CameraWorth.com

Leitz 21mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M

The Leitz 21mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M is a wide-angle prime for the Leica M-mount rangefinder system, offering a 21mm field of view at a moderately fast f/2.8 maximum aperture. It was designed for reportage, architectural and landscape work on M-series bodies, and has been offered in successive versions over the lens's long production life.

At recent UK auction, clean copies have typically sold for £650 to £1,800 at the hammer, with a median result around £812 based on the sales on file. One outlier at £8,000 in 2022 skews the headline range and almost certainly reflects a scarce early or boxed variant rather than a standard user example, so most buyers today should judge value against the four-figure cluster rather than that peak. Across this data the 21mm Elmarit-M's price has held in a fairly narrow band in the saleroom, and in 2026 a tidy standard example is broadly worth what it sells for mid-pack in the sample — roughly £700 to £900 at wholesale hammer level, before commission.

Sales History

Prices shown are UK auction hammer results — the wholesale level achieved in the saleroom. Neither buyer’s nor seller’s commission is included. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher.

Date Price Source
Apr 2025 £812 Flints Auctions
Nov 2024 £650 Flints Auctions
Jun 2024 EUR 1,800 Leitz Auction
May 2024 £975 Flints Auctions
May 2024 £1,025 Flints Auctions
Jun 2022 EUR 8,000 Leitz Auction
May 2020 £1,041 Flints Auctions
Mar 2018 EUR 650 Leitz Auction
Mar 2018 EUR 750 Leitz Auction
Jun 2017 EUR 1,000 Leitz Auction
Nov 2016 EUR 700 Leitz Auction
Nov 2016 EUR 700 Leitz Auction
Nov 2016 EUR 1,800 Leitz Auction
Dec 2009 EUR 1,500 Leitz Auction
Feb 2006 £720 Christie's
Nov 2004 EUR 938 Leitz Auction
Jun 1998 £1,035 Christie's