Dan Kerin

 Leica 28mm F2.8 Elmarit V2

Introduced in 1972, the Leica 28mm Elmarit Version 2 had a seven-year production run, running until 1979 and having 7,050 lenses produced during in this time. Designed by the famed Dr Walter Mandler, the Version 2 succeeded the Version 1 Elmarit. Physically the Version 2 is very similar to the Version 1, however version 2 has no deep intruding lens element, so it can be used with the Leica M5 and CL. Having 8 elements in 6 groups this lens has a simple design which allowed it to both perform well and be fairly compact.

When preparing to write this review I could not find much reference material for this lens which leads me to believe it is a niche within a niche. While there are plenty of articles featuring the smaller pre ASPH-Version 4 and the collectable Version 1 Elmarit, articles relating to the Version 2 were few and far between.

For many people the Version 2 Elmarit will not be for you. If you are looking for a very sharp 28mm lens with no distortion I would recommend the Version 3 and if you are looking for a more compact lens with all of the above, I would recommend the Pre ASPH-Version 4 Elmarit. Like many Leica Lenses produced in the 1970’s and 1960’s these lenses do not hold up to modern designs and when shooting wide open on a digital camera system these flaws can be seen. When shooting wide open the Version 2 Elmarit does suffer from sharpness fall off and soft edges under certain lighting situations. However, to quote Henri Cartier-Bresson “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept” and although this lens may not be the sharpest Leica ever produced it may still have a place in your collection.

Having owned this lens for nearly 3 years I can safely say this is a lens I will not be selling. For me the Version 2 Elmarit combines the perfect mix of old-world charm while and overall sharpness. Having owned both the Version 3 Elmarit as well as the Voigtlander Ultron I can say that these lenses are sharper but don’t have the same charm legacy lenses have. Going back to the point I made above regarding the lack of material for this lens, I think this is the reason. In addition to this at the time of writing this there is no real price difference between the Version 2,3 and 4, so that begs the question why would you choose the Version 2 over a 3 or 4? While I would recommend a Version 3 or 4 to most people if you are somewhat of a connoisseur for classic lens design, I would recommend the Version 2. Sure, it isn’t as sharp nor is it the smallest. However, it does render images in such a way that it stands out especially wide open and there has to be extra points for the overall design of the lens which in my opinion is gorgeous.

To summarise is the Leica 28mm Elmarit Version 2 for you? Probably not. However, it does still deserve some credit as during its lifetime was when Leica introduced the 28mm frame lines in the Leica M4-P and since the M4-P 28mm frame lines have been present in every Leica M camera since.