Which 21 mm for M9?

[albertospa]

Tips for choosing a 21 for my M9. Voightlander, Zeiss or Leica? A part of the colorshift easily corregibile in PP.
Thank you.

Alberto

 

[3rdtrick]

I really like the Super Elmar 3.4. It is nice and compact for travel and IQ is just spectacular and no color shift issues.
Pete

 

[albertospa]

Sorry Pete, but in my application I had not spoken to budget. The Super Elmar is too expensive for me and it is very difficult to find used. I could spend about half the cost of a new Super Elmar.

 

[Pete B]

Steve Huff is really keen on the new Voigt 21mm/1.8, but then, he's keen on everything. Checkout his review. I've recently got the 21 SE (second hand off the Bay) and have only used it on the GXR so far but i'm really impressed with its sharpness, and I have a lot of Leica glass.
Pete

 

[3rdtrick]

Sorry Pete, but in my application I had not spoken to budget. The Super Elmar is too expensive for me and it is very difficult to find used. I could spend about half the cost of a new Super Elmar.

No problem, I also had the Zeiss 18 and it had a great look also. It seemed to render a little cooler than the Leica. It was big and I could not get comfortable with 18mm. I would have gone with the Zeiss 21 if I had not got the Leica.

 

[raid]

Why not use the cheaper CV 21/4?

 

[semilog]

As others have said the Super-Elmar is the lens of choice. I wouldn't get the Elmarit ASPH. The ZM 21/2.8 has nearly identical performance for a lot less money and bulk.

OTOH, the ZM 18 is big & heavy but its rendering is magnificent.

If an ultrawide is not going to be your primary shooter think no further. Get the little CV 21/4 or maybe the 15. Both lenses are great value and super small -- a benefit both on and off camera.

 

[Richard G]

Love the 18 Zeiss. But it's big. Love the ZM C Biogon, f4.5. It is sharp and dead straight and doesn't flare. I use it a lot for architecture. It isn't quite as compact as the Voigtländer but my 25 Skopar flares badly. The colour fringing bothers me so little that I haven't got round to learning CornerFix. The ZM 2.8 is apparently much better from this point of view, but is a bit bigger. I might have been happy enough with the Voigtländer 21/4 but I am very happy with the C Biogon and the ZM finder. I sometimes go without the finder.

 

[MCTuomey]

Alberto, I used a ZM 21 f/2.8 on my M9 for a good while before I acquired the SEM 21. I don't agree that they are nearly identical as mentioned above, at least in my use. I liked the ZM 21 f/2.8 a lot but realized quickly it's necessary to stop it down to get edge-to-edge performance equivalent to its center performance, at least for architectural subjects. Same with the ZM 18. The SEM 21 is simply better wide open across the frame. So, depending on what you shoot, the difference may matter to you. It does for me, but I used the ZM very happily until I had saved enough for the SEM.

Subjectively, of the 3 wides I've used on my M9 - the SEM 21, ZM 21 f/2.8, the ZM 18 f/4 - I'd rate them (1) SEM 21 (2) ZM 18 (3) ZM 21, although I was very happy with each of them. The SEM 21 is compact and so pleasing to use; it has remarkable sparkle, can't think of a better word for it. The ZM 18 has more of the typical zeiss wide sizzle than the ZM 21, especially in the center, but it's big and heavy which is why I preferred and kept the ZM 21 f/2.8.

Regarding color fringing, I developed my own edge fixes as presets in LR4 for the 21 f/2.8 and 18 f/4, the latter needing fixing more consistently.

I have no experience with the VC wides other than the 15 f/4.5, but it's worth mentioning that Sean Reid thinks very highly of the VC 21 f4.

 

[ChrisN]

Here's one at f/11 with the VC 21/4 on the M9. I deepened the shadows a little and added a small amount of vignetting. Certainly sharp enough, and with little distortion. I apply lens correction in Lightroom using the profile for the Leica 21/3.4 lens. I'm very happy with the lens, which I enjoy using a lot more since I acquired a Leica 12008 viewfinder.

 

[MCTuomey]

Chris, how/why did the Leica 12208 finder improve your 21 use? Compared to not using any finder? Or to using another finder?

 

[thegman]

Unless you need a fast lens, a VC 21mm f/4 has to be worth a go. If you buy it used, try it, if it works, great, if not, sell it for what you paid for it.

Or, buy new, try it, if the corners are not good enough or something, send it right back.

For what it's worth, I've used the 21mm f/4 on 35mm film, and no complaints. Also, I've used the Leica 21mm finder (the black plastic one) and Voigtlander finders, I found the VC ones much sharper, and cheaper to boot.

 

[Ronald M]

My 21 2.8 pre asph seems to work ok. You will probably want to replace the mount or get it coded so the camera color corner correction works. All wides have this problem regardless of manufacturer.

 

[Richard G]

Unless you need a fast lens, a VC 21mm f/4 has to be worth a go. If you buy it used, try it, if it works, great, if not, sell it for what you paid for it.

Or, buy new, try it, if the corners are not good enough or something, send it right back.

For what it's worth, I've used the 21mm f/4 on 35mm film, and no complaints. Also, I've used the Leica 21mm finder (the black plastic one) and Voigtlander finders, I found the VC ones much sharper, and cheaper to boot.

That's got to be good advice.

 

[semilog]

N.b., the Zeiss 21mm finder is unbelievably good -- makes Leica finder optics look like plastic toys. I don't currently have a 21 but I still have the finder. Can't bear to sell it.

 

[3rdtrick]

N.b., the Zeiss 21mm finder is unbelievably good -- makes Leica finder optics look like plastic toys. I don't currently have a 21 but I still have the finder. Can't bear to sell it.

I can agree with that. My Zeiss finder was much nicer than the Leica but unfortunately it was for the 18. The stupid screw keeps coming out of the foot on my Leica finder. I will get some Loctite on it before I go away next month.

Has anybody thought about the Super Angulon? If you are going to correct for red corners anyway, that is an awesome lens.
Pete

 

[goffer]

Love the new voigtlander 21mm f1.8 on my M-E

 

[raid]

I will use my Nikon finder for the SLR 21/4 lens. To me, a specific finder is not important as long as I can figure out the perspective of the lens. It is the lens that counts most among the gear.

 

[drew.saunders]

I have the CV 21/4 M-mount, and the only problem that I have is that it's so tiny that I sometimes get my fingers in the shot! Since you're shooting digital, you can check for that after your shot. I also have the CV zoom finder, and it's excellent if you have more than one wide lens (I also have a CV 15/4.5 LTM and a Leica 24/2.8 ASPH bought long before the prices went insane).

 

[MCTuomey]

N.b., the Zeiss 21mm finder is unbelievably good -- makes Leica finder optics look like plastic toys. I don't currently have a 21 but I still have the finder. Can't bear to sell it.

Thanks for the endorsement - that explains why I don't see them for sale 🙁