21 for the M9

[geesbert]

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I am looking to get a 21 for my M9, I closed it down to either a Zeiss 2.8/21 or a pre-asph elmarit. now there seems to be two pre-asph, what I could gather optically similar, but with different filter threads. As I prefer my lenses to be as small as possible, mostly using them without hoods or with smaller alternatives, is there any disadvantage of the earlier E49 version?

 

Stefan

[vikasmg]

I am looking to get a 21 for my M9, I closed it down to either a Zeiss 2.8/21 or a pre-asph elmarit. now there seems to be two pre-asph, what I could gather optically similar, but with different filter threads. As I prefer my lenses to be as small as possible, mostly using them without hoods or with smaller alternatives, is there any disadvantage of the earlier E49 version?

 

Stefan

 

I have the Biogon T* 2,8/21 which uses a M 46 x 0.75 filter. The only other 21mm I see on the Zeiss site is a C Biogon T* 4,5/21 which is smaller but also uses the same filter. I have not compared my sens with the pre-asph elmarit but it is a fine lens indeed. Feels lighter than I would expect a similar size Leica lens to feel but it is very well well made and performs extremely well.

[adan]

The E49 version of the 21 Elmarit pre-ASPH was a prototype design only - by the time it went into production it was E60, first to last. I've heard apocryphal stories of a few people who claim they had, or got to shoot with, one of the few prototypes at some point. Some pictures exist of the lens itself, including in the brochures for the M4-P and first M6. Same glass as the production model, except maybe for a slightly smaller front element.

 

The main disadvantage to the E49 version would be that either none exist, or the 5-10 that do exist disappeared into collections decades ago.

 

Personally I'd love one myself, but have to make do with the E60 version.

 

As an aside, Leitz Canada came out with 3 new M lenses around 1980, as a part of trying to save the M line: 21 f/2.8, 28 f/2.8 (v.4) and the first compact 90 f/2. Apparently they hoped to standardize on an E49 filter, since they all started out that way. And to stay as close as possible to the E48 size used for the previous 28 and 90 and the 21 Super-Angulon.

 

But the 21 vignetted with filters, and the 90 required that the lens hood cover the aperture ring when retracted, to make the smaller E49 size work. So the 21 was redesigned to 60mm (same as the then 75 f/1.4 and Noctilux f/1) before production began, and the 90 to E55 after a year or so.

 

There are two E60 versions, optically identical: One uses silver bayonet pins to mount the lens shade, and the later version uses bayonet flanges around the filter ring.

 

If you look closely at the front construction of either version, you can see that the "bell" that takes it out to E60 size is sort of an engineering afterthought. One of the main goals in the redesign as an ASPH was to get the size back down (to E55).

[luigi bertolotti]

Was it only the E49 - prototype or near - version that had focusing scale to 40 cm ? I do not remember if E60 items with 40 cm do exist.

[geesbert]

Andy, thanks a lot. That's probably all there is to know....