Leica 21mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M Aspherical Super Wide Angle Manual Focus Lens (11135)

The lens received was virtually "brand new"! A long time Leica user, this lens has found a special place in my camera bag. Very limited distortion when at 2.8 aperture. Stopped to f4 and beyond there is none!! Super buy!!

I've used Leica M-cameras since the 1960s. Leica optics have always been excellent, but with a price. I was able to pick up this lens a few years ago, and it's the best lens with 21mm coverage I've ever owned. In most images, you won't notice the two stops of vignetting at f/2.8. Contrast and sharpness yield pictures you want to reach into and grab. Stopped down to f/4 and beyond, the vignetting goes away and excellent image quality extends to the corners. The 21mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH outperforms Canon's EF 16-35mm f/2.8L at 21mm. I prefer the Elmarit for food and some architectural photography, but if you're used to seeing exactly what you'll get on film or pixels, this rangefinder lens isn't for you. You'll need a separate 21mm finder to use the Elmarit on M-series Leicas or one of Voigtlander's M-mount Bessas. Beware Leica's plastic 21mm finder, 12 008. The mounting foot has a tendency to fall off, and it's hard to find an adhesive to reliably fix it. Much better is Leica's metal Tri-Finder, 12 013. It works for 21mm, 24mm, and 28mm lenses on 35mm cameras. Its only downsides are its slight field curvature at 21mm, and its somewhat large size.