Today, Leica has announced the Leica Elmarit-S 45mm f/2.8 ASPH and the Leica Elmarit-S 45mm f/2.8 ASPH CS for the S-system. The official press release:
Leica Camera is pleased to introduce the Leica Elmarit-S 45mm f/2.8 ASPH and Leica Elmarit-S 45mm f/2.8 ASPH (CS) lenses to the S-System. These lenses are ideal for use in many different photography genres such as architecture, fashion, transportation, landscapes and photo journalism.
The Leica Elmarit-S 1:2.8 / 45 mm ASPH & CS version offer the following benefits:
- Maximum contrast reproduction & highest resolution even at full stop
- Excellent image quality at all apertures over the entire distance range provides crisp images
- Brilliant, pure color reproduction with minimal distortion
- Excellent for shooting in available light & targeted use of selective focus due to the high light intensity of 1:2:8
- Excellent stray light suppression for high-contrast images, even in backlight situations
- Lens hood optimally matched to beam light path and lens hood can be retracted for easy transportation
- Weather sealing protects the lens from common elements such as dust & water spray ensuring durability & reliability
This new lens has an equivalent angle of view as a 35mm lens on a full frame 35mm camera system with a natural looking perspective. The lens uses a very sophisticated design of 12 lenses to achieve the highest optical performance in the lens. There are three lenses of glass with anomalous partial dispersion and two more are made of highrefraction extra low dispersion glass for correction of chromatic aberrations. One aspherical surface on the front lens element minimizes monochromatic aberrations while a floating element moves independently to ensure the close range imaging capability of the lens. The elaborate construction enables maximum contrast even at full aperture and the smallest focusing distance. The design of the lens ensures that monochromatic aberrations are almost nonexistent and the chromatic aberrations are corrected to a minimum.
This is the S lens that we have all been waiting for…a prime focal length in between the Summarit-S 35mm f/2.5 ASPH and the Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 ASPH. If it's anything like the rest of the S-system lenses, this new lens should be optically superb wide open, stopped down and everywhere in between. Expected availability is sometime in October, once we have a specific date this post will be updated. I can't wait to get my hands on this lens for a review!
The Leica Elmarit-S 45mm f/2.8 ASPH is priced at $6,350 and the CS version is $7,450. For questions or to place an order, call us at 1-800-327-1776 or send us an email.
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