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Leica Elmarit 28mm f/2.8

The Leica Elmarit 28mm f/2.8 is a wide-angle rangefinder lens for the Leica M bayonet, introduced in 1965 and still catalogued as a current lens in its fourth incarnation at the time of Laney's Leica Collector's Guide. Laney lists it in the Screw-Mount, M-Mount & Visoflex Lenses chapter with a production span given as 1965-current, and it went through three major optical redesigns, producing four distinct versions. It was built as the standard moderately fast 28mm reportage and general wide-angle optic for M-series bodies.

No UK auction hammer results are recorded for this lens in the data supplied, so no price range, median or value figure can be quoted here today; any number would be invented rather than derived. What can be said about relative worth is structural: the four versions are catalogued separately, and buyers should establish which one a lens is before judging what it sells for at saleroom level. Version I is the Wetzlar-made nine-element design that will not clear the M5 or CL, while the 1993-onward Elmarit-M was the current production lens when Laney went to press.

Variants

Select a variant to filter the sales history below.

Variant Years Edition Sales Price Range
11801 — — 2 £730 – £1,477

Elmarit 28mm f/2.8, first and second versions, with lens hood
11804 — — 0 —

Elmarit 28mm f/2.8, third version, with lens hood
11809 — — 3 £980 – £1,271

Elmarit 28mm f/2.8, fourth version, with lens hood
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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 38 recorded sales.

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

Date Price Value GBP Source Variant
Aug 2026 USD 989 £730 🇺🇸 eBay 11801
Aug 2026 USD 2,000 £1,477 🇺🇸 eBay 11801
Jul 2026 USD 1,700 £1,271 🇺🇸 eBay 11809
Jul 2026 £850 £850 🇬🇧 eBay —
Jul 2026 USD 1,310 £980 🇺🇸 eBay 11809
Jul 2026 USD 1,499 £1,121 🇺🇸 eBay 11809
Apr 2026 £3,750 £3,000 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2024 EUR 6,000 £5,003 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2024 £4,750 £3,800 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2024 £3,750 £3,000 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2024 £2,625 £2,100 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Jun 2024 EUR 6,000 £5,079 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
May 2024 £3,625 £2,900 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Apr 2024 £3,800 £3,800 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services 28mm f/2.8 M
Nov 2023 £3,500 £2,800 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Jun 2022 £1,100 £880 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Jun 2022 £6,250 £5,000 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Jun 2022 EUR 2,000 £1,715 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Apr 2022 £7,500 £6,000 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Apr 2021 £3,596 £2,900 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
May 2020 £1,715 £1,400 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2016 EUR 1,400 £1,217 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2015 USD 1,200 £790 🇺🇸 pedia_sales_tamarkin —
Mar 2014 EUR 1,200 £998 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8 M
Nov 2012 HKD 9,000 £728 🇭🇰 Bonhams —
Nov 2011 EUR 2,400 £2,058 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Dec 2010 EUR 600 £509 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8 M
May 2010 EUR 4,800 £4,114 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
May 2009 EUR 1,900 £1,680 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2008 EUR 1,500 £1,246 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2008 EUR 600 £498 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8 M
Nov 2006 EUR 1,900 £1,281 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
May 2006 EUR 1,800 £1,230 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Feb 2006 £1,020 £850 🇬🇧 Christie's 28mm f/2.8 M
Nov 2004 EUR 1,042 £728 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2004 EUR 1,511 £1,056 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction 28mm f/2.8
Nov 2004 EUR 761 £532 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction —
Sep 2001 £1,645 £1,400 🇬🇧 Christie's 28mm f/2.8
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Frequently asked questions

What is a Leica Elmarit 28mm f/2.8 worth?

The sales history supplied for this page contains no UK auction records, so no hammer price or value figure can be given without inventing one. Identify the version first — first, second, third or fourth — because each is catalogued separately and they do not trade alike.

How do I tell which version of the Elmarit 28mm I have?

The first version was made in Wetzlar, has dual feet and metres focusing scales and nine elements, and protrudes far into the camera body; the second was made in Canada with eight elements and a shortened rear that clears the M5 and CL; the third has a lightweight non-rotating mount; the fourth is the Elmarit-M, a modified retrofocus design with a concave front surface and a rectangular hood.

Which versions fit the Leica M5 and CL?

The second version onwards, because its mount dropped the rear protrusion of the first version. The 1965-1972 first version reaches too far into the body for those two cameras.

What catalogue number should I search for?

11801 covers the first and second versions with lens hood, 11804 the third version with hood, and 11809 the fourth version with hood.

What filter size does it take?

E48 or Series VII on the first and second versions, E49 or Series VII on the third, and E46 on the fourth.

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