Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm ASPH Review

Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm ASPH Review:

Leica may not have a ton of lenses for their APS-C L mount cameras but they have covered quite a wide range in terms of focal lengths, thanks to their zooms.  So, if you’re looking for something in the wider end of the spectrum say for the CL or TL2, Leica does have the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH, which equates to a 17-35mm in 35mm terms.  This is a great focal length range that should cover quite a bit, and recently, I had a chance to try it out.  Here’s my full review of it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!  If you’re considering purchasing this lens, and my review helped, please consider purchasing from any of the links mentioned in this review, which in turn, help support this site.  I get a small commission but it will not cost you anything extra. Thank you!

Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm ASPH Build Quality:

Let’s start off with the build quality, which is usually an area where Leica scores huge points.  I’m happy to say the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH is no exception to this general rule.  The 11-23mm isn’t cheap; it retails for $2,195 but in terms of build, this is easily one of the top lenses that you can get in the APS-C world.  The lens barrel has a black anodized finish, and it’s all metal.  It feels extremely solid in the hands, and you can clearly tell that the tolerances between the different pieces of the lens are very close.  In fact, it almost feels like the entire lens was carved from one block of metal as opposed to being assembled from different pieces.

↑ The Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH attached to the Leica CL.

Everything is what you would expect from Leica.  The lens feels over-engineered.  The 11-23mm Super-Vario-Elmar ASPH just has such a premium feel to it.  The zoom ring, for instance, feels so smooth yet tight.  It’s simply a pleasure to use.  The focus ring has an equally nice feel to it as well.  You’re definitely paying for it but everything here feels like it’s on another level when compared to its competition.

The Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH is also pretty compact.  The dimensions are 2.87 x 3.03″ / 73 x 77 mm, and the filter thread is 67mm, which are all quite reasonable considering this is a 17-35mm equivalent.  It also weighs just 12.98 oz / 368 g, which means it’s fairly light but at the same time, not so light where it feels cheap.  In other words, there’s still clearly a weighty feel to the 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 Super-Vario-Elmar ASPH but it’s not so heavy that it becomes front heavy when mounted on a camera, for instance.

Speaking of camera, the 11-23mm is designed to be used with Leica APS-C cameras, such as the TL and the CL.  It can also be used on the SL full frame cameras as well although it would give a cropped image.  I was testing it exclusively on the CL, and the lens balances beautifully with it.  I had no complaints at all.  I was walking around everywhere with it all day long without feeling any fatigue, and this is particularly important considering this is a wide angle zoom.  This is something that one will probably be taking everywhere for street shooting, hiking to travel, all of which require a lot of walking around.  At the same time, the lens still has that nice weighty feel to it that is often associated with a high quality product.  As I mentioned earlier, it’s not cheap but you really do feel the difference in terms of quality.

Now, part of the reason why the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH is pretty compact is because the 11-23mm has a relatively modest maximum aperture range.  The largest aperture is f3.5 but that gradually shrinks down to f4.5 as you zoom.  I can see this being a larger issue with standard or even short telephoto focal lengths but for wide angles, I don’t think it’s such a huge problem.  I think Leica went the smart way with this lens by making it with smaller maximum apertures in order to keep the lens size down.

The Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH is an ultra wide angle lens, and therefore, I feel a lot of photographers will choose to stop down this lens anyway.  I am definitely one of these photographers, and most of my shots were taken around the 5.6 to f11 range.  It’s how I shoot wide angles in general.  So, if that’s the case, I’m much happier with a lens that has sacrificed a larger maximum aperture in order to be more portable, and easier to manage in terms of size and weight.  Grant it, there are occasions where one might need an f1.4 aperture but that’s for more specialized purposes.  This lens is designed to go with you everywhere, and get most of your shots.

So, the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH build and ergonomics are excellent in my opinion.  Overall, I feel like this is a great design for an ultra wide angle zoom, especially for cameras like the CL because it’s nicely balanced not only in terms of weight and physical size, but also when you factor in optical and aperture range.

To top it off, there’s also a decent lens hood that comes with it.  It’s petal shaped, and actually quite compact, so it matches the lens well.  It’s a simple twist on type that is very effective.

↑ Here’s the lens hood attached to the 11-23mm.

Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm ASPH Autofocus:

As for focusing, the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH features autofocus with an override option for manual focus whenever you need it.  I’m happy to report that the autofocus is very quick and accurate.  I had no problems locking onto my subject matter.  There was no drama with it whatsoever.

For those who want something a bit different from this ultra wide angle zoom, the 11-23mm can focus as close as 7.9″, so this can definitely change things up for you creatively.  At 11mm, the reproduction ratio is 1:9.7, and at 23mm, it is 1:5.4.

Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm ASPH Image Quality:

In terms of image quality, there aren’t many bad Leica lenses out there, and this sure isn’t one of them.  In fact, this lens is brilliant when it comes down to what it can produce.  I really loved the results that I ended up getting.

↑ This was taken with the 11mm focal length using f8 and 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 23mm focal length using 100 ISO, and f4.5.

↑ This photo was taken using the 16mm focal length.  I used f6.3 and 500 ISO.

For one, this lens is impressively sharp even at wide open aperture.  Corners hold up quite well with only an ever so slight loss of detail.  As you stop down, sharpness improves just a tad bit but the key is, sharpness is very consistent throughout the aperture range, which is what I really like about this lens.  In other words, you don’t just have to shoot at say f5.6 or f8 to yield superb results.  You can definitely use its wide open aperture range when the time calls for it, and expect a similar level of quality.  I also noticed that the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH is pretty consistent in terms of sharpness throughout the zoom range, so you can feel confident that you’ll produce some great content no matter what focal length you decide to choose.

↑ I used the 12mm focal length here, and f5.6.  I also used 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.

↑ Here’s a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge taken with the 20mm focal length.  I used f8 and 160 ISO.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.

↑ Here’s a photo taken using the 11mm focal length.  I used f9 and 320 ISO here.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.

Besides sharpness, the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH has many other great qualities.  I was very happy with what I was able to produce with this lens and the CL together.  I was looking at images of architecture that I took, for example, and they just have so much three dimensional pop.  Everything looks so crisp.  Color and contrast are great.  There is a bit of barrel distortion at the 11mm focal length, which isn’t out of the ordinary considering the focal length but the longer focal lengths are okay.  There is some vignetting when using the focal lengths at the wide open apertures but stopping down by just one stop significantly reduces this issue.  You’ll see the most vignetting when using 11mm.  As for the shallow depth of field, this is an ultra wide angle zoom lens with a modest maximum aperture range, so don’t expect anything super thin unless maybe if you plan to shoot very closely.  Still, the quality of the bokeh is quite nice, and inviting when you can produce it.

↑ I may have too many photos of the WTC but I really like how this skyscraper looks in photos.  This was taken using the 14mm focal length.  I used f8 and 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 11mm focal length.  I shot this using 1250 ISO and f11.

↑ Here’s another photo taken with the 11mm focal length.  I used f8 and 320 ISO here.

Pros And Cons:

Pros:

• Extremely well built.
• Compact for an ultra wide angle zoom lens.
• Great match ergonomically with the Leica APS-C line of cameras like the CL.
• Quick and accurate autofocus.
• Close focusing capabilities.
• Superb image quality.

Cons:

• There is some distortion when using 11mm.
• Noticeable vignetting at 11mm when using max aperture.
• Like all Leica products, this lens doesn’t come cheap.

Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm ASPH Verdict:

If you’ve been looking for an ultra wide angle zoom for your Leica APS-C camera or even SL/SL2 camera, the is a great choice to consider.  With a range of 11-23mm, it can be an extremely useful lens for many photographers.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 15mm focal length.  I used 500 ISO and f8 here.

↑ This was taken with the 11mm focal length.  I used f5.6 and 160 ISO here.

↑ This was also taken with the 11mm focal length.  I used f8 and 100 ISO here.

Besides the great focal length range, the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH has a lot of other fantastic features going for it.  It’s extremely well-made, and as I said before, it’s easily up there with the best in the APS-C world, in terms of build.  While it gives up a larger maximum aperture range for a smaller one, it makes up for it by being quite compact, especially when you consider its ultra wide angle capabilities making it perfect for the smaller APS-C Leica bodies.  It’s worth noting that the autofocus is also quick and trouble free.  Lastly, the image quality is downright superb, and the quality is actually pretty consistent throughout the entire zoom range.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 23mm focal length.  I used f4.5 and 125 ISO here.

↑ I used 11mm here.  My settings were f5.6 and 1000 ISO.

↑ This was taken using the 14mm focal length.  My settings were f8 and 100 ISO.

There are some issues like more noticeable distortion using the 11mm focal length.  There’s also more noticeable vignetting when using 11mm.  But these are very minor issues that I bring up only because it’s a review.  In the real world, I don’t think these will be big problems.  The lens’ overall is phenomenal, and while it’s not cheap, I feel it’s worth the asking price when you factor in all the qualities I’ve mentioned.  I haven’t used every APS-C ultra wide angle zoom out there but just from the ones that I have used, this is probably the best so far or definitely up there with the best.  I seriously feel it’s that good.

↑ Here’s one last photo of the Leica CL with the Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH.

So, definitely take a look at this lens, if you’re in the market for an ultra wide for your L mount camera.  It’s an excellent addition to any Leica system.  I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!  If you’re considering purchasing the Leica 11-23mm, and my review helped you decide, please help support this site by purchasing from the links below or any mentioned in this review.  It will not cost you anything extra. Thank you for your support!

Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH at B&H Photo

You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter