CameraWorth.com

Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5

The Leitz Elmar 35mm f/3.5 is a compact wide-angle lens for the Leica screw mount (L39), produced from 1930 to 1950 and built on the classic Elmar optical design. It was the first interchangeable Leica lens offered after the standard 50mm, appearing in 1930 in screw mount for the non-standardised Leica I, and many photographers of the period used it as a general-purpose everyday lens rather than a specialist wide-angle. Leitz supplied it initially in a nickel-plated mount (codeword EKURZ), with a chrome mount following from 1933 (EKURZCHROM), while nickel examples made after chrome appeared carried the codeword EKURZUP.

No UK auction results for this lens are recorded in our sales history at present, so we cannot publish a verified hammer range, median or current price for it as of 2026. What a given example is worth at saleroom level depends heavily on which variant it is: pre-war nickel mounts, non-standardised early examples matched to a specific camera body, and wartime oddities such as the 'Luftwaffen Eigentum' engraved lenses sit well apart from ordinary post-war chrome examples in value. Once hammer results are logged here we will publish the range and median, which reflect wholesale auction levels rather than dealer retail asking prices.

Variants

Select a variant to filter the sales history below.

Variant Years Edition Sales Price Range
EKURZ 0

Elmar 35mm f/3.5, in original nickel mount (pre-war); reused post-war for chrome mount

EKURZCHROM 0

Elmar 35mm f/3.5, in chrome mount

EKURZUP 0

Elmar 35mm f/3.5, in nickel mount after chrome appeared

Sales History

Prices shown are realised prices — auction results and completed eBay sales, never asking prices. Most saleroom figures are hammer prices, before commission; some houses publish a premium-inclusive figure, and we do not adjust for condition. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher. How this figure is calculated.

Based on 60 recorded sales.

Last checked on eBay: 6 September 2026. Most recent sale: September 2026.

Date Price Value GBP Source Variant
Sep 2026 £479 £479 🇬🇧 eBay
Jul 2026 USD 350 £262 🇺🇸 eBay
Jun 2026 USD 367 £275 🇺🇸 eBay
Jun 2026 £202 £202 🇬🇧 eBay
Jun 2026 £550 £550 🇬🇧 eBay
Jun 2026 £350 £280 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Apr 2026 £650 £520 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Apr 2026 £338 £270 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Jan 2026 £438 £350 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Nov 2025 £120 £120 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services
Oct 2025 £227 £180 🇬🇧 Chiswick Auctions Elmar LTM
Jul 2025 £250 £200 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Jul 2025 £239 £190 🇬🇧 Chiswick Auctions Elmar LTM
Jun 2025 EUR 2,800 £2,379 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
May 2025 £560 £560 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services Elmar LTM
Apr 2025 £188 £150 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Apr 2025 £525 £420 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Mar 2025 £238 £190 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Jan 2025 £200 £160 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Jan 2025 £454 £360 🇬🇧 Chiswick Auctions Elmar LTM
Nov 2024 £725 £580 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Nov 2024 £2,125 £1,700 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Oct 2024 £175 £140 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Oct 2024 £440 £440 🇬🇧 Harper Field Auctions Elmar LTM
Oct 2024 £190 £190 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services
Oct 2024 £190 £190 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services Elmar LTM
Sep 2024 £350 £280 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Aug 2024 £151 £120 🇬🇧 Chiswick Auctions Elmar LTM
Jul 2024 £238 £190 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
May 2024 £1,000 £800 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
May 2024 £1,000 £800 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
May 2024 £875 £700 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Apr 2024 £320 £320 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services Elmar LTM
Apr 2024 £180 £180 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services Elmar LTM
Apr 2024 £140 £140 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services Elmar LTM
Sep 2023 £275 £220 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
May 2023 £938 £750 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Apr 2023 £140 £140 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services Elmar LTM
Apr 2023 £280 £280 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services Elmar LTM
Nov 2022 EUR 2,000 £1,738 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
Oct 2022 £688 £550 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Oct 2022 £275 £220 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Jun 2022 £775 £620 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Jun 2022 EUR 550 £472 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
Mar 2022 £175 £140 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Apr 2021 £806 £650 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Apr 2021 £397 £320 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
May 2020 £306 £250 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
May 2020 £1,102 £900 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Oct 2019 £192 £160 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Nov 2018 £228 £190 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Nov 2018 £240 £200 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions Elmar LTM
Mar 2018 EUR 1,400 £1,236 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
Nov 2013 EUR 750 £628 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
Jul 2013 £270 £270 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services (archive)
May 2009 EUR 340 £301 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
May 2006 EUR 420 £287 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
May 2005 EUR 2,000 £1,368 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
Nov 2003 EUR 2,083 £1,443 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM
Nov 2002 EUR 125 £80 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction Elmar LTM

Frequently asked questions

What is a Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5 worth today?

We do not yet hold UK auction hammer results for this lens, so no verified price range can be quoted; value varies widely between common post-war chrome examples and scarce pre-war nickel or non-standardised variants.

What do the codewords EKURZ, EKURZCHROM and EKURZUP mean?

EKURZ was the original code for the nickel-mounted pre-war lens and was reused after the war for the chrome mount; EKURZCHROM designated the chrome mount and EKURZUP the nickel mount made after chrome had appeared.

How rare is the Elmar 35mm f/3.5?

Laney's figures give 42,503 units over the full 1930–1950 run, but output was very uneven — 6,227 in 1938 against just 84 in 1943 and 104 in 1950 — so wartime-year examples are far scarcer than the totals suggest.

Is the lens coated?

Only examples made from late 1946 onward were coated; anything earlier, including all pre-war nickel and chrome mounts, is uncoated.

Does it fit a Leica M camera?

It is a screw-mount (L39) lens, so it needs an L39-to-M adapter to be used on an M body.