Leica 24mm f/3.8 Elmar M Lens

Description

This 24mm f/3.8 Leica Aspherical Elmar M Lens is an even more compact and less costly wide angle option over the 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit M. Although even at the initial f/3.8 f stop, contrast and detail depiction are already outstanding. A high-performance lens that makes it doable to work effectively in tight quarters. It provides a more dynamic feel to close-up photos and it adds quite a lot more depth to landscape images.

The lens has been optimized to mount on the M8 digital camera, and will barely show any light loss when shot with the aperture wide open. Even open to the medium f-stop, the depth of field is still so big that it can replicate whole scenes keeping them in sharp focus. Although when employed with a 35mm camera system, the light falloff along the edges of the image will be visibly compromised (1.4 stop) after being stopped down to f/5.6.

Leica lens new updated "6-bit" coding

This Leica lens features the new updated "6-bit" coding, that allows the M digital camera to optically read this information and then identify the lens being mounted. Optionally the M camera can then apply a software based "last stage" vignetting adjustment (for images captured in RAW, the lens mounted is simply recorded, with no changes made).  Read more. May 10, 2011

• Includes "6-bit code" which allows the digital cameras (i.e. M8) to identify which lens is being used, and also to store this information in image metadata

• Leica Wide Angle 24mm f/3.8 Elmar M Aspherical Manual Focus Lens
• Black Front & Rear Lens Caps
• Lens Hood
• Lens Hood Cover
• 3-Year Limited Warranty

Superb lens!
By urbanscaper from Berkeley CA on 8/10/2009

Pros:Lightweight, Low geometric distortion, Rendering characteristics

Best Uses:Architecture, General Use, Landscape Photography

Bottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comments about Leica Wide Angle 24mm f/3.8 Elmar M Aspherical Manual Focus Lens - Black:

This is a wonderful lens with superb rendering characteristics and negligible geometric distortion. On a M8.2 the lens produces a FOV equivalent (1.33X) to 32mm on film cameras. I use a Leica 24mm Brightline Finder on the accessory shoe since framing when wearing glasses is a bit slow using the 24mm bright line frames in the far corners of the M8 viewfinder. The Leica Brightline Finder is expensive but has 24mm framing lines for both film and digital M-series cameras.

M Mount Adapters
The Leica M mount was introduced in 1954 at the same time as the Leica M3. It's been the mount of choice on every Leica M series thru the present day Leica M7 film camera and Leica M9 digital camera and Lenses.

The M Mount was also the mount used for Minolta's CLE rangefinder, on the Konica Hexar RF, on the later versions of the Voigtlander Bessa family and Lenses, the mount for the Rollei 35RF, also quite recently on the newest Zeiss Ikon Rangefinder and Lenses..

Benefits of Lens adapters is versatility, and saving money with the continued use of the preferred lenses you already own.

Drawbacks of lens adapters is the inconvenience, no electronic connection between the adapted lens and your camera body A couple of factors are necessary for a lens adapter to work properly. First, the camera body "lens registration" space or the expanse between the mount of the lens to the sensor or film surface. Two, the "throat size" of the mount or the mount diameter. An adapter flanked by the body of the camera and a lens from different brands, this registration distance of the adapted lens must be larger than the registration distance on the body; plus the lenses throat-size must be less than the throat size on the body mount. M lenses can be adapted to Canon EOS, Nikon, Micro Four Thirds, and Sony Nex Cameras.