An outstanding ultra-wide angle lens.
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On the Leica M10. I added the red indexing dome and the
aperture index, the factory ones being useless.
The cheap 21mm finder is fitted.
When I first profiled the 21mm f/3.5 Voigtländer VM Color-Skopar Aspherical lens I wrote: “The lens is tiny and with a slim UV filter fitted weighs just 185 grams/6.5 ozs. For comparison the 35mm f/2 Canon LTM with bayonet adapter and UV filter comes in at 139 grams/4.9 ozs. Fit and finish are all metal and Leica quality, the focus collar resistance is just so and the apertures are in half click-stops through f/22. Small protuberances on the aperture ring make it easy to grasp. The black rimmed UV filter not only serves to protect the front element, it also masks off the poorly thought out chrome bayonet front ring which can only be a source of reflections and flare in bright lighting. The distance scale is marked in meters only and the depth of field scale is very hard to read, and only extends to f/11. The 50+ year-old Canon’s DoF scale is far superior in this regard. Not that big a deal as with a 21mm focal length lens almost everything is sharp near to far. ”
Here are the test images taken at all apertures from f/2 down to f/22 – I coded the lens to be the 21mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M. The code is ‘000001’, where ‘1’ denotes a black paint filled pit. I strongly advocate use of the excellent lens correction profile in LRc when processing images as it removes any trace of vignetting which is otherwise noticeable. Other than that the following images are SOOC.
Test images from f/3.5 to f/22.
You can view all 8 images in medium size by clicking here.
To view full size 22mb originals click here. It’s a large file so be patient when downloading. You can zoom in on these to your heart’s content.
Conclusions?
- No flare at any aperture
- At f/3.5 the whole frame is usable and will easily make a large print with excellent resolution
- At f/4 the resolution is high across the frame. Micro contrast is improved. Extreme corner details are well preserved.
- Peak definition is reached at f/8 but there’s very little to choose between f/4, f/5.6 and f/8
- Modest diffraction sets in at the f/16 and f/22, but large prints are still OK
- No meaningful color fringing at the edges of the frame at any aperture – that’s the 6-bit coding doing its magic
- Vignetting and minor barrel distortion are perfectly corrected by the LRc lens correction profile
By the way, disregard the f-stop data in the EXIF information. The M10, even with 6-bit coding adapter does a poor job of estimating the aperture used. (There is no electrical or mechanical link between the lens’s aperture setting and the camera, so Leica estimates the aperture based on the shutter speed and ISO used). Go by the file names, moving the decimal point in the last three digits one place to the left to see the aperture used. So, for example ‘220’ means f/22.
A special lens that I bought on eBay in mint condition for a bargain price of just $400 with the lens hood. I’m selling the latter so my net cost will be just $340. Unless you get lucky expect to pay $450-500 used or $650 new without hood. The hood is a quite ridiculous $100. The crappy 21mm viewfinder added $26 and a 39mm UV filter was $10. Even at the new price the lens is a bargain. Avoid the older and cheaper f/4 version which is poorly suited to digital sensors. If you have more money than sense Leica will be pleased to empty your wallet with its offerings.