LEICA ELMARIT TL 18mm

LEICA ELMARIT TL 18mm
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A review and Photo example of the Elmarit TL 18mm with the LEICA TL.

Table of contents

Gallery

The following cameras were used to take the sample photos:

  • LEICA TL
  • LEICA TL2

Review

Before imageAfter image

1.Overview

The Elmarit TL 18mm F2.8 was released in 2017 and is the last genuine Leica L-mount lens for APS-C size sensors.

The main specifications are as follows, and details are listed in the table.

  • Aperture value: 2.8
  • Lens construction: 8 elements in 6 groups
  • 2 aspherical lenses with 2 surfaces
  • Aperture blades: Unknown
  • Minimum focusing distance: 0.3m
  • Hood: None
  • Lens color variations: Silver and black

2.Usability

The Elmarit TL 18mm F2.8 is an extremely thin and compact pancake lens, available in two colors: black and silver. Its barrel is a perfect match for the compact bodies of the T/TL series and CL.

A standard design for the digital age, with only the focus ring and focal length display located on the lens barrel.

The compact size and minimal lens movement allow for fast autofocus, and the lens operation is extremely quiet when focusing, making it negligible when shooting video. With the Leica T, setting it to P mode/Auto ISO ensures optimal shooting settings based on the amount of light, making it less of a hassle.

I saw a press release stating that the LEICA TL2’s autofocus speed is approximately three times faster than the LEICA TL, but perhaps because the LEICA TL already had satisfactory autofocus speed, the ELMARIT TL 18mm didn’t feel dramatically faster.

The focal length is 18mm, and since this lens is designed for APS-C size sensors, it equates to a focal length of 27mm in 35mm format.

Its minimal bokeh and wide focal plane make it well-suited for wide-angle snapshots. Its minimum focusing distance of 30cm also makes it suitable for table photos of meals and other events. However, perhaps due to the compact lens barrel design, this drawback is evident in the image quality, which is not as sharp as the Summicron TL 23mm, a lens from the same series. Furthermore, there are occasions when uncorrected Raw images show noticeable distortion. This is corrected on camera when shooting in JPEG format.

The backlight resistance is not bad, but a hood is not included, so as shown in the photo below, a UN Square Hood 39mm (P0.5) UNX-8133 is attached.

This lens is on the inexpensive side among Leica lenses, but as of 2024 it has already been discontinued, and it is becoming less common on the used market, and the price is rising.

3.Summary

In conclusion, the Elmarit TL 18mm F2.8 is pancake-sized and easy to handle, and the image quality is satisfactory for normal use. However, it is regrettable that there is no Leica L-mount APS-C sensor camera anymore.
The body size is too large to use as a full-frame crop, making it look unbalanced.

Specification and Series lens

Before imageAfter image

Leica APS single focal length lens

Lens nameELMARITSUMMICRONSUMMILUXAPO MACRO ELMARIT
Focal length(mm)18233560
35mm equivalent focal length27355090
Max aperture2.821.42.8
Min aperture16161632
Aperture blade9
Lens Construction8elements 6groups9elements 6groups12elements 8groups10elements 9groups
Min distance(m)0.30.350.40.16
Lens length(mm)213777134
Lens diameter(mm)62637070
Filter Size(mm)E39E52E60E60
Weight(g)80154428320
Release date2017.122014.5.262016.3.312016.9.24
List Price¥142,500¥230,000¥310,000¥320,000

Reference links

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Update history

  • 2024.07.01
  • 2024.03.06
  • 2023.07.24

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