Leica Super Vario Elmar TL 11 23mm F 3 5 4 5 ASPH Review | 54 Data compared

The Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH. is an exceptionally built, compact ultra-wide-angle zoom for APS-C Leica cameras, offering a 17-35mm equivalent field of view with excellent sharpness. While delivering top-tier optical performance, the $1,895 lens exhibits notable barrel distortion and corner vignette dimming at 11mm, alongside lacking both image stabilization and weather sealing.

In this review, Mike Evans highlights the Leica 11-23mm Super-Vario-Elmar-TL as an exceptionally versatile, all-day wide-angle zoom lens designed for Leica's APS-C mirrorless system. Evans praises its remarkably compact dimensions and lightweight build (360g), making it significantly more handleable than bulkier alternatives like the Olympus 7-14mm Micro Four Thirds lens. Optically, the lens behaves like a full-frame 16-35mm equivalent, making it ideal for standard street photography, grand landscapes, and tight indoor framing. The author emphasizes that Leica's design philosophy prioritizes elite contrast and prime-like image sharpness across the entire zoom range over unnecessary maximum lens speeds. Evans also commends the metal construction, a firm petal-design lens hood that handles smoothly, and a flatter front element that easily accommodates standard UV filters. Despite its high-quality rendering, the reviewer notes several prominent drawbacks regarding the lens features and functionality. The primary limitation is its slow variable aperture of f/3.5-f/5.6, sacrificing high-speed low-light capabilities in favor of a smaller physical profile. Additionally, the zoom lacks any built-in optical image stabilization and does not feature weather sealing for harsh shooting conditions. Evans also points...

The Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f3.5-4.5 ASPH is an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens designed for Leica's APS-C line of L-mount cameras, such as the CL and TL2, providing a 17-35mm equivalent focal length field of view. Retailing at $2,195, the lens boasts an all-metal, black anodized finish with exceptionally tight build tolerances that make it feel incredibly solid and over-engineered. To maintain a compact size (2.87 x 3.03 inches) and a portable weight of 12.98 oz, Leica opted for a modest variable maximum aperture range of f3.5-4.5, which balances beautifully on smaller camera bodies. Performance-wise, the autofocus is fast and highly accurate, supporting a close focusing capability down to 7.9 inches. In terms of image quality, the lens is exceptionally sharp, crisp, and consistent across its entire zoom and aperture ranges, creating images with great color, contrast, and three-dimensional depth. The primary pros of this lens include its superb build quality, compact footprint, fast autofocus, and excellent optical resolution. Conversely, the main cons include its high price tag, visible barrel distortion at the 11mm focal length, and noticeable vignetting when shooting wide...

The Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH is highly regarded for its exceptional corner-to-corner sharpness, glamorous color rendering, and robust yet compact metal construction. Ideal for architecture and landscapes, this APS-C lens offers a versatile 16-35mm equivalent focal range with fast autofocus and a 20cm close-focusing distance. However, the lens has a slow variable aperture of f/3.5-4.5, making it less suitable for low-light shooting without a tripod. It relies heavily on in-camera software corrections to mask distortion at 11mm, and the high retail price represents a significant investment.

The Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH. is a premium, well-built ultra-wide zoom lens designed for Leica's APS-C mirrorless camera system, offering a full-frame equivalent focal length of 17-35mm. Weighing 13 ounces with a compact 3 by 2.9-inch metal barrel, it features dual knurled metal control rings and an advanced focus-by-wire system that closely mimics the tension of a traditional mechanical ring. Optically, the lens delivers highly impressive sharpness, comfortably exceeding the 1,800 lines benchmark in Imatest center-weighted testing across its focal range and peaking at f/5.6. Additionally, it boasts close-focusing capabilities down to 7.9 inches from the sensor, making it ideal for emphasizing subjects against expansive backgrounds. Despite its strong performance, the lens has notable drawbacks, chief among them its steep premium retail price of $1,895 (£2095). On the optical side, users will face some barrel distortion at the wider end—measuring 3.6 percent at 11mm and 2.2 percent at 14mm—which causes straight lines to curve outward. Illumination is also uneven at 11mm f/3.5, producing noticeably dim corners where light falls 1.6EV behind the center. Fortunately, both the distortion and the...