Leica announces new SL zoom lens, the Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH
posted Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 12:15 PM EDT
Leica has announced a new addition to its SL lens portfolio, the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens. The f/2.8 zoom lens is designed for versatility, making it a solid choice for a wide range of photographic subjects, including reportage, travel, studio, architectural, landscapes, and portraiture. Leica also says the lens is well-suited to video work. The new 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is also being added as a kit lens for SL2 and SL2-S bundles.
The Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens includes 19 elements in 15 groups, including three lenses with aspherical surfaces on both sides. Leica promises 'outstanding optical performance' and excellent control of chromatic aberrations across the focal length range. In terms of bokeh, the lens has an 11-bladed circular aperture diaphragm.
The lens uses a silent stepper motor, which promises fast and quiet autofocus. The lens has an internal focusing design, meaning that it remains a constant length. The lens can focus as closely as 7.1" (0.18m) at 24mm and 14.96" (0.38m) at 70mm, resulting in maximum reproduction ratios of 1:2.9 and 1:4.5, respectively.
Built using a black anodized metal body and including a weather-sealed design, the Leica 24-70mm SL 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is built for the rigors of outdoor landscape and nature photography and the demands of reportage photography. The lens has also been designed to be compact and lightweight, eschewing optical image stabilization, which isn't needed when using an SL2 or SL2-S, which include in-body image stabilization. In total, the 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens is 4.84" (123mm) long without its lens hood (6" (153mm) with the included detachable hood) and has a maximum diameter of 3.46" (88mm) without the hood (3.82" (97mm) with the hood). The new lens has an 82mm filter thread. The lens weighs 856g without the hood and 906g when using the hood.
The new Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens is available to order now from Leica Stores, Boutiques and Dealers for $2,795 USD. The lens will also be sold in bundles with the Leica SL2 and SL2-S cameras for $8,795 and $7,195, respectively, which is a savings of $595 in both cases compared to buying the cameras and new lens separately.