LEICA ELMARIT M 24mm ASPH.

Review and photo examples of the Leica ELMARIT M 24mm F2.8 ASPH.

Gallery

The example was taken with LEICA M6 +KODAK E100VS +NIKON COOLSCAN ED V.
The location was Oigawa Railway in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Review

ELMARIT M 24mm F2.8 ASPH. is a wide-angle single focus lens with a Leica M mount and a focal length of 24mm.

The Leica R mount’s 24mm focal length ELMARIT R 24mm, which is said to be almost the same as MINOLTA, was released in 1974 and was sold new until mid-2000. This lens was the first to use a Leica M mount with a focal length of 24mm, released in 1996. ELMARIT M 21mm ASPH., which uses the same aspherical lens, is a sibling lens and was released one year after this lens.
Both lenses are already discontinued and will be used lenses when purchased.

As the numbers indicate, the focal length of 24mm is wider than 28mm and less wide-angle than 21mm. I think this halfway position will be a useful focal length when using a rangefinder camera, for everyday snapshots, and for taking snapshots when traveling without a specific purpose.
There were no complaints about the image quality, and if the helicoid was properly greased, the manual focus felt smooth and comfortable, making it a lens that could be used for a variety of purposes.

Depending on when they were manufactured, some have a 6-bit code added to them, while others do not. Items that are not added can be exchanged at Leica for a fee. All Elmer M 24mm lenses seem to have had 6bit codes since their release.

The two giants of European cameras, Leica and Zeiss, have a lineup of 24mm and 25mm lenses with focal lengths between 21mm and 28mm. Many people understand that 24mm and 25mm are subject to a world of error, and even if you shoot with a fixed tripod and change the lens, the difference is slight. Even so, when I see the 24mm and 25mm lenses explicitly written, I feel like there is a big difference between the two lenses, which is probably just the nonsense of a sick lens gourmet.

In addition, the focal length of 24mm, which can be said to be just the right width for a wide-angle lens, has been adopted at the wide end of standard zoom lenses since the late 1990s, in line with advances in lens design. Before that, the mainstream wide end was 28mm, and before that it was 35mm. When I use an old Leica zoom lens that started at 35mm, it feels quite narrow, so I realize that I am used to wide-angle lenses.

There is a movement for camera zoom lenses to start with a focal length of 20mm at the wide-angle end, and depending on market sales, other companies will likely follow suit, but distortion is an inevitable concern with zoom lenses. I have the impression that 20mm widens the angle of view a bit too much, but there is a good chance that this will no longer be a problem with advances in lens correction.

I don’t have this lens anymore, but it’s one I’d like to use again if I have the chance.
This lens is not very popular in the second-hand market, and depending on its condition, you can sometimes find it at a low price, but as of 2024, the price has increased to match that of other Leica M mount lenses.

Specification

Items	ELMAR	ELMARIT ASPH.	BIOGON
Focal length(mm)	24	24	25
Max aperture	3.4	2.8	2.8
Min aperture	16	←	←
Lens Construction	8 elements in 6groups	9elements in 7groups	9elements in 7groups
Leaf blade	8枚	←	10
Min distance(m)	0.7	←	0.5
Lens length(mm)	40.6	46	46.6
Max diameter(mm)	53	58	53
Filter Size(mm)	E46	E55	E46
Lens hood	12465 (Same as 21mm)	12592(Same as 21mm /hood) 14041(Same as 21mm /Hood front cover)	Lens Shade 21/25mm Lens Shade 25/28mm
Release date	2008	1996	2005
Production number	–	About 7,000-	–
Weight(g)	260	388(Silver) 290(Black)	260
List Price(Yen/No-tax)	¥320,000-	–	¥110,000-