Landscapes with the Elmarit 21

[ncaleffi]

Hi there, I've finally bought a used, non-aspherical Leica Elmarit M 21/2.8. It ain't cheap and it ain't small, but I love using it and the wider field of view is great, even without the external viewfinder. Here are some quick tests made in a cold, sunny afternoon in the outskirts near home. All shots at 2.8, but I want to try the lens with a slower aperture. There is some vignetting, but it is moderate. Any comments and critique is appreciated!

 

[gilpen123]

Nice shots, the contrast is very good to my eyes. Did you adjust in PP? Love the portrait orientation of wide angle lens.

 

[ncaleffi]

Thanks for appreciating Gil. I've made some post production adjustments, but not much more than the usual routine when working with raw files, trying to get the right balance between contrast and some uniformity in tones rendering.

 

[huntjump]

i like the first one a lot, and the last one. thanks for sharing

 

[ChrisN]

Nice shots, the contrast is very good to my eyes. Did you adjust in PP? Love the portrait orientation of wide angle lens.

Excellent observation - with a fov this wide it's easy to end up with lots of empty space in the frame, but the vertical orientation makes good use of the wide angle to bring you into the close foreground and overhead elements. Useful for a natural environment especially, without vertical structures to betray divergence or convergence if the camera is not perfectly level.

I've only recently acquired a 21mm for film M, but I have had a digital crop equivalent for dSLR for some time. I love the results when I get it right. 🙂

Just noticed - this being the Epson R-D1 forum I guess these were shot with the RD-1? FOV would then be equivalent to 32mm on a 135 format camera - a little tighter than the 28mm. Not as wide as I thought, but fine photos anyway!

 

[ncaleffi]

Chris, the pics were taken with an RD1, so yes, the FOV equivalent is actually 32 mm. As for the vertical rendering of the wide angle, here is an horizontal take from the same set:

 

[ark8012]

Wow, I bought 21mm elmarit recently, but have had no chance to use yet.
GREAT shots. I like your first and second.

 

[Haigh]

Wonderfully tranquil shots. Thanks.

 

[ChrisN]

Chris, the pics were taken with an RD1, so yes, the FOV equivalent is actually 32 mm. As for the vertical rendering of the wide angle, here is an horizontal take from the same set:

Very pleasing photo. 🙂

I often use a 31mm Pentax (on a 35mm SLR camera) and find it excellent for many situations, sitting as it does between the 28mm and 35mm. The 21mm on a full-frame 35mm camera (film or digital) is a truly wide view which may take me years to master, if I ever do.