Love, thy name is Elmarit 28 f2.8
Last year I picked up an Elmarit 28 2.8. I had spent all of 5 minutes shooting with one in the Leica store in London on the advice of Marc who used to work there - thank you Marc!
Something about the images I made in the store and gallery space immediately spoke to me. I actually left the shop, texted my wife and then went back in to get it. In the months that have followed this tiny jewel has never left my camera bag and often sits on the front of my M. I think it’s an often overlooked gem in the Leica lens lineup but it isn’t really talked about because;
The Summicron and Sumilux get all the attention. Shallow depth of field brings all the boys to the yard and instantly makes images stand out. F2.8 isn’t a sexy aperture like 1.4
It’s wide on a range finder making precise framing challenging unless you zone focus, use live view or a Visoflex add on
It’s relatively cheap for a Leica lens and some folks will tell you there are build quality issues. Mine has been great but I don’t see the stores pushing it. In New York and San Francisco in particular the store team were very keen to push me towards a Summilux, I was practically led out of New York when I started to talk about how sometimes something had to be in focus to make an image interesting :D
But whether that’s true or not, this lens doesn’t get the credit it deserves and I love using it. It’s small, light, comes with an excellent hood, is lovely to focus and most importantly is absurdly sharp with a gorgeous character to the way it renders. I’m not a pro, I don’t really know what micro contrast is or means but I LOVE the way this lens makes things feel. It’s modern and opinionated without being clinical, you can use a Zeiss 35 2.8 for that and you’d be delighted by that one too, especially in black and white.
Colours sing on the Elmarit especially in bright sunlight and if you don’t have one but have the means, I think you’re missing out.
