Preferences 18 or 21 SEM?

[Sjz]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I am looking to round out my range of M lens’ 75 APO, 50 APO, 28 Lux with a wide angle lens, primarily to work on my M10M and SL2.

Given the high ISO capability of the M10M and the IBIS of the SL2 I do not believe I need a ‘fast’ super wide, even for evening shots.  My wallet thanks for for this.

My photography is varied however is mainly cityscape and landscape.

Having searched through this site, I thought I had narrowed it down to the 21SEM however I could not find many views on the 18SEM.  Is there a strong preference between the two?

I know there are Voightlander and Zeis options however thought I would stick with Leica for no better reason than I trust Leica and have no experience of the others.

(I do realise this is a niche within a niche within ......)

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[pgk]

With good reason 20/21mm lenses are regarded as the widest lens to be generally used without going to an 'ultrawide' which would include 18mm. So its not really a choice between the two SEMs but a choice which you need to make about whether you want an 'ultrawide' lens. Over the last 40+ years I have owned a lot of gear including Leica, Canon, Nikon and Sony and apart from specialist applications (such as cramped interiors, underwater use, and other niche areas) I have always found that 20/21mm lenses are the widest which I tend to make much use of. So I would suggest that if you are unsure then the 21mm SEM is a potentially the lens you are like to make more use of. But only you can decide this for yourself.

[Guest Nowhereman]

Sjz - I have a Zeiss Distagon 18 mm lens and the Elmarit 21 ASPH and find that I hardly you the Zeiss, although it's a good lens. Also, I'm happy with the  Elmarit 21 ASPH and would not buy a new 21 SEM unless I couldn't find an  Elmarit 21 ASPH used that was in good condition. I have a batch of images made with the  Elmarit 21 ASPH in this post and a few more more in a post further down in that thread, if you are inserted.
________________________
Frog Leaping photobook

[kokoshawnuff]

Since you already have a 28mm I’d be inclined to suggest the 18mm. I have the 21mm SEM and it’s a great, but I don’t use a 28mm. While there’s obviously a difference between 28mm and 21mm, with modern optics and digital post processing corrections the difference doesn’t appear as extreme as it once did. The 18mm, though, is also a very good lens and in almost every instance it will clearly differentiate itself from the 28mm. 

[Fedro]

I would favour 21 for use of filters (standard 46mm)

I have the SEM and the WATE for wider, but the SEM is great for IQ, filters, size hard to beat really

[Narsuitus]

8 hours ago, Sjz said:

I am looking to round out my range of M lens’ 75 APO, 50 APO, 28 Lux with a wide angle lens, primarily to work on my M10M and SL2.

 

8 hours ago, Sjz said:

Preferences 18 or 21 SEM?

When I am shooting 85/50/28mm lenses with my Nikon SLR, I prefer to use the 18mm when I want something wider. The 21mm is too close to the 28mm for my tastes.

 

For my Leica rangefinder, I have 90/35/21mm lenses. I rarely need anything wider than the 21, but on those rare occasions when I do, I prefer to adapt a Nikon 14mm to mount on my Leica because the 18mm is too close to the 21mm for my taste.

[Sjz]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

23 hours ago, pgk said:

With good reason 20/21mm lenses are regarded as the widest lens to be generally used without going to an 'ultrawide' which would include 18mm. So its not really a choice between the two SEMs but a choice which you need to make about whether you want an 'ultrawide' lens. Over the last 40+ years I have owned a lot of gear including Leica, Canon, Nikon and Sony and apart from specialist applications (such as cramped interiors, underwater use, and other niche areas) I have always found that 20/21mm lenses are the widest which I tend to make much use of. So I would suggest that if you are unsure then the 21mm SEM is a potentially the lens you are like to make more use of. But only you can decide this for yourself.

Hi, thank you for taking the time to share, I appreciate it.

I do like ultra wides, I don’t use them often however when I do I tend to enjoy the results.  I have the Sigma 14-24 DG DN, however I seldom put it on the SL2 

[Sjz]

23 hours ago, Nowhereman said:

Sjz - I have a Zeiss Distagon 18 mm lens and the Elmarit 21 ASPH and find that I hardly you the Zeiss, although it's a good lens. Also, I'm happy with the  Elmarit 21 ASPH and would not buy a new 21 SEM unless I couldn't find an  Elmarit 21 ASPH used that was in good condition. I have a batch of images made with the  Elmarit 21 ASPH in this post and a few more more in a post further down in that thread, if you are inserted.
________________________
Frog Leaping photobook

Thank you for sharing, I really like those images, almost timeless.  I can’t explain why the Elmarit had escaped my notice.  Pre-owned very similar in $s to the SEMs. Decisions decisions ...

[Guest Nowhereman]

2 minutes ago, Sjz said:

... Pre-owned very similar in $s to the SEMs. Decisions decisions ...

Wow, I thought a used Elmarit 21 ASPH would be a lot cheaper than a new SEM.
________________________
Frog Leaping photobook

[Sjz]

20 hours ago, kokoshawnuff said:

Since you already have a 28mm I’d be inclined to suggest the 18mm. I have the 21mm SEM and it’s a great, but I don’t use a 28mm. While there’s obviously a difference between 28mm and 21mm, with modern optics and digital post processing corrections the difference doesn’t appear as extreme as it once did. The 18mm, though, is also a very good lens and in almost every instance it will clearly differentiate itself from the 28mm. 

This is where my thinking was going however I read quite a lot about the 21 and very little about the 18 and was wondering if people found they were different in more ways than just the 3mm.

16 hours ago, Fedro said:

I would favour 21 for use of filters (standard 46mm)

I have the SEM and the WATE for wider, but the SEM is great for IQ, filters, size hard to beat really

Another four filters ...... red, orange, yellow and ND....... possibly miss the yellow this time.

15 hours ago, Narsuitus said:

 

When I am shooting 85/50/28mm lenses with my Nikon SLR, I prefer to use the 18mm when I want something wider. The 21mm is too close to the 28mm for my tastes.

 

For my Leica rangefinder, I have 90/35/21mm lenses. I rarely need anything wider than the 21, but on those rare occasions when I do, I prefer to adapt a Nikon 14mm to mount on my Leica because the 18mm is too close to the 21mm for my taste.

Fair point, that helps me.

[Sjz]

5 minutes ago, Nowhereman said:

Wow, I thought a used Elmarit 21 ASPH would be a lot cheaper than a new SEM.
________________________
Frog Leaping photobook

They are a bit cheaper, the two are similar in $s when both are pre owned.

[kokoshawnuff]

2 hours ago, Sjz said:

This is where my thinking was going however I read quite a lot about the 21 and very little about the 18 and was wondering if people found they were different in more ways than just the 3mm.

The 18mm is certainly a less popular lens than the 21mm, probablybecause of the fact that it’s not a traditional focal length (so unpopular, it seems they have discontinued it). It’s also bigger, slightly heavier and, as someone else mentioned, doesn’t accept filters without an adapter. That said the two lenses are close optically, and the 21mm SEM is considered one of the best lenses Leica has ever made.
 

While I’ve never owned it, I had the opportunity to use the 18mm during a Leica akademie class several years ago, and when scrolling through my Lightroom catalog the photos still stand out. That’s my only take in terms of actual use. It’s always been a tempting lens to me, now, especially that the used prices have fallen so much. 

[RoySmith]

I don't have the 21mm SEM but do have the 18mm SEM. I have the 24mm Elmar so I opted for the 18mm. It is an amazing lens. The first photo is the interior of a yurt we stayed in while cycling in Hawaii taken with the 18mm SEM. The second is the exterior of the yurt taken with a 35mm Cron.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

This was one of my first photos with this lens and it amazed me.

This final photo is my daughter's condo:

The horizontal field of view is 90°, so if the camera is in the corner of a room, you'll see the entire room. This makes the lens great for interior architectural photos. 

Leica's technical description says:  

"The LEICA SUPER-ELMAR-M 18 mm f/3.8 ASPH. features a lens element with two aspherical surfaces, ensuring outstanding optical

performance across the image plane and at all f-stops. With the lens set to maximum aperture and mounted on a traditional

Leica M or digital LEICA M8 model, vignetting – an effect which is inherently more prevalent with super wide angle lenses –

amounts to a nominal 2.3 stops or 1.7 stops on an M8. Stopping down to f/5.6 reduces the vignetting to a value of 1.3 or 1

respectively. Maximum distortion, in turn, measures only 1.8 percent and is virtually undetectable to the human eye."

 

As always which lens you chose depends a lot on the type of photos you plan to take.