Leica 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar-M ASPH (11145)

The Leica 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar-M ASPH (product number 11145) is a compact, brass-built ultrawide prime for Leica M-mount cameras, delivering sharp wide-angle results in a surprisingly small and light package — a smart pick for street, travel and landscape photographers who want genuine Leica optics without hauling a heavy kit.

Key Specifications

• Focal length: 21mm (prime, fixed)
• Maximum aperture: f/3.4
• Aperture range: f/3.4–f/16
• Lens type: Wide angle, ASPH (aspherical)
• Mount: Leica M-mount (mirrorless rangefinder)
• Filter thread: 46mm
• Construction: Brass body
• Weight: approx. 279 g

Who is the Leica 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar-M ASPH for?

If you shoot with a Leica M-body and want a versatile ultrawide that actually fits in a coat pocket, this is the lens. The 21mm focal length is a classic choice for street photography — wide enough to capture context and atmosphere, but not so extreme that straight lines distort into chaos. Landscape photographers love it for the sweeping depth it gives wide open skies and foregrounds, while travel shooters appreciate the compact size and light weight when packing for long trips. The f/3.4 maximum aperture is perfectly usable in good light and pairs naturally with the rangefinder shooting style where you're mostly stopping down anyway. It's not the fastest 21mm mirrorless prime you can buy, but speed was never the point — sharpness, compactness and that unmistakable Leica rendering are. If you're deciding between the Super-Elmar and the faster Leica 21mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH, the Super-Elmar wins on size and weight; the Elmarit wins you a stop of light. The Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 is a common budget alternative, but the Super-Elmar's optical correction and build quality are in a different league.

Buying a used Leica 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar-M ASPH

Picking up a pre-owned Super-Elmar-M 11145 is one of the smarter ways to get into high-quality Leica ultrawide glass. Note that there are two known versions of the 11145 — an early production run was recalled due to stiff focusing and subsequently redesigned. We have inspected this copy and verified that the focus ring turns smoothly and consistently throughout its entire range. Every used lens on Camera-tweedehands.nl is individually hand-inspected and photographed, comes with a minimum 12 months warranty, and is graded so you know exactly what you're getting. Second-hand Leica glass holds its value well, but you're still paying significantly less than new — which makes sense for a lens whose optical formula hasn't changed.