Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 (v1)
The first 28mm lens for the Leica M system, expanding the rangefinder vocabulary into wider-angle territory for the first time in 1965.
Famous for
- A rare ultrawide Elmarit produced in small numbers; early versions required external viewfinders
- One of the widest lenses Leica made for the M mount in the screw-to-M transition era
Before the Elmarit-M 28mm arrived in 1965, the widest practical M-mount lens was 35mm. The new 28mm gave M shooters a fundamentally different field of view — wider, more environmental, closer to the way a wide-open human eye takes in a scene. The first version used an eight-element formula and a scalloped focus tab rather than the later tabbed ring.
For beginners: the 28mm focal length on a rangefinder is a different discipline from 35mm. Framelines are small in the M viewfinder, depth of field is deep even at f/2.8, and "zone focusing" — pre-setting focus to 3 metres and trusting everything from 2 to 5 metres to be sharp — becomes viable for fast street shooting. The v1 Elmarit-M 28mm is the rarest of the 28mm variants; its rendering is subtly different from later versions with a characteristic edge softness that some photographers prefer.
Key specs
- elements groups
- 8/7
- minimum focus
- 0.7m
- filter size
- 39mm
Variants & finishes
The first M-mount 28mm Elmarit — a compact retrofocus design that set the template for wide-angle M lenses. Later versions improved corner sharpness; V1 has its own character that wide-angle enthusiasts seek out.
Market value
Used-market price history is coming soon.
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