Leica 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH (11878)

The Leica 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH (11878) is a compact, aspherical wide-angle prime lens designed for the Leica M-mount system, offering a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at a fixed 24mm focal length — a favourite for street, travel and landscape photographers who want serious optical quality in a discreet package.

Key Specifications

• Focal length: 24mm (prime)
• Lens type: Wide Angle
• Maximum aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum aperture: f/2.8 (fixed across focal range — prime lens)
• Optical design: ASPH (aspherical element)
• Mount: Leica M-mount (Mirrorless rangefinder system)
• Brand: Leica
• Article number: 11878
• Use cases: Landscape, street photography, travel

What makes the Leica 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH special?

Within the Leica M lens lineup, the 24mm Elmarit-M ASPH sits at a genuinely useful focal length — wide enough to capture expansive scenes and tight street environments, but not so extreme that it distorts faces or architecture beyond recognition. The ASPH designation means Leica engineered at least one aspherical lens element into the design, which is key to controlling coma, field curvature and distortion that typically haunt fast wide-angle optics.

Compared to the Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH — which is the most compact lens in the entire Leica M portfolio — the 24mm gives you a slightly wider angle of view and is well suited when you want a bit more environmental context in your frame. Photographers who shoot with this lens frequently mention how well it handles scenes with multiple light sources at night: holiday street scenes, neon-lit alleyways, and illuminated urban environments all respond well to its rendering.

On the faster end, there's the Leica 24mm Summilux (a different aperture class entirely), and on the more affordable M-mount wide-angle side, options from Zeiss like the 21mm Super Elmar M come up in discussions — but the 24mm Elmarit-M ASPH occupies a specific sweet spot between compactness and low-light capability that makes it a long-term favourite for M-system shooters. Fans of the lens on both film bodies and digital M bodies like the M8 specifically note how the 24mm frame lines remain visible in the viewfinder, making composition intuitive.

Who is the Leica 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH for?

This lens is built for photographers who shoot in the real world — on foot, in changing light, with a camera that shouldn't draw attention. If you're doing street photography in busy cities, the 24mm field of view lets you include enough context around your subject without needing to back up several metres. The f/2.8 aperture gives you a meaningful advantage in low light over slower wide-angle alternatives, without pushing the lens into the size and price territory of f/2 or faster options.

Travel photographers will appreciate how the fixed focal length disciplines your shooting — you move to compose, which tends to produce more intentional images. Landscape shooters using a Leica M mirrorless body will find the 24mm well suited to environmental scenes where foreground and background both need to be rendered sharply. If you're already in the Leica M ecosystem and looking for a wide-angle complement to a 35mm or 50mm standard lens, this is a natural addition to your kit.

It's less suited to photographers who regularly shoot subjects in close quarters (like tight indoor portraits) where 24mm can feel overwhelming, or to those who need f/1.4 or f/2 for extreme background separation. For pure astrophotography, 24mm is a workable focal length for starscape and Milky Way landscapes — though a faster aperture would give you more flexibility in tracking-free exposures.

Buying a used Leica 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH (11878)

Buying a used Leica lens is one of the smartest moves in photography — Leica glass holds its quality exceptionally well over time, and a second-hand copy in good condition can perform identically to a new one.

At Camera-tweedehands.nl, every Leica 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH is hand-inspected for optical and mechanical condition. We carefully examine the rear element for cleaning marks or coating wear, verify that the focus helicoid turns smoothly without sticky spots or grinding, check that the aperture blades are clean and free of oil, and confirm that the lens hood mount (if included) seats and locks firmly. We also perform optical testing on digital M bodies, shooting test frames against bright, even surfaces at f/2.8 to verify even sharpness across the frame and rule out any decentering.

Every used Leica 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH sold on Camera-tweedehands.nl comes with a minimum 12 months warranty — the exact warranty period is shown on the individual variant listing. 14-day returns are also available, so you can test the lens in real shooting conditions before committing.