Leica 18mm f/3.8 Super-Elmar-M Aspherical Manual Focus Lens

The Leica Super-Elmar-M 18mm f/3.8 ASPH. is a sharp, compact rangefinder lens, but it requires huge 77mm filters.

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  Compact. Ultra-wide field of view. Sharp through most of the frame. Minimal distortion.

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  Expensive. Requires accessory holder for filter use. Corners a bit muddy at wider apertures.

If you want ultra- I can't say until I get one into my hot little hands. Based on what Leica tells us, I really want one of these for night shooting based on its 9-bladed diaphragm. Coming from Leica, we can be assured that the optics are unsurpassed, but what really matters is: 1.

The quality of Leica lenses is superb and this is no exception. The focus is silky smooth and the aperture ring has a perfect balance of ease/resistance. The lens is sharp, more than I expected, fine detail is rendered beautifully all the way to the edges.

It is beautifully made, like a work of art, feels solid and elegant. It shines particularly at 11, extremely sharp.

Works flawlessly with the M9, superb images, great design.

I purchased this lens before going to Rome for the first time. I wanted something that would be able to capture scenes that I couldn't get with my 28mm lens. This was a perfect solution!The photos captured with this lens and an M9 are fantastic. The clarity is amazing for such a compact lens.

This lens is used for architecture, both interiors and exteriors, and for landscapes. It is extremely sharp edge to edge. Some distortion close-up but nothing that can't be fixed in photoshop. Be sure to use the external viewfinder to get an accurate image of the scene.