Elmar M 24 mm lens

[hoppyman]

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Today I took delivery of the new Elmar M f/3.8 24, actually the first copy to arrive in Australia. It has a very compact form. With the metal screw in lens hood fitted it handles very like the Summicon 28 ASPH. (about same length with hood). The hood design is much less bulky and intrudes less into the viewfinder image of the M8. The lens does not have the wider front objective area of the Elmarit (which is of course a faster lens). 46mm filter size means my Universal polariser fits fine too. You can see the first couple of very quick example snapshots here:

Newer stuff

Note that the first two frames are uncropped so you can get a glimpse of the vignetting performance. I see none. What really surprises me is the rendering of the blacks. There is no UV/IR fitted as yet. The new firmware recognises this one fine. The 6 BIT code is NOT the same as the Elmarit M

 

I handled it side by side with the Elmarit M. You can see a couple of recent photos with that magnificent lens here.

Yosemite

[rob_w]

Wow! Thanks for doing this. The Elmarit is good and the Elmar looks to have even more of the same qualities, if that were possible. The pictures have such strong impact directly from the lens used.

 

One comment: it is difficult to compare the Elmar and the Elmarit because the subjects are so different. (Nice Yosemite pictures, BTW!)

 

Robert

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[luigi bertolotti]

Thans for the links... Elmar 24 is the only lens of the recent flow of announcements I am vaguely thinking of... just a question to you: do you have also the 21 asph ? If so, does the elmar 24 result more compact or its about the same in practice ?

[hoppyman]

Hi Luigi. I used the 24 Elmarit ASPH. for three weeks while waiting for my Elmar. The size of the Elmarit M 21 is almost identical to the Elmarit M 24. Because of the larger front objective and hood it feels much larger than the Elmar. Of course it is faster but that was not important to me. None of these are big lenses compared to other brands of course. Part of the big difference is that the screw on metal lens hood is much more compact and efficient. With the hoods (that I always use) it is exactly the same length as the tiny Summicron 28 ASPH. but with a skinny front. They are both 46mm filter threads. Both of these have really fast focus action with the focus tab too.

Thans for the links... Elmar 24 is the only lens of the recent flow of announcements I am vaguely thinking of... just a question to you: do you have also the 21 asph ? If so, does the elmar 24 result more compact or its about the same in practice ?

[robola]

I just ordered an M8 from a UK dealer and was tempted to also order the new Elmar 24 after reading the E Puts comparison with the Elmarit 24.The widest lens I have from my M6 kit is a 35 Summilux and I know I will want something wider given the crop factor. How would you rate the new Elmar 24 as a general "walking around" lens with the M8. In most circumstances speed is not a significant priority.

[hoppyman]

Robola, my view is that is exactly what Leica has in mind for this new lens. Certainly the handling is a pleasure, focus tab action quick and light and I find the lens hood not too intrusive in the viewfinder. That means for me I am comfortable using the internal finder with it. You've already seen the numbers so I don't need to comment there. I would add though that I like the design so much I bought it over the Elmarit even though the Elmarit with discounts and rebate is actually significantly CHEAPER here right now!

I just ordered an M8 from a UK dealer and was tempted to also order the new Elmar 24 after reading the E Puts comparison with the Elmarit 24.The widest lens I have from my M6 kit is a 35 Summilux and I know I will want something wider given the crop factor. How would you rate the new Elmar 24 as a general "walking around" lens with the M8. In most circumstances speed is not a significant priority.

[josephgalilee]

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Hi Hoppyman,

thanks for the handling skills, most important for me, know if the rendering in OOF (..bokeh) of new Elmar 24, it's smooth like the 28 Summicron or almost harsh like 21/24 Elmarit. So, if the smoothness of the out of focus is like Summicron 28, the choice could be over the cheap price (...in the Leica listing price).

 

I'm wait your field test.

 

Thank you for the attention.

Kind regards.

 

Cheers.

 

giuseppe