Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5 LTM Nickel (1930)

Leica Elmar Nickel 35mm f/3.5

Among the earliest wide-angle lenses Leitz offered for the screw-mount Leica, the nickel-finished 3.5cm Elmar f/3.5 is notable as much for its diminutive size as for its place in the company's history. It is a four-element lens in three groups, an arrangement Leitz used across the long-lived Elmar family, fitted to the M39 Leica Thread Mount and coupled to the rangefinder. The nickel barrel marks the earliest period of production, before chrome became standard, and surviving nickel examples are uncommon. The lens is physically very small, a trait collectors and the listings that describe it routinely remark on [1].

The lens dates from around 1930, and the earliest batches were produced without serial numbers, which is one of the identifying traits of the first examples. A variant was also made for the non-rangefinder (Standard) Leicas; without rangefinder coupling to constrain it, that version could focus closer than the usual limit, down to about 0.5 m, where the coupled screw-mount lens stops at 1 m. Because it was made for so long, the Elmar 35mm exists in many states, but the no-serial nickel close-focus version is among the scarcer early forms. The lens carries the factory order codes EKURZ, EKURZCHROM and EKURZKUP, reflecting its different finishes and configurations.

Optical qualities

Rendering Detailed independent test data for the early nickel 3.5cm Elmar is limited. As an uncoated four-element design from the early 1930s, it is generally valued today for its classic, lower-contrast rendering rather than for clinical sharpness, and collectors note that well-kept examples remain usable, including on digital bodies through an adapter. Claims beyond this general character are not well documented for this specific version.

History

Development and Launch The 3.5cm Elmar f/3.5 entered production around 1930 as one of the first wide-angle options for the Leica system, supplementing the standard 50mm Elmar. The earliest examples were finished in nickel and, in the first batches, left the factory without serial numbers.

Production Evolution The Elmar 35mm was made over a long span, during which the finish moved from nickel to chrome and the lens was offered in forms suited to both rangefinder-coupled and non-rangefinder Leicas. The non-coupled Standard-camera version was able to focus more closely, to roughly 0.5 m, whereas the coupled screw-mount version focuses to 1 m.

Collector Notes For the early type, the absence of a serial number and the nickel finish are the principal identifiers, and both point to the first batches from around 1930. Buyers should confirm that a nickel barrel is original rather than re-plated, check the glass for cleaning marks, haze and dust common to lenses of this age, and verify which version is at hand, since the rare non-rangefinder close-focus variant behaves differently from the standard coupled lens. Period accessories such as the correct 3.5cm Elmar hood and front cap add to a complete example.