Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH experience

[thedwp]

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For those of you who have or had the Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH...have you ever wished you’d had more room to open up from f/3.4?

 

I shoot a lot of wide angle and have tried the Voigtlander 21 1.8, and it’s nice. The only real complaint is it’s heavy and pretty big. It does have some color issues but nothing that can’t be fixed in LR.

 

I’ve read lots of reviews on the super-Elmar 21 and all sound positive but no one really talks about the speed.

 

One of the several reasons I left the big bodies was to be able to carry a light bag.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LocalHero1953]

Answer: never.

Reason: same as your reason for leaving big bodies!

 

For the M I want small lenses, and I don't take the sort of wide angle shot where shallow dof is useful.

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[01af]

If the Super-Elmar can do this—



Nightflight, December 2013

Leica M (Typ 240), Super-Elmar-M 21 mm Asph
21 mm, f/3.4, 1/8 s, ISO 3200/36°, hand-held


... then you'll hardly need anything faster.

[M11 for me]

I bought the SE 21 mainly for landscape, streetlife and travel. The speed is fine for that purpose and considering weight and size of the lens it is really great.

 

The main Canon Pro lenses that I use with the DSLR are f/2.8 (e.g. 70-200 and 24-70) and the Super Elmar is now just ½ a stop slower. I would of course prefer faster lenses for bad light conditions too. But then I have to change to the 28 Cron or 35mm Lux. Whenever I know that I will want to photograph in the twilight or at night outside I have to be prepared and will certainly take a faster lens into my pocket.

[stephan54]

Is focussing with the range finder feasible?

Edited April 14, 2018 by stephan54

[LocalHero1953]

Focusing is easy with such a wide angle and small aperture.

Framing is more difficult, so I use the EVF on my M240.

[Gobert]

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I have it. I use a viewer from Voigtlander or Ricoh for framing, which can be found cheap on internet (metal version for less then eur 100,=).

I can only recommend the lens. It has remarkable qualities.

Although the wish for speed is always latent, I wouldn’t consider to change this small lens for a bigger one with more speed.

[stephan54]

Focusing is easy with such a wide angle and small aperture.

Framing is more difficult, so I use the EVF on my M240.

 

Framing was what I meant.

[M11 for me]

Focusing is easy with such a wide angle and small aperture.

Framing is more difficult, so I use the EVF on my M240.

When I have my camera hanging on its strap around my neck then I often just hold the camera strait (more or less) and shoot without looking through the Finder. This works especially well for street with the lens closed down and with pre set focus distance. When looking throung the viewfinder then I see the 28mm frames. These give an indication about what the 21mm frame will be. It takes some practicing though. By now I saw no need for an accessory yet. I hope it stays like that. I have my SE 21 only for a week. So I am still practicing but I love this small lens.

[LocalHero1953]

The 21 is the widest I have, and it's the only one that gives me composition problems because of verticals and horizontals. The next up focal length, 28mm, is more forgiving if I get them wrong, but it seems that the wider you go, the more care you need to get them right. I need at least one line in the image that is correctly vertical or horizontal, else it looks like a badly held shot. Until I got the 21 a couple of years ago I didn't have these problems!

[M11 for me]

That is definitely true. I looked for a bubble level to put into thr hot shoe. But I did not find one.

[Gobert]

The 21 is the widest I have, and it's the only one that gives me composition problems because of verticals and horizontals. The next up focal length, 28mm, is more forgiving if I get them wrong, but it seems that the wider you go, the more care you need to get them right. I need at least one line in the image that is correctly vertical or horizontal, else it looks like a badly held shot. Until I got the 21 a couple of years ago I didn't have these problems!

The next one is the 24 and off-course you have to deal with falling lines. But usually, I use this lens for nature and in that case falling lines are less relevant.

[Gobert]

That is definitely true. I looked for a bubble level to put into thr hot shoe. But I did not find one.

How many do you need.....

 

https://www.cameratools.nl/shop/product/zoekresultaat/?alstart=0&artsearch=Waterpas&artsearchmode=AND

[LocalHero1953]

The next one is the 24 and off-course you have to deal with falling lines. But usually, I use this lens for nature and in that case falling lines are less relevant.

Of course - but my next one is the 28!

[Guest]

I use a 21mm viewfinder on a double thumbup..........in other words my viewfinder is directly above the RF so focus shift your eye to the viewfinder for framing then shoot........simple

 

Neil

[Nordvik]

Framing was what I meant.

I use the edges of the viewfinder for framing the 21mm. It works great for me, but others have problems seeing the 28mm framelines, so we are different when it comes to eyes and viewfinders.

[ymc226]

For my purposes, the 21 SEM is fast enough.  I take vacation pictures of my children only during daytime and usually in sunny conditions such as the beach.  I have the Summilux but have never taken it when going on a trip as it is too large and heavy.  I leave all my fast lenses at home when traveling;  the 28 Elmarit is my favorite lens at the moment but I just got the 24 Elmar to try out.  As I get older, I have no interest in the new 28 Lux or 75 Nocti.  The M kit is meant to be small and light.

[stephan54]

I use the edges of the viewfinder for framing the 21mm. It works great for me, but others have problems seeing the 28mm framelines, so we are different when it comes to eyes and viewfinders.

 

I have a 28 Elmarit, but 21 is something different. I had a Milvus 21 on a D700 and sometimes found the sloping lines cumbersome. Hope the Sem is better corrected.

Edited April 14, 2018 by stephan54

[Nordvik]

I have a 28 elmarit, but 21 is something different. I had a Milvus 21 and sometimes found the sloping lines cumbersome. Hope the Sem is better corrected.

The 21mm SEM is just about perfect. I think it is one of the only M-lenses that could be called best in its focal length (the other is APO Summicron 50mm).

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Hallo,

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[thedwp]

I pulled the trigger on a perfect used 21 Super-Elmar today. I still have a 21M Voightlander Ultron f1.8. So I did a very unscientific comparison. In terms of weight and size, the Super-Elmar wins hands down. It's almost the same size as my 35mm Cron, which I love. In terms of imagery, honestly I couldn't see much of a difference. Like I said, it was a very crude test, no charts, etc. But the Ultron is going back and the SE is staying in the bag. 

 

In addition to the f1.8 of the Ultron, I have to give props to the Ultron because it renders some nice images. Granted, it's almost a third of the cost of a SE...but size & weight IS a factor. I know the flagship - Leica Lux 21mm is at least the same size if not bigger than the Ultron, as is many of the Lux lenses are. And I'm sure eventually I will prob end up with a set of Lux lenses....but for now, I'm going for quality & size and the SE fits that formula for me.

 

Since I've been trying to find the first trio of lenses to go with my10, I posted in another thread what one could get a set of Voightlander lenses 21MM 1.8, 35mm 1.2 & 75mm 1.8 for....and the value is there, and the renderings are not bad...but the size and weight factors come in to play. 

 

To round out my trio, I have made the choice to go with the Voightlander 75mm Heliar 1.8 over the 75mm f2 Cron. The weight and size aren't all that different but the Heliar renders better portraits and the cost savings is insane. I try not to spend extra $ just for the sake of it and in this case, I'm going with the lens that works better for me vs. a brand. 

 

Thanks for all your opinions and advice. The SE is sharp and will meet my needs for the foreseeable future. 

Edited April 15, 2018 by thedwp