Alistairm Posted February 24, 2018 Share #1 Posted February 24, 2018 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) After using the 18 Elmarit-TL for a few months I realised I was almost always reaching for an alternative and popped it on ebay for only $150 less than I paid for it. It was sold within an hour. I am having a little bit of seller's remorse, as there is no doubt that the CL with the 18 is a very compact and capable package, and I took some great photos with it. However, for some reason the lens never really grabbed me and, despite the small size, I would usually reach for something else. I don't know if it was just me or my copy, but I prefer the rendering of the 11-23 zoom at 18mm. I can't really articulate what irked me about the 18. It handles well, focusses fast, is sharp and has good colour. But somehow the rendering never really grabbed my attention compared to other lenses in my setup. No profound insights here, but I am interested to see whether I miss the little pancake, which certainly makes the CL a jacket pocketable camera. Edited February 24, 2018 by Alistairm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mute-on Posted February 24, 2018 Share #2 Posted February 24, 2018 (edited) On the assumption that you spend more time looking at your photos than the camera you used to take them, you made the right decision Edited February 24, 2018 by Mute-on 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
voightL Posted February 24, 2018 Share #3 Posted February 24, 2018 Same here. Somehow TL18mm get very little use 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
miro Posted February 24, 2018 Share #4 Posted February 24, 2018 Anyone compare the 18 Elmarit TL to 18mm FL on the 18-56 ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VVJ Posted February 24, 2018 Share #5 Posted February 24, 2018 I find it excellent as a documentary lens. It does not have (and probably purposefully) the more artistic rendering that other Leica lenses have. Besides that, as you already mentioned it focuses fast and is compact and sharp, a bit similar to the Elmarit-M 28mm. I am not parting with mine. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted February 24, 2018 Share #6 Posted February 24, 2018 (edited) Anyone compare the 18 Elmarit TL to 18mm FL on the 18-56 ? Yes, Sean Reid has looked at both the 18/2.8 and 23/2.0 CLs. I don't have the 18, but I can confirm that the 11-23 is a little sharper and contrastier than the 23; the difference between the zoom and the pancake 18 should be even greater. But they are both still convenient and excellent little lenses. I use my 23 quite often, and am not about to sell it. Sean is too much of a purist to test a zoom lens, but go sign up for his site to see the details. Edited February 24, 2018 by scott kirkpatrick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 24, 2018 Share #7 Posted February 24, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) After using the 18 Elmarit-TL for a few months I realised I was almost always reaching for an alternative and popped it on ebay for only $150 less than I paid for it. It was sold within an hour. I am having a little bit of seller's remorse, as there is no doubt that the CL with the 18 is a very compact and capable package, and I took some great photos with it. However, for some reason the lens never really grabbed me and, despite the small size, I would usually reach for something else. I don't know if it was just me or my copy, but I prefer the rendering of the 11-23 zoom at 18mm. I can't really articulate what irked me about the 18. It handles well, focusses fast, is sharp and has good colour. But somehow the rendering never really grabbed my attention compared to other lenses in my setup. No profound insights here, but I am interested to see whether I miss the little pancake, which certainly makes the CL a jacket pocketable camera. It'd be interesting if you could post a couple of images showing the difference you see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmahto Posted February 26, 2018 Share #8 Posted February 26, 2018 Anyone compared 18mm on CL with 28 elmarit on M? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted February 26, 2018 Share #9 Posted February 26, 2018 Anyone compared 18mm on CL with 28 elmarit on M? I have both, but my M240 is in Germany for focus calibration. I'll try a couple with both on the CL, perhaps tomorrow, if the snow melts enough to avoid blown highlights across the frame The CL with 18mm gets a fair amount of use, simply because of its size. In a Crumpler Haven insert it easily fits in my day to day messenger alongside shopping, documents, bike lights etc. I can get the CL with, say, the 60mm TL in the same insert, but it is a lot bulkier. I don't have any other TL/CL lenses, but I do have a Summaron-M 35/2.8 which is also small and makes a convenient 50mm surrogate. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
miro Posted February 26, 2018 Share #10 Posted February 26, 2018 Anyone compared 18mm on CL with 28 elmarit on M? I read that CL displays the characteristics of M with the limitations of APS-C vs FF . 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
miro Posted February 26, 2018 Share #11 Posted February 26, 2018 Anyone compare the 18 Elmarit TL to 18mm FL on the 18-56 ? I read that 18 on the zoom is actually a bit sharper than the prime ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobers Posted February 28, 2018 Share #12 Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) I really like the little 18mm prime - it's reminiscent of my Fuji X100F, making the CL into a teeny, highly capable travel camera, with the ability to change lenses which the X100F doesn't have. It makes the CL into a little pocket powerhouse IMHO. Edited February 28, 2018 by Tobers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photon42 Posted February 28, 2018 Share #13 Posted February 28, 2018 Anyone compared the CL+18 setup with the Q? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropo54 Posted February 28, 2018 Share #14 Posted February 28, 2018 Anyone compared the CL+18 setup with the Q? Ivo: My opinion-the Q is far superior, and will certainly handle low light situations much better. Rob 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VVJ Posted February 28, 2018 Share #15 Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) Ivo: My opinion-the Q is far superior, and will certainly handle low light situations much better. Rob True but do you find yourself still using the Q while also owning the CL and SL? That is why I sold mine... If I didn't also own the SL though I probably would have kept the Q. I used a combination of Q and CL+18-56 zoom for quite a while and found it very effective. Edited February 28, 2018 by JorisV Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropo54 Posted February 28, 2018 Share #16 Posted February 28, 2018 True but do you find yourself still using the Q while also owning the CL and SL? That is why I sold mine... If I didn't also own the SL though I probably would have kept the Q. I used a combination of Q and CL+18-56 zoom for quite a while and found it very effective. Joris: I have not used the Q lately, but, I just cannot bring myself to sell it either. I'll see how much I use it this summer when I do some traveling. I suspect that I will! Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VVJ Posted March 1, 2018 Share #17 Posted March 1, 2018 I figured it was better to cash in now while the resale value is still high. It wasn't easy though... it is an excellent camera. Correction: above I meant to say T+18-56 zoom instead of CL+18-56 zoom... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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