Elmarit-M 28mm

[stevegaskin]

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I have just acquired an M9 and have a limited budget for a wide angle lens and have seen some of these lenses for sale around the £700 - £750 mark. I believe these lenses are around 20 years old and would appreciate any feedback regarding their performance compared to the latest versions.

[bocaburger]

Leica made 4 different versions of the 28mm Elmarit in M-mount starting in 1965. 1st version blocks the light path to the meter in the M9 so unless you want to use a handheld meter with it, avoid that one. The 2nd version (48mm filter) is somewhat of a collector piece, and goes for more money than its performance merits IMHO. It has lower contrast and higher flare than the subsequent versions.

 

The 3rd version (e49 filter) is the sleeper bargain of them all. Much better performance than the 2nd version, 99.9% as good as the 4th, but due to being larger, tends to command a significantly lower price.

 

The 4th version tends to sell for almost as much as the ASPH, and given the choice I would go for the latter simply because it's so much more compact. I have the 4th version, it has a tiny scratch on the front element coating, so I would likely get half price for it if I could even find a buyer (I paid half price for it knowing about the scratch, so I'm ok with that).

 

Another lens worth considering if money is an issue, is the CV 28mm f/1.9 (in LTM, requires a codable M adaptor for the M9, coded as a 4th version 28 Elmarit). Superb lens, perhaps 1/3 the cost of an Elmarit, and offers the speed of a Summicron. Not to be confused with the M-mount CV 28mm f/2.0! That lens has focus shift issues.

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[rickp13]

my vote also for the 3rd generation, a mandler design. search a bit, and you'll find many positive words (and photos) about this lens. here's one of my favorite threads f.y.i.:

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/customer-forum/45854-praise-mandler-lenses.html

 

good luck with your search

 

rick

[davidmknoble]

I have just acquired an M9 and have a limited budget for a wide angle lens and have seen some of these lenses for sale around the £700 - £750 mark. I believe these lenses are around 20 years old and would appreciate any feedback regarding their performance compared to the latest versions.

 

If you have not used a 28mm lens before, the 35mm is also considered wide angle, but has far less perspective distortion than a 28mm. This means, if you are not used to how you must adjust the angle of the camera to offset some of the perspective distortion, you may enjoy using a 35mm lens first. The 35mm summicron is one f/stop open from the 28mm Elmarit at f/2.0. The Summicron detail is very, very good, particularly with the ASPH (latest) version. I have used one with both digital and film bodies. In US $, I think they sell used between $1,200 and $2,000. The Summarit 35mm is f/2.5 and the new one is f/2.4. They sell new at $2,250 and used around $1,500.

 

I have also enjoyed the Voigtlander glass and you can get a new 35mm f/1.2 for your price range. It's an extremely sharp lens for its money and the bokeh at f/1.2 is very smooth.

 

Take your time and you'll find the right lens at the right price!

 

Good luck!

[Jennifer]

I recently bought a mint 18 month old 4th generation 28mm Elmarit for £750, accepted a good price, but similar bargains can be found . An excellent and tiny lens which I find myself using more often than my 35 Lux FLE. If WA photography is your thing I'd recommend you look out for one.

[tobey bilek]

I gave my Mandler version to my son for M8 use. Bought a ASPH for my M9. The new on takes far superior pics on the full frame.