LEICA ELMARIT M 28mm 2nd

With stopper, 2nd generation wide-angle 28mm

A review and Photo example of the ELMARIT M 28mm F2.8 (2nd).

Gallery

Sample photos taken with the LEICA M-P typ240 and LEICA M6 +E100VS

Review

Usage
Overview
Differences

1．Usage

The second-generation Elmarit M is a lens that is already over 50 years old, but there was no problem with the depiction.

I looked at the stock photos for the first time in a while, and it is a very good lens with a sharp depiction.

I liked the wet depiction of the first-generation Elmarit, so I kept it, but the sharpness of the second-generation is also attractive.

In a rangefinder camera, where the lens is lightweight and does not expand under its own weight, the stopper has little practical meaning and is more decorative, but it gives the impression that it is a well-made tool. Judging from the shape and color of the stopper part, the second-generation stopper part is thought to be a reused part of the later model of the first-generation Elmarit 28mm, and when that part became scarce, it is assumed that it was changed to a lens without a stopper and only a finger grip on the focus ring, which is widely available.

The lens I used was 2459xxx, manufactured in Canada in 1970. Although there was a slight wobble in the lens barrel, the lens was clear and the aperture was working properly. It was a somewhat rare lens with the lens stopper mentioned above, but the image quality seemed to be no different from the second-generation Elmarit, so I sold it to buy another lens.

2．Overview

The second-generation Elmarit M used a retrofocus lens construction, and approximately 7,000 were manufactured over the nine years from 1969 to 1978. Due to the retrofocus lens construction, the overall length of the lens is about 3 mm longer than the first-generation Elmarit.

The second-generation Elmarit includes early models with a stopper at the infinity position of the focus ring, and later models without a stopper.

The lens hood is 12501, which is the same as the Super Angulon-M 21/3.4 and the first-generation Elmarit M 2.8/28.
Because the lens mount has an old structure, it is not compatible with Leica’s 6-bit lens recognition code modification.

3．Differences

The early models with stoppers were produced in small numbers, and are priced at a premium in the used market. There should be no difference in the lens structure, so if you want to enjoy the feel of the lens, it is better to prioritize the condition of the lens over whether it has a stopper or not.

As mentioned on the page for the first Elmarit, the second-generation Elmarit with stoppers and the first-generation Elmarit lens barrel are different. Since the lens structure is completely different, there may be some reused parts, but not everything is the same.

The R-mount Elmarit with the same name has undergone two design changes, while the M-mount has undergone five design changes, so there are frequent model changes. I have used all M-mount Elmarits except the fourth-generation Elmarit, and I have no complaints about the lens performance of any of them. The reasons for the design changes are thought to be as follows.

First generation to second generation, retrofocus lens structure
Second generation to third generation, general cost reduction
Third generation to fourth generation, modernization of the lens barrel and lens structure
Fourth generation to fifth generation, compact size due to the use of aspherical lenses

Specification and Competitor

項目	1st	2nd	3rd	SUMMICRON	4th	5th(ASPH.)
focal length(mm)	28	←	←	←	←	←
Maximum aperture	2.8	←	←	2	2.8	←
Minimum aperture	22	←	←	16	22	←
Leaf blade	8	8	8	10	8	10
Lens configuration	9 elements in 6 groups	8 elements in 6 groups	8 elements in 6 groups	9 elements in 6 groups	8 elements in 7 groups	8 elements in 6 groups
Minimum distance(m)	0.7	←	←	0.7 0.4(New ver)	0.7	←
Lens length(mm)	42	45	48	40.8	41.4	30.7
Lens max diameter(mm)	52.5	←	←	←	←	←
Filter diameter(mm)	48 or Series 7	48	49	46	46	39
Weight(g)	242	–	–	270	260	175
Production Number	3200	7,050	17,115	over 5500	10,130	over 40,000
Release date	1964-1966	1969-1978	1979-1991	2000〜	1992-2006	1993〜