Super Elmar 21

[DMJ]

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Try the Voigtlander 15mm next.

[lct]

My lenses set is Zeiss 25 and Leica 28, 35, 50 and 90. :-) I was thinking to sell the 25 and add the 21.

 

Good idea if you like your 28. 25 will feel too close if you get a 21 and the 21/3.4 is a must.

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[dunhoy]

Hi all I was thinking about the SEM 21 but not sure about the usefulness. I have now the Zeiss biogon 25 ... any suggestion? Thanks in advance.<br />M<br/>

It's as useful as you want it to be... performance wise it is tremendous

[Herr Barnack]

The 21/3.4 Super Elmar ASPH is a truly phenomenal optic.  It is wide, but is well corrected and overall is quite forgiving in terms of wide angle distortion.  It is also breathtakingly sharp and outstandingly accurate in terms of color rendition.

 

The Super Elmar allows you to do what you can do with the 28mm and 35mm focal lengths, but even moreso in terms of getting next to your subject and filling the frame with him/her/it.  I have found that the key tothe effective use of a wide angle lens is this:  The wider the lens, the closer you need to get to your subject.  

 

Getting really close makes some photographers uncomfortable when photographing people they do not know, but breaking through that fear will result in a quantum leap forward in your photography of human subjects.

[Jennifer]

The 21/3.4 Super Elmar ASPH is a truly phenomenal optic.  It is wide, but is well corrected and overall is quite forgiving in terms of wide angle distortion.  It is also breathtakingly sharp and outstandingly accurate in terms of color rendition.

 

The Super Elmar allows you to do what you can do with the 28mm and 35mm focal lengths, but even moreso in terms of getting next to your subject and filling the frame with him/her/it.  I have found that the key tothe effective use of a wide angle lens is this:  The wider the lens, the closer you need to get to your subject.  

 

Getting really close makes some photographers uncomfortable when photographing people they do not know, but breaking through that fear will result in a quantum leap forward in your photography of human subjects.

 

I would agree with all you say here. Unfortunately, I'm still uncomfortable, as are some of my human subjects, with me getting sufficiently up close and intimate to make the most of this FL with people. So I tend to use the SEM  21 for artichectual shots for which it's also a really great lens.

[jrp]

The SEM21 is, indeed, sans pareil for architecture.  If I wanted to use 21mm for  "creative" use on humans, I'd want the Summilux, for its separation and other rendering capabilities,  

[cp995]

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Super Elmar 21 is the best Wideangle Lens I ever had

 

With my M2 ...

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[uhoh7]

Boulder Chain Lake by unoh7, on Flickr

 

21 and wider, for me, require a big adjustment for framing, with foregrounds often so primary for making interesting shots.

[pgk]

The downsides to this lens are, as I posted earlier, a tendency to colour shifted edges if substantial density (exposure) adjustments are made in post (i.e. you have to get exposure right) and because of its high contrast, the need for accurate highlight exposure control. Basically its a lens which requires careful exposure with. It doesn't tolerate sloppy exposure well. Perhaps not such a bad thing. Otherwise its a breathtakingly superb lens and after owning it for several years, I'm still surprised at the level of detail it can achieve. You will have to take my word for it, but every blade of grass is resolved, well, right in the corner. I do agree about foregrounds and 21s.

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[albertknappmd]

I purchased my 21mm f/3.4 a few weeks ago and have tested it extensively. I am amazed by its versatility and lack of any aberrations. Try as I may, I could find no significant fault. It is a perfect landscape and architectural lens as many have already noted.

Albert    

[uhoh7]

Congrats!! post up some samples

 

I have to say, very very close to the SEM 21, is the ZM 18. Code as pre-asph 21 and you are good to go.

[james.liam]

I would agree with all you say here. Unfortunately, I'm still uncomfortable, as are some of my human subjects, with me getting sufficiently up close and intimate to make the most of this FL with people. So I tend to use the SEM  21 for artichectual shots for which it's also a really great lens.

 

Same here.

28mm is about as wide as I can reasonably maintain some non-intrusive, comfortable distance (for all involved). Probably why Ricoh has stuck with that FL in the GR series (they briefly made a 21mm of the film GR).

[batmobile]

I'd sell the 25mm Zeiss and add the 21mm f3.4 , personally.

 

21mm is much more useful for most people than 18mm and the 21mm. By losing the 25 and adding the 21mm, you won't have more to carry either!

[Herr Barnack]

I would agree with all you say here. Unfortunately, I'm still uncomfortable, as are some of my human subjects, with me getting sufficiently up close and intimate to make the most of this FL with people. So I tend to use the SEM  21 for artichectual shots for which it's also a really great lens.

Early on, I was the same.  The 21mm jitters can be laid to rest, if you want to do so badly enough. 

 

I have found that the 28mm and 35mm provides enough working distance from your subject that one can wait for the unguarded moment anonymously at distances of 5 to 6 feet.  The 21mm is an arm's length lens - you have to get within 2-3 feet of your subject in order to fill the frame reasonably well.  That requires a different approach in most situations. 

 

The 21mm is what I would call a "conversational" lens, meaning that to get close enough to your subject to use the lens effectively, you will usually need to engage in interaction/conversation with your subject.  The 28 and 35 allow you to photograph at the edge of your subject's personal space; the 21 requires you to get inside your subject's personal space. 

 

The 21mm is a more challenging/demanding lens to use when photographing people; there's no two ways about it.  But used in the 2-3 foot range, it will produce some spectacular results - particularly if you are fortunate enough to be shooting with the 21mm f/3.4 Super Elmar.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Carlos Danger

[Leica Frog]

21 Elmarit Pre-Asph, my favorite Leica lens @ Bangkoknoi train station.

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Edited June 10, 2015 by FotoDRF

[lmitch6]

The 21 SEM is my favorite lens...I think you'd be quite happy with it.

Edited June 20, 2015 by lmitch6

[Printmaker]

I like this lens so much that I sold my 28 Summicron and bought the 21 SEM. I just find a 21, 35, 50, 90 and 135 kit most productive. 

 

Ergonomics also played a part in this choice as I found the 28 difficult to frame on my M9 and the 35 was just more comfortable focal length (I wore glasses at the time). Framing with the 21 mm viewfinder was easier. EVF on a M240 would change this but neither were available at that time. Once this decision was made, I never looked back as the 21 SEM is a great lens. It is mechanically better than the 21 Biogon that I used on my M8 and crisper than the 28 Summicron.

[rosuna]

I have the Super-Elmar-M 21mm and it is a superb lens. 

 

 

I like how the sun hood is designed, the small size and weight, etc. 

 

Leica has found the way of bringing a better 21mm lens to the market at a lower price than the previous versión (the Elmarit 21mm). 

 

M lenses are unique. They are superb lenses, of course, but the key is how small they are! You cannot find something similar in the photographic world. 

[semi-ambivalent]

I like this lens so much that I sold my 28 Summicron and bought the 21 SEM. I just find a 21, 35, 50, 90 and 135 kit most productive. 

 

Ergonomics also played a part in this choice as I found the 28 difficult to frame on my M9 and the 35 was just more comfortable focal length (I wore glasses at the time). Framing with the 21 mm viewfinder was easier. EVF on a M240 would change this but neither were available at that time. Once this decision was made, I never looked back as the 21 SEM is a great lens. It is mechanically better than the 21 Biogon that I used on my M8 and crisper than the 28 Summicron.

If you have a tendency to 'like a lens so much' you probably should stay away from the 2.8/28 ASPH, it's the Little Engine That Could.

 

s-a

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[uhoh7]

I go back and forth between SEM21 and ZM18, which I think is the second best UWA for M.

 

L1033499-2 by unoh7, on Flickr

 

L1033467 by unoh7, on Flickr

 

Warning: performance is so good your expectations may get very high and cause growling at innocents like the new Q LOL

Edited June 21, 2015 by uhoh7