Leica Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8

Leica Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8

The Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8 carrying order number 11134 is the pre-aspherical, spherical-glass ultra-wide in Leica's M lineup, sitting between the earlier Super-Angulon designs and the later aspherical 21mm Elmarit-M of 1997. Built across 1980 to 1997, it covers a diagonal angle of view of about 92 degrees and uses an eight-element, six-group optical layout. [1] The original optical computation is credited to a Leitz team of Otto Zimmermann, Heinz Marquardt, Hermann Desch and Eugen Hermanni, with design work dated to April 1960, well before the lens entered series production. In total roughly 13,930 examples were assigned serial numbers over the production run.

The lens is a compact all-metal barrel finished in black chrome, with an eight-blade diaphragm running from f/2.8 to f/16. As an ultra-wide of this era it was supplied with a dedicated bright-line viewfinder for the M body, the 12008 finder, since the M frame lines do not extend to 21mm. The later production form is rangefinder coupled with a close-focus limit of 0.7 m, uses a 60mm (E60) front filter thread, and weighs about 290 g in a barrel of roughly 46 mm length and 62 mm diameter.

A significant split runs through the production history. Early examples up to serial number 3363299 were not rangefinder coupled, focusing by scale from about 16 to 28 inches and accepting a 39mm (E39) filter with the 12537 hood. The later version, made after that serial point, added rangefinder coupling with a 28 inch (0.7 m) close limit and adopted the larger E60 filter thread and the 12543 hood. The verified configuration here, with rangefinder coupling, a 0.7 m minimum focus and a 60mm filter, corresponds to that later E60 variant. Factory order code variations also exist, including ELC and German-assembly batches noted in serial-number records. The barrel inscription reads in the form LEITZ ELMARIT-M 1:2.8/21 with the E 60 marking and serial number.

Optical qualities

Rendering Published technical material on this lens is limited compared with its aspherical successor, and detailed independent test data for the pre-aspherical 11134 is sparse. What is documented is the design itself: an eight-element, six-group spherical formula covering an approximately 92-degree field at a maximum aperture of f/2.8. As a wide-angle retrofocus-type design of its generation it predates the aspherical correction Leica introduced in the 1997 replacement, so claims about its detailed sharpness, distortion, vignetting or behavior on digital sensors are not supported by the sources reviewed here and are left out rather than estimated.

History

Development and Launch The optical design traces to a Leitz computation dated 16 April 1960, attributed to Otto Zimmermann, Heinz Marquardt, Hermann Desch and Eugen Hermanni, but the lens reached the market only at the start of the 1980s. It served as Leica's 21mm M-mount wide-angle through the 1980s and into the 1990s, with the 21mm focal length being the most popular of Leica's ultra-wide options for the M system.[2]

Production Evolution Production ran from 1980 to 1997. The most important change was the transition around serial number 3363299 (about 1985) from a non-coupled, scale-focusing version with a 39mm filter to a rangefinder-coupled version focusing to 0.7 m and using a 60mm filter. Hood and accessory specifications changed accordingly, from the 12537 hood on early lenses to the 12543 hood on the later E60 examples, with the 12008 external viewfinder used throughout. Serial-number tables compiled from known lenses and Leitz production records document batches through 1995, including assembly variants marked ELC and ELW. The lens was discontinued in 1997 when Leica introduced an aspherical 21mm Elmarit-M (order numbers in the 11135 and 11897 family), a separate optical design.

Special editions No widely documented military, export-only or commemorative factory special editions of the 11134 are recorded in the sources reviewed; the main documented variations are the early non-coupled E39 version, the later rangefinder-coupled E60 version, and ELC and German-assembly batches.

Collector Notes The single most important point of identification is the early versus late distinction, since the two share the 11134 order number but differ in rangefinder coupling, minimum focus, filter size and hood. Buyers checking originality should confirm the filter thread (E39 versus E60), whether the lens is rangefinder coupled, and that the supplied hood matches the version (12537 versus 12543), along with the presence of an appropriate 21mm external finder such as the 12008. Serial number can be cross-referenced against the published production batches to place a given lens in the run and confirm whether it should be a coupled E60 example. As with any wide-angle of this age, the front and rear groups and internal surfaces are worth inspecting for haze, cleaning marks and coating wear before purchase.