This lens is part of the Leica legend and myth too. The original drawings of Max have a date of May 6th, 1925 for this lens. The Elmar has been in production for more than 35 years in countless versions, that make it a collector’s delight and nightmare. Almost half a million have been produced, which is more than 12% of all Leica lenses ever produced till 2000.

Optically the lens has had minor updates, which did not change its overall character. Changes recorded are differences in radius of surfaces, differences in distance from position of aperture to first lens, etc. The application of coating did not enhance the performance very much as its moderate aperture and low number of air-glass surfaces could control flare and unwanted reflections very well.