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24mm Elmarit ASPH or Elmar on M9


Mylek

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Hello,

 

after debating between the 21mm and 24mm lens for my next lens, irealize that i might be better with the 24mm because i can always use it w/o viewfinder is i need to do so. It will also be easier to use than the 21mm.

 

So for the same price what will you choose between the f /2.8 Elmarit ASPH and the Elmar f/3.8? And why? Idon't have access to either one to try. Is the Elmar really smaller?

 

Regards!

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Both are very good lenses indeed. The Elmar is 2/3 of a stop faster and it is shorter than the Elmar – if you remove the hood. Which you don't. The Elmar has a more compact front end. The choice is yours.

 

But if you care the least about what's in your pictures, or about judging levelling and perspective, for Xsake tell yourself to accept using the accessory finder. With a M9, you do just barely see the 28mm frame. Outside it, you are as blind as a bat. Using a wide angle lens demands care that you simply cannot exercise without a finder that shows the picture field in its entirety. The OEM finders are hideously expensive, but there are alternatives from Zeiss (very good) and Cosina/Voigtländer.

 

The old man from the Age of Auxiliary Finders

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The 2.8/24 is excellent -- though with hood permanently attached it is a little bulky. Not nearly as bulky as an SLR though. I don't find a problem with an accessory finder either.

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The Elmarit-M 2.8/24 is generally regarded as one of Leica's best lenses ever.

 

It produces extraordinary pictures with a 3D like effect.

 

With it's hood on it is no more bulky than most other Leica lenses with their hoods, including the 2.0/28 asph.

 

The 3.8/24 asph is also said to be a great lens, but I would miss the extra f-stop of the Elmarit 24.

 

Erwin Puts has a comparison between different 24 mm lenses on his website Home

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I had the same dilemma and decided on the Elmarit (came last week). Not a lens that I could find second hand so I bought it new, and I am assuming that there will not be the opportunity to buy new for much longer since it has been discontinued for a while. Given the fantastic reputation of the Elmarit I figured that it was unlikely the Elmar would offer any significant improvement. Indeed at 3.8 it is slower and the reports I have read indicate that while the Elmar is excellent optically, the build quality is not of the same high standard.

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Thanks!

 

Currently, i'm using a VC 25mm LTM with the old VC 25mm viewfinder and glasses, it is far from perfect for framing. Maybe as i read somewhere i should try a 21mm viewfinder and i will like it more.

 

As far for the Elmarit M, it seems to be less contrasty but by how much compare to the Elmar? Is it a quality for exteriors shots since i can always add some on interior shots inside if i need it in PP.

 

Concerning the 3D effect, how is it compare to the Elmar or Zeiss 25mm Biogon which is suppose to be really good?

 

I was attracted also by the small size of the Elmar but maybe i should keep the VC for its size and the zone focusing when i want to be more discrete.

 

Tough choice since sometimes on some pictures, i'll like more te FOV of the 21mm...

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I have not seen a lens which provides the contrast it can have when wide open. Stop down 1 or 2 stops and you'll see it happening. That's why you want room to maneuver. I don't want anything over 2.8 unless it's old glass, for fun.

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I have the Elmar 24mm, and am very happy with it. Wide open the pictures are sharp and clear. I like the size, and the fact that it has the same filter size as the 50mm summilux which keeps my bag a little lighter. I haven't had the elmarit, but both are rated very highly.

You can see a sample here.

 

If you need the 2.8 aperture get the elmarit, if not I think you'll happy with the elmar.

 

Roy

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