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Which wide angle? 21mm or 24mm?
The widest lens that utilized the built-in framelines of the M bodies is the 28mm f/2 Summicron-M ASPH. Wider than that, and one must use an optical viewfinder mounted in the hot shoe.
The Leica focal length choices with a field of view wider than 28mm are:
- 16-18-21mm f/4 Tri-Elmar, which requires the large and expensive “Frankenfinder” optical viewfinder. It is a very good lens, but larger and heavier than the 18mm or 21mm primes.
- The 18mm f/3.8 Super-Elmar-M ASPH
- The 21mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH or 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar-M ASPH.
- The 24mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH or 24mm f/3.8 Elmar-M ASPH.
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Diglloyd Guide to Leica is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 25 cents a day ($90/year).
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Diglloyd Guide to LEICA contains in-depth coverage of Leica M system cameras and lenses, with additional coverage of Leica M Monochrom, Leica Q.
Special emphasis is placed on Leica M lenses and certain Zeiss ZM lenses.
- Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away.
- Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly the Summilux/Summicron/Elmarit choice and/or Zeiss ZM.
- Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning. Processing parameters are discussed and shown.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops [past 2 years or so].
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.
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