ho_co Posted May 2, 2011 Share #1 Posted May 2, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Is this old news? Please pardon me if I missed it. B&H shows the aspherical 21/2.8 Elmarit M as "discontinued." Leica 21mm f/2.8 Elmarit M Aspherical MF Lens (6-Bit) - 11135 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 Hi ho_co, Take a look here 21/2.8 discontinued. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted May 2, 2011 Share #2 Posted May 2, 2011 Hmmm.. I wonder what there is in the pipeline? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted May 2, 2011 Share #3 Posted May 2, 2011 Since there is 1.4/ 21 mm a 3.8/ 21 mm could almost close the gap to 2.8 Best GEORG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted May 2, 2011 Share #4 Posted May 2, 2011 Since there is 1.4/ 21 mm a 3.8/ 21 mm could almost close the gap to 2.8 Best GEORG I have one on order – that is, my dealer will order it as soon as Leica takes orders! He was not surprised at all. It seeems to be sort of semi-official, and I was not even first in line. The squinty-eyed old man Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted May 2, 2011 Share #5 Posted May 2, 2011 You are a VERY quick LEICA-man, Lars, I would have ordered one when I know it´s around the corner. With the wa- Tri- Elmar on hand I might miss this one out. But maybe you are spot on right now and you did order in the right minute. Best GEORG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted May 2, 2011 Share #6 Posted May 2, 2011 I would be interested by a small 21/3.8 a la Skopar but the gap would be huge between f/3.8 and f/1.4. Good news for Zeiss then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted May 2, 2011 Share #7 Posted May 2, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hmmm.. I wonder what there is in the pipeline? I know this isn't always a reliable source, but here is a post from a few weeks back. (And this from back in March.) Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted May 2, 2011 Share #8 Posted May 2, 2011 It's not long until June, a "traditional" date for the announcement of new stuff. Leica have already said that some interesting things will be coming this year, so something like this, shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted May 2, 2011 Share #9 Posted May 2, 2011 Hard to imagine they could improve upon this optic. It is a spectacular optical design and one of my most used lenses. Guess I'll just back and watch it's value rise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdtaylor Posted May 3, 2011 Share #10 Posted May 3, 2011 I have seriously considered selling mine several times because I end up using my WATE most the time- at this point I guess I'll just hold on to it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted May 3, 2011 Share #11 Posted May 3, 2011 Been "known" for a couple for months at least, in terms of discontinued notices at B&H (not always a reliable source). 21 and 24 Elmarits shared a lot of parts as well as the same lens shade - it was almost a foregone conclusion that once the 24 was discontinued, the 21 would follow, unable to support the parts chain by itself. I think it a mistake to assume that there will be a replacement 21 2.8 or 3.8 any time soon. The 18 f/3.8 already fills the gap for a slower superwide (as well as the WATE) - I simply don't see a market to support THREE near-f/4 near-21 lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted May 3, 2011 Share #12 Posted May 3, 2011 I think it a mistake to assume that there will be a replacement 21 2.8 or 3.8 any time soon. The 18 f/3.8 already fills the gap for a slower superwide (as well as the WATE) - I simply don't see a market to support THREE near-f/4 near-21 lenses. I'd be interested in a super low distortion Leica lens in the 21mm range. It can be slow too. 24mm is way too close to 28mm for me, and the 18mm has too much distortion for my tastes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted May 3, 2011 Share #13 Posted May 3, 2011 If Leica do have some new items to show us, I personally hope for something beyond simply filling in the blanks in the focal length/aperture matrix, such as a new Tri-Elmar or Bi-Summicron. The missing lenses in that matrix - 21mm Elmar, 28 & 75mm Summiluxes - are the obvious choices but a 75mm Summilux remains a problem to focus, even more than the Noctilux and Leica might not want to go there. Interesting that there is now only one Elmarit with the unloved Summarits providing a fraction of an f-stop extra speed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted May 3, 2011 Share #14 Posted May 3, 2011 ....I think it a mistake to assume that there will be a replacement 21 2.8 or 3.8 any time soon.... Imho, 21 is such a classic focal that having only one superexpensive 1,4 + the "odd" (and superexpensive, too) WATE is not a right policy... and a favor to Zeiss/CV. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted May 3, 2011 Share #15 Posted May 3, 2011 Yesterday 24, now 21, tomorrow 28?... Is this the end of the Elmarits? Should we expect f/2.5 Summarits to replace them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosuna Posted May 3, 2011 Share #16 Posted May 3, 2011 It's not long until June, a "traditional" date for the announcement of new stuff. Leica have already said that some interesting things will be coming this year, so something like this, shouldn't come as much of a surprise. There an event in June, in Paris. Some kind of Magnum joint initiative presentation with Leica. Then Leica may show a "little surprise", but I don't know what is it. I think it is more likely some kind of special edition camera, or something like that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted May 3, 2011 Share #17 Posted May 3, 2011 Yesterday 24, now 21, tomorrow 28?... Well the 21/24 designs are over a decade old, whereas the 28 Elmarit ASPH is only from 2006, and already incorporates some of the cost-reduction techniques of the Summarits (plain black focus cam instead of visible threaded brass, shared lens shade with 35 Summicrons). I think the 21/24 Elmarits followed the same path as the "R" system, to some extent - there was no longer any way to build them in that expensive 1990's style and maintain a rational price for the specifications. Who would pay $5000 for an f/2.8 lens when for an extra $1500 you can get 2 more stops? -- That's a rhetorical question - I realize there is always someone who wants exactly and precisely a 21 f/3.2 or 21 f/2 or 21 f/2.5 or 21 f/2.8 of exactly 234g or 288g or 215g. But Leica can't rationally design and build lenses to that kind of "bespoke" variety. Two designs per focal length is already stretching it, outside the basic middle of 50mm or 35mm -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted May 3, 2011 Share #18 Posted May 3, 2011 How many photogs can afford 24/1.4 or 21/1.4 lenses actually? Limiting lenses range this way would mean that photogs who don't own "old" f/2.8s like you and me will have no choice but to buy non Leica lenses (or s/h ones) if there is nothing else than slow glass to replace the Elmarits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosuna Posted May 3, 2011 Share #19 Posted May 3, 2011 How many photogs can afford 24/1.4 or 21/1.4 lenses actually? Limiting lenses range this way would mean that photogs who don't own "old" f/2.8s like you and me will have no choice but to buy non Leica lenses (or s/h ones) if there is nothing else than slow glass to replace the Elmarits. I don't know if a cheaper redesign of the Elmarits (or even converting them to Summarits) would have been possible, but those f/3.8 lenses may be too slow and the gap in speed and price between Summiluxes and Elmars seems to be too large. I mean, ones (SX) are too much for me (price, speed, size), and others (E) are too little (speed, mostly). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted May 3, 2011 Share #20 Posted May 3, 2011 I don't know if a cheaper redesign of the Elmarits (or even converting them to Summarits) would have been possible, but those f/3.8 lenses may be too slow and the gap in speed and price between Summiluxes and Elmars seems to be too large. I mean, ones (SX) are too much for me (price, speed, size), and others (E) are too little (speed, mostly). Well... 3,8 indeed "sounds slow"... but I admit that I use my 2 Elmarits 21 & 24 more often at f4/5,6 than 2,8... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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