Leica 21/3.4 super elmar

[brickftl]

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it's such a great lens for daytime street work

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[rsolti13]

8 hours ago, lct said:

On which camera?

any digital M, preferably M10R/M10M

[Gregm61]

With an MP240..

Edited June 15, 2024 by Gregm61

[lct]

45 minutes ago, rsolti13 said:

any digital M, preferably M10R/M10M

I have no experience with M10 series sorry, only M11 and M240 as far as full fame RFs are concerned. 21mm lenses don't behave the same way on those bodies so i don't know if M10 series come closer to either.

[brickftl]

1 hour ago, lct said:

 21mm lenses don't behave the same way on those bodies so i don't know if M10 series come closer to either.

I'd be surprised to learn that the 21/3.4 super elmar would behave on an M10 differently than it would on M11 or M240. Please explain the difference you're speaking of.

[lct]

1 hour ago, brickftl said:

I'd be surprised to learn that the 21/3.4 super elmar would behave on an M10 differently than it would on M11 or M240. Please explain the difference you're speaking of.

I thought you wanted to compare different lenses. If not, what do you want to discuss exactly?

[Robert Blanko]

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vor 7 Stunden schrieb brickftl:

I'd be surprised to learn that the 21/3.4 super elmar would behave on an M10 differently than it would on M11 or M240. Please explain the difference you're speaking of.

It is well known that the sensor design (such as backside illuminated, BSI, design vs frontside illuminated design and the specific microlens arrangement etc.) may have a serious impact on the proper detection of light rays that reach the sensor at a flat angle. M11 uses BSI sensor, M10 not afaik.

Thus, you might see differences, depending on the lens and sensor combination. Commonly known impacts are vignetting and color shading in the corners. For instance, the Color Skopar 21/4 shows slight cyan color shading in the corners on an M10-R, whereas the newer version Color Skopar 21/3.5 reportedly is better in said respect.

[01af]

vor 17 Stunden schrieb sebas_:

... brings me right in the middle of the scenery without any distortion or vignetting.

This Michael Agel person simply has no idea what vignetting is. Just look at his pictures in that blog entry, and you'll see the vignetting. It's perfectly normal and there's nothing wrong with your copy of that lens.

[brickftl]

in sunny conditions at f8/11 this lens turns my M10 into a point and shoot. I keep the cam at waist level with my finger on the distance tab, approximating as I go

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[doubleW]

I guess I must be in the very small minority who were disappointed in the 21 Super Elmar.  I bought my copy used, but in near mint condition from a reliable source.  I used it extensively photographing in Wyoming and Idaho.  Maybe I just got a bad copy, or maybe it was dropped and de-centered.  Anyway, my 24 Elmar/3.8 ran circles around it.  Also found out along the way that 21mm is just a bit too wide for me for landscape work.

[UliWer]

I‘d like to recommend looking at the exposure if anybody sees too much vignetting with the 21mm Super-Elmar. Of course a wide angle lens will vignet more than a „normal“ focal length. 

Light metering with the M traditionally covers only a small part at the center of the frame. Usually this center will be one of the brighter parts of the frame, whilst the outer parts a very often in the shadow. So underexpoure for the outer parts adds to the inherent vigenetting of the lens.

Metering with the M11 may be different though the risk of underexposing outer parts may persist. Exposing for the shadows will help in any case.

[Xavier]

1 hour ago, doubleW said:

I guess I must be in the very small minority who were disappointed in the 21 Super Elmar.  I bought my copy used, but in near mint condition from a reliable source.  I used it extensively photographing in Wyoming and Idaho.  Maybe I just got a bad copy, or maybe it was dropped and de-centered.  Anyway, my 24 Elmar/3.8 ran circles around it.  Also found out along the way that 21mm is just a bit too wide for me for landscape work.

Sorry to hear that. There are two separate issues here.

I do not think I ever heard about someone complaining about the optical quality of the 21SEM so it is most likely an issue with your sample indeed, as you suspect. Mechanical issues may happen to any lens. It would be too bad to waste a sample of such a great lens, so you should definitely see what is wrong (maybe post samples here, possibly after testing in some controlled situations, so as to find out) and whether it is possible to get it adjusted/fixed. If a de-centering issue seems likely, maybe start with a wide open picture of a flat object like a wall perpendicular to the lens axis.

Then, if it is not the right focal length for you, of course that is another problem, and you may probably want to sell it (especially if you find 24 to be just right) unless you think you might want to use this focal length more later.

[lct]

2 hours ago, doubleW said:

[...] I guess I must be in the very small minority who were disappointed in the 21 Super Elmar.  I bought my copy used, but in near mint condition from a reliable source.  I used it extensively photographing in Wyoming and Idaho.  Maybe I just got a bad copy, or maybe it was dropped and de-centered.  Anyway, my 24 Elmar/3.8 ran circles around it.[...]

It should not. The 21/3.4 vignettes a bit more than the 24/3.8 but not by much. See specs attached. Maybe your 21 copy needs a CLA.

LeicaM_2134a_specs_p04.pdf

LeicaM_2438_specs_p04.pdf

[frankchn]

Golden Gate Bridge Tower. Leica M11, ISO 64, f/8, 1/100s.

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[Sebastian S]

funny - i often add vignette to pictures so they look more naturally. 

[Kiwimac]

I just lugged a Voigtlander 21 f1.4 around for a 6 week trip. It’s the current version and I got it at a good price. 
 

It’s an excellent lens but…big and heavy for travel. 
 

I like the focal length but there is a grade 10 pre owned 21 3.4 SEM at my main dealer and I’m tempted. 
 

The M11 certainly doesn’t need f1.4 for anything but effect so no need to lug it round really. 

[brickftl]

20 hours ago, Kiwimac said:

I just lugged a Voigtlander 21 f1.4 around for a 6 week trip. It’s the current version and I got it at a good price. 
 

It’s an excellent lens but…big and heavy for travel. 
 

I like the focal length but there is a grade 10 pre owned 21 3.4 SEM at my main dealer and I’m tempted. 
 

The M11 certainly doesn’t need f1.4 for anything but effect so no need to lug it round really. 

I can't say enough good things about the 21/3.4 SEM. It's so compact and lightweight, and is plenty sharp. Here are some more pics shot with it

https://brick.smugmug.com/Photography/2024-8-3-Asheville-tailgate-market

 

Edited August 11, 2024 by brickftl

[Kiwimac]

Thanks for sharing. For an f3.5 wide angle, the DoF is not bad in terms of oof parts and subject isolation. 
 

I’m actually wondering if I’d find this more useful than my 75 Apo, which is very hard to focus by eye at f2 and which cropping in using my 35 Apo can to some extent emulate. 
 

In the last 6 weeks of travel I put the 75 on only a handful of times really.