The name Elmar is used by Leica to designate cameralenses of four elements.
History
The Elmar lenses originally had a maximum aperture of f/3.5. These lenses were derived from a 50 mm f/3.5 Elmax lens first produced in 1925. The name is a combination of Ernst Leitz and Max Berek.[1]
Description
Elmar lenses have a maximum aperture ranging between f/2.8 and f/4. Current Elmar lenses have a maximum aperture of f/3.8 or f/4, as in the Elmar-M 24 mm f/3.8 and Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21 mm f/4.[1] The term Elmar is sometimes combined with: Super, Tele, APO, Macro or Vario. Leica also uses the name Elmarit for some lenses.
Market positions
Elmar lenses are comparatively slow. As a result they tend to be smaller and lighter than faster lenses of the same focal length.[1][2]