Hello,
The 80-200 Vario Elmar f/4 as is presently available from Leica, has been designed by Leica in Germany, and is being manufactured by Kiocera, in Japan. This lens is very good, mechanically and optically speaking, and to me is the best vario lens available on the market in this range presently. The only better lens I know is the Vario Elmarit 70-180 from Leica too, that is twice as luminous, but nearly three times more expensive and also bigger and heavy. To me both lenses are equal in quality at f 5.6, but the vario-elmar is already very good at f 4, even if the vario-elmarit has the lead.
Also the vario-elmar has very low tendency to flare, is really very sharp, especially around focal 100 - 180, also in the near range, where it goes closer than the apo-telyt and the vario-elmarit, and has very low distortion. Handling of the vario-elmar is easy, with its two rings, one for distance setting, one for focal setting. The Vario-Elmar (as the vario-elmarit) keeps the distance setting unchanged, when you change the focal, and that is very good, as you can set the distance at a higher focal (let say 200) and then shoot at the needed focal (let say 100) and be sure of where you set the distance exactly. I compared the 80-200 vario-elmar with the summilux 80 and the Apo-telyt 180. The vario-elmar beats the apo-telyt in the short distance, where it is sharper, and gets also a lot closer (1.1 meter instead of 2.5 meter - the apo-telyt has been corrected for infinity where it is better than the vario-elmar, but its closest focusing distance is less good - the new Apo-elmarit has corrected this problem to 1.5 m, but even here the vario-elmar has the lead).
Typically I use that lens at 5.6 or between 4 and 5.6 at the highest speed I can, stopping down further is not necessary, but for the dept of field. Best focal length 100-180. A joy to use.
I still use the apo-telyt at infinity where it really shines, even at the widest aperture, but this lens is not as flexible as the vario-elmar, as it is less good at the closest distance and of course , it is not a vario-lens.
I have not yet been able to decide which one is the best, between the 80 summilux and the 80-200 vario-elmar. To me there are different lenses, not competing together. I keep the summilux 80 because it is so luminous (1.4) and handy; also the summilux does not distord at all.
On my M6, I also use the 90mm AA, which is now also available for the R. This lens is an exception and it is better than anything else Leica has built up to now. It is a strong performer, and gives outstanding pictures particularly wide open. Colour wise the vario-elmar and the summicron 90 AA are close, but the rendition of very fine details is better with the 90 AA, which is also more luminous. The summicron gives finer pictures at f4, but both lenses give clean pictures (pure colors, no flare, very sharp details, high contrast, but these are different lenses to be used in different situations - I am using the 90 AA wide open with low sensitivity films, and the vario -elmar at f 5.6 with high speed films - so the results are different, but in both cases outstanding ).
I checked a few times the latest Angenieux zooms, which I find very sharp too, but their technology is dating already, and to me the vario-elmar is better. Mechanically, the Angenieux are made is a sort of plastic with glass fiber, which is not ageing as nicely as the Leica lenses do; the finition of the vario-elmar is superb, as for all Leica lenses.
I advise you to have a go with the vario-elmar 80-200, you will not be disappointed.
