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The Contax 25mm is a popular lens. It is not terribly sharp outside the center, but people like the images it takes. The Contax Distagon 21mm is my favourite. Contrast and sharpness simply excellent, distortion smaller than all others. But it is quite big and heavy. Also excellent in modern style as a ZE or ZF lens.

Personally I use the WATE more, because it is so tiny and easy to travel with. (It is three primes, so to speak).

Of course now the SL 16-35 is optically the best, but it is a zoom.  😏. Or wait a year, then the Summicron SL 24 or 21 will certainly be new reference lenses.  👍

Edited by caissa
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FWIW any of the following Leica lenses work very well, corner to corner:

* Leica R-Elmarit 19mm f/2.8 (version 2)
* Leica M-Elmar 24mm f/3.8 ASPH
* Leica R-Elmarit 28mm f2.8 (version 2)

Own all three and use them on the SL.  The 19 and 28 R's also work on the Sony A7Rii (iii) etc.  Best results are with a Rayqual R-to-E adapter.  The M-24 is a disaster on the Sony though - smeared image edges with severe colour casts.

Just some ideas.  All these lenses are available 2nd hand (it was how I bought them), so cost is not excessive.

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This is a Perar 21/4.5. Doesn't protrude beyond the grip. 😏 I can remove most of the heavy vignette in post, but a little purple area usually remains in a corner. Otherwise, the images are maybe a little sharper than you would expect from a triplet. Or you can shoot APS-C mode for a near-35 mm equivalent that is certainly compact, avoiding most of the vignette.

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Edited by CharlesL
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On 23 February 2019 at 9:56 PM, robgo2 said:

I have read that the Super-Elmarit-M 21 f3.4 is superb on M cameras but just OK on the SL. Any truth to that?

I'm surprised that nobody has got back to you on this. I don't have an SL so I can't tell you. But what I can tell you is that the 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar M (21SE) is the finest 20/21mm lens that I've used on any camera - on the M series cameras. And its a small neat lens - one of my goto 3 lenses to take out and about. So, assuming that the SL is able to recognise and adjust for this lens then its probably going to be very good on the SL too. However there are some technical issues over the use of ultra wides on EVF cameras so I'd do more research and see what you can find out. Be aware that most M lenses will have similar technical issues though so the 21SE should be as good as it gets on the SL.

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33 minutes ago, pgk said:

I'm surprised that nobody has got back to you on this. I don't have an SL so I can't tell you. But what I can tell you is that the 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar M (21SE) is the finest 20/21mm lens that I've used on any camera - on the M series cameras. And its a small neat lens - one of my goto 3 lenses to take out and about. So, assuming that the SL is able to recognise and adjust for this lens then its probably going to be very good on the SL too. However there are some technical issues over the use of ultra wides on EVF cameras so I'd do more research and see what you can find out. Be aware that most M lenses will have similar technical issues though so the 21SE should be as good as it gets on the SL.

I can only state that next after the brilliant 16-35SL, my favourite WA lens on the SL is the 21SEM. I have not run parallel brick-wall or infinity type of tests with the 21SEM on M- and SL-bodies, but I have yet to see any mentionable downsides of the 21SEM on the SL - at least not compared to the M240 (I have no experience with the M10).

The 21SEM is a brilliant lens. At f8/9.5, and using the DOF-scale on the lens for f5.6 - you have essentially everything in focus. With lot's of sharpness/details pretty much across the image frame. Add pleasant colours. And quite limited/controllable flare. And a filter size of (only) 46 mm. No infra-red hot spot whatsoever (see below; on the M8). Excellent lens for landscape photography! And much to like... This is certainly one of the M-lenses that I have no intention to sell.

 

 

Edited by helged
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18 minutes ago, johnbuckley said:

The 16-35 SL is every bit as amazing as the other native zooms. But I use my M 21mm Summilux on the SL to shoot wide open, and the results are quite wonderful, to my eye. I believe this should work as an example:

21 Summilux on the SL

Very nice, for me fast wide is indoor lens however I feel inspired and may try close focus at max aperture on M246.

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I can add my tuppence for the 21 Summilux-M on the SL.  It balances nicely, and I like the results.  The 21 SEM has a huge fanbase here, and would be a very safe bet.  For me, I prefer the larger M primes on the SL - not so find of small lenses on this camera.  You asked for primes, but I can also vouch for the 16-35mm Vario Elmar-SL ...

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On 2/25/2019 at 3:13 PM, johnbuckley said:

The 16-35 SL is every bit as amazing as the other native zooms. But I use my M 21mm Summilux on the SL to shoot wide open, and the results are quite wonderful, to my eye. I believe this should work as an example:

21 Summilux on the SL

John, you have wonderful photos.

Makes me think about a wide angle M Summilux as an addition to my SL and M lenses...

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