Leica Elmarit 28mm F2.8 Version One - The Leica 28mm I Almost Let Go
Updated: 2 days ago
Some lenses enter a collection and immediately feel permanent.
Others take a little longer to reveal themselves.
My Leica Elmarit 28mm F2.8 Version 1 belongs firmly to the second group.
I purchased this lens from Meteor Hong Kong on June 24, 2016, for HK$14,000.
What makes that purchase particularly memorable to me is that Old Lens Junkies founder Yoshiaki Kubota was with me when I bought it.
Many years later, however, I actually took the lens to MK Kamera in Hong Kong with the intention of selling it.
In the end, I changed my mind.
I took it back.
And today, after fitting it with an OLJ Type 1 lens hood, I am extremely glad that I did.
The combination looks astonishing.
But to understand why this lens deserves to stay, it is worth going back to the beginning.
Before the Elmarit: Leica and the 28mm Lens
Twenty-eight millimetres was already an established focal length in the Leica system before the Elmarit appeared.
Leica had produced slower 28mm lenses including the Hektor and Summaron, but the introduction of a 28mm F2.8 represented something substantially more ambitious.
Designing a relatively fast wide-angle lens for a rangefinder camera in the early 1960s presented very different challenges from those faced by lens designers today.
The first Elmarit 28mm was developed during this extraordinary period of Leica optical engineering.
The optical design dates back to work undertaken around 1960, with designers including Otto Zimmermann, Heinz Marquardt, Hermann Desch and Eugen Hermanni associated with the original design.
The production lens was introduced in 1965.
It became Leica's first 28mm lens with a maximum aperture of F2.8.
And it was anything but ordinary.
Elmarit 28mm F2.8 Version 1
The first-generation Elmarit 28mm F2.8 carries Leica catalogue number 11801.
Its basic specifications are impressive even today:
28mm focal length
F2.8 to F22
9 elements in 6 groups
10-blade diaphragm
0.7m minimum focusing distance
Approximately 225g
Approximately 56mm long
E48 / 48mm filter fitting
Series VII filter compatibility
Leica 12501 original hood
Leica M bayonet mount
But specifications alone do not explain what makes Version 1 special.
Its defining characteristic is behind the lens.
The Famous Deep Rear Element
Turn a Version 1 Elmarit around and its most unusual feature immediately becomes apparent.
The rear optical assembly projects deeply into the Leica M camera body.
This was part of the optical solution used to achieve the performance Leica wanted from a fast 28mm lens at that time.
It gives the first Elmarit a character unlike almost any modern M lens.
It also created compatibility limitations.
The later Leica M5 introduced a moving internal exposure-metering arm, and the deeply projecting rear section of the first Elmarit could interfere with cameras incorporating internal metering systems.
For this reason, Version 1 should never simply be treated as universally compatible with every Leica M body.
The optical design that makes the lens historically interesting is also the reason it eventually had to be redesigned.
Only Around 3,200
This is where Version 1 becomes particularly interesting from a collector's perspective.
Only two major serial-number allocations are documented for the original 9-element Elmarit:
2,061,501 – 2,063,5002,000 serial numbers
2,196,901 – 2,198,1001,200 serial numbers
Total serial numbers allocated:
3,200
Leica references generally describe actual production as fewer than 3,200 lenses.
It is worth making this distinction.
Serial-number allocation does not necessarily mean that every allocated number resulted in a finished production lens.
Therefore, rather than saying precisely 3,200 Version 1 Elmarits were manufactured, I prefer to say:
Approximately 3,200 serial numbers were allocated to the first-generation Elmarit 28mm F2.8, with actual production believed to have been below that figure.
That is an extraordinarily small number compared with many later Leica M lenses.
And it helps explain why good examples of the original nine-element Elmarit have become increasingly interesting to collectors.
Wetzlar and Canada
Version 1 can be found with different production markings.
Examples include lenses engraved:
LEITZ WETZLAR
and
LEITZ CANADA
There are also variations in the colour and arrangement of the distance-scale engravings.
Collectors sometimes describe these as yellow-scale, red-scale or related variations.
These small differences are fascinating because they show that even within a production run of only around 3,200 allocated lenses, the Elmarit evolved.
For me, however, the most important distinction remains the optical construction:
Version 1 = 9 elements in 6 groups with the deeply projecting rear assembly.
That is the original Elmarit.
Then Came Version 2
The second-generation Elmarit 28mm F2.8 appeared in the early 1970s.
At first glance, it can look remarkably similar to Version 1.
But internally it is a substantially different lens.
The optical design changed from:
Version 1: 9 elements in 6 groups
to:
Version 2: 8 elements in 6 groups
The rear section was redesigned so that it no longer projected deeply into the camera body.
This was particularly important with the arrival of cameras such as the Leica M5 and later M bodies incorporating through-the-lens metering.
Version 2 was largely associated with Leitz Canada and Walter Mandler's Midland-era optical work.
It remained a substantial, beautifully made brass Leica lens.
Version 2 Production
Version 2 was produced in considerably greater numbers than Version 1, although by modern standards it was still not a high-volume lens.
Documented serial-number blocks total approximately:
7,050 allocated serial numbers
The known allocations include ranges beginning with approximately:
2,314,801
and continuing through several production batches into the:
2,886,xxx
range.
As with Version 1, published Leica references generally describe actual production as fewer than the total allocated serial numbers.
So the approximate comparison is:
Version | Optical Formula | Allocated Serial Numbers |
Version 1 | 9 elements / 6 groups | 3,200 |
Version 2 | 8 elements / 6 groups | 7,050 |
Combined | — | 10,250 |
In other words, the first two generations of the Elmarit 28mm F2.8 together account for only around 10,250 allocated serial numbers.
That puts their relative rarity into perspective.
Version 1 vs Version 2
Although they look related externally, the two early Elmarits are quite different mechanically and optically.
Version 1
Introduced in 1965.
9 elements in 6 groups
Deeply projecting rear optical assembly.
Approximately 225g.
10-blade diaphragm.
E48 / Series VII.
Original Leica hood: 12501.
Approximately 3,200 serial numbers allocated.
The rarer and historically more unusual design.
Version 2
Introduced during the early 1970s and generally associated with the 1972–1979 production era.
8 elements in 6 groups
Redesigned rear section without the extreme intrusion of Version 1.
Approximately 300g.
8-blade diaphragm.
E48 / Series VII.
Original Leica hood: 12501.
Approximately 7,050 serial numbers allocated.
More compatible with later metered Leica M cameras.
One Important Thing They Share: E48
For Old Lens Junkies, however, there is another particularly interesting connection between these two generations.
Both use the 48mm filter size.
That means both Version 1 and Version 2 belong to the relatively small family of classic Leica lenses using E48.
They also share the traditional Leica 12501 hood system.
And this is where my Elmarit story unexpectedly became connected with the OLJ Lens Hood Project.
OLJ Type 1
The OLJ Type 1 was not originally conceived specifically for my first-generation Elmarit.
It was developed as part of our work with classic lenses using a 48mm front fitting.
The Type 1 is made from solid brass and finished in traditional black paint.
One day I mounted it on the Elmarit.
The result surprised me.
It looked astonishing.
The first-generation Elmarit is a relatively long and elegant lens.
In silver chrome, its narrow proportions are very characteristic of Leica lenses from that period.
Adding the black-painted brass OLJ Type 1 gives the front of the lens greater visual weight.
But it does not overpower the lens.
Quite the opposite.
The proportions suddenly seem complete.
The silver barrel, early Leica engravings, narrow focusing ring and black hood come together in a way that looks remarkably natural.
It does not look like an old lens with a modern accessory attached.
It looks as though the two belong together.
Sometimes a Hood Changes the Whole Lens
A lens hood is primarily a functional object.
Its job is to help control stray light and protect the front of the lens.
But with a classic lens, appearance matters too.
These lenses were designed during an era when mechanical proportions, engraved lettering, metal finishes and tactile quality were all part of the photographic experience.
Putting the wrong hood on a beautiful vintage lens can make the whole combination look awkward.
The right hood can do the opposite.
In the case of my Elmarit, the OLJ Type 1 completely changed how I looked at the lens.
And I mean that literally.
Purchased With Yoshiaki Kubota
There is another reason I am now particularly happy that I kept this Elmarit.
I bought it from Meteor Hong Kong on June 24, 2016.
The price was HK$14,000.
And Yoshiaki Kubota was with me when I purchased it.
Kubota is an important part of the history of Old Lens Junkies.
My own Leica journey began after he introduced me to Leica photography, and over the years our shared enthusiasm for classic lenses became part of the foundation from which OLJ eventually grew.
At the time, of course, I could not have known that years later I would be making a lens hood that would find its way onto this very Elmarit.
That makes the combination particularly meaningful to me.
The Lens I Took to MK Kamera
But this lens very nearly left my collection.
Years after buying it, I brought it to MK Kamera in Hong Kong with the intention of selling it.
I have always been primarily a 50mm photographer.
Fast standard lenses such as the Leica Noctilux, Summilux, Nikon 5cm F1.1 and Zunow 5cm F1.1 naturally attract more of my attention than a 28mm F2.8.
So selling the Elmarit seemed reasonable.
But I ultimately changed my mind.
I took it back.
For some time afterward it simply remained part of the collection.
Then came the OLJ Type 1.
From a Lens I Almost Sold to One I Want to Keep
Once I mounted the Type 1 hood, something changed.
I found myself picking up the Elmarit simply to look at it.
The proportions were suddenly different.
The hood gave the lens character and presence.
And, perhaps most importantly, it caused me to look again at what the lens actually was.
Not simply an old Leica 28mm.
But the original nine-element Elmarit.
A lens produced in fewer than roughly 3,200 examples.
A lens designed at the beginning of the 1960s.
A lens with an extraordinary deeply projecting optical assembly.
A lens bought in Hong Kong in 2016 with Yoshiaki Kubota standing beside me.
And a lens I had almost sold.
That is rather difficult to replace.
Why Version 1 Matters
The first Elmarit represents an era of optical design that disappeared surprisingly quickly.
Later Leica 28mm lenses became progressively smaller and more conventional.
The third-generation Elmarit, introduced around 1979, moved to an E39 filter size and was produced in much larger quantities.
Later generations continued to improve ergonomics, compactness and optical performance.
Eventually Leica introduced aspherical Elmarit designs that bear very little mechanical resemblance to the original nine-element lens.
Technically, those later lenses are extraordinary.
But technical perfection is not the only reason to own an old lens.
Sometimes the engineering solution itself is fascinating.
And the first Elmarit is full of engineering character.
Version 1 at a Glance
Leica Elmarit 28mm F2.8 Version 1
Catalogue number: 11801
Introduced: 1965
Optical construction: 9 elements in 6 groups
Maximum aperture: F2.8
Minimum aperture: F22
Diaphragm: 10 blades
Minimum focusing distance: 0.7m
Filter: E48 / Series VII
Original Leica hood: 12501
Weight: approximately 225g
Length: approximately 56mm
Mount: Leica M
Allocated serial numbers: approximately 3,200
Actual production: believed to be fewer than 3,200
Principal identifying feature: deeply projecting rear optical assembly
Version 2 at a Glance
Leica Elmarit 28mm F2.8 Version 2
Production era: approximately 1972–1979
Optical construction: 8 elements in 6 groups
Maximum aperture: F2.8
Minimum aperture: F22
Diaphragm: 8 blades
Minimum focusing distance: 0.7m
Filter: E48 / Series VII
Original Leica hood: 12501
Weight: approximately 300g
Mount: Leica M
Allocated serial numbers: approximately 7,050
Actual production: generally described as fewer than 7,050
Principal identifying feature: redesigned rear optical assembly compatible with metered M bodies
An Unexpected OLJ Connection
There is a nice symmetry to this story.
The Elmarit was not the lens that inspired OLJ Type 1.
And OLJ Type 1 was not designed specifically to save this Elmarit from being sold.
But somehow the two found each other.
Because both Version 1 and Version 2 use 48mm front fittings, the Type 1 has turned out to be particularly well suited to these early Leica 28mm lenses.
And on my silver Version 1, I think the result is exceptional.
It reminds me of something I have learned repeatedly while collecting classic lenses:
Sometimes the smallest detail can completely change how we feel about a piece of equipment.
In this case, that detail was a lens hood.
A Lens I Nearly Let Go
I have sold lenses before and never thought about them again.
I have also sold lenses that I later wished I had kept.
Fortunately, this Elmarit never entered the second category.
I bought it at Meteor Hong Kong in 2016 for HK$14,000, with Yoshiaki Kubota beside me.
Years later, I carried it into MK Kamera intending to sell it.
Then I carried it back out.
Today it wears an OLJ Type 1.
And now, every time I look at it, I wonder why I ever considered selling it in the first place.
Sometimes buying a lens begins the story.
Sometimes deciding not to sell it is the more important chapter.
— Old Lens Junkies
Comments