanted — shot with a Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/3.5? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $600 across 28 fixed-price listings on 2026-11-10 (middle half $500–$750). First day tracked.

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

Show 46 more listings

Buying from Yahoo! Auctions outside Japan. It is a domestic marketplace: sellers ship within Japan, and most will not register an overseas buyer. A proxy service bids on your behalf, receives the item and forwards it, for a fee and a wait. Buyee, Jauce and ZenMarket each accept a Yahoo auction number directly. Listed alphabetically for information — none is recommended over another, and none of these is an affiliate link.

Listings updated 2026-11-10. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/4 · Vario-Elmarit-R 35-70mm f/2.8 ASPH. · Vario-Elmar-R 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 · Angénieux Zoom 45-90mm f/2.8

Sources (8)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.