[With Sample Photos] Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH. + Leica M11 | Light, Shadow and the Beauty of Architecture in Ultra-Wide Angle

This time we paired the Leica M11 with the "Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH." and photographed architecture and night scenes around the city.

It is a Leica ultra-wide-angle lens that lets you switch between three focal lengths: 16mm, 18mm and 21mm.

Even buildings and street scenes you are used to seeing show a completely different expression when viewed through an ultra-wide-angle lens.

Along with four sample photos actually taken, we'll introduce the perspective and the expression of light and shadow unique to this lens.

Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH. | An Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens with Three Angles of View

The Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH. is an ultra-wide-angle lens for the Leica M mount.

The focal length can be switched among three settings: 16mm, 18mm and 21mm. Rather than changing continuously like an ordinary zoom lens, it works by letting you select one of three angles of view.

At 16mm, you can fit a vast space, far beyond the human field of view, into a single frame. At 21mm, on the other hand, you keep the ultra-wide feel while cutting out the subject in a relatively tidy way.

The lens construction is 10 elements in 7 groups, with aspherical elements. The maximum aperture is f/4, and the weight is approx. 335g.

Despite being an extremely wide-angle lens, it is compact enough to carry comfortably when paired with an M-series Leica.

What is especially interesting about this lens is not merely that it can capture a wide area.

It is that the way straight lines, curves and depth appear changes dramatically depending on where you shoot from and the angle of the camera.

Sample 1 | Traditional Architecture at Night, Drawn with Light and Shadow

The first shot is a traditional building lit up at night.

A wooden structure illuminated in golden light, rising out of the darkness.

The broad sweep of the roof, the fine ornamentation, and even the stone pavement leading toward the front are all contained in a single photograph.

By using an ultra-wide-angle lens, you convey not only the grandeur of the whole building but also the spaciousness of the place, as if you were standing there.

Especially striking is the contrast between the brightly lit building and the deep black enveloping its surroundings.

By emphasizing the parts struck by light, the three-dimensionality of the architecture and the beauty of its ornamentation stand out.

A wide-angle lens not only captures a landscape broadly, but also has the fun of composing the relationship between light and shadow within one frame.

Sample 2 | The Straight Lines of Modern Architecture Floating in the Dark

Next is a shot taken looking up at modern architecture at night.

A structure crossing the frame diagonally, and the multiple straight lines supporting it.

By boldly cropping a part of the building, the structure itself, which we don't usually notice, becomes the star of the photo.

Warm-colored lighting emerges in the dark space, showing the texture of the metal and the curves of the building impressively.

The black empty space occupying most of the frame is also an important element of this photo.

Rather than rendering everything brightly, leaving the dark areas draws the eye naturally to where the light falls.

A shot that combines the bold composition only an ultra-wide angle can produce with nighttime lighting.

Sample 3 | The Depth of the City Spreading Beyond the Stairs

This is a photo taken looking up a staircase from below.

The handrails and walls extending left and right converge toward the person in the center of the frame.

With an ultra-wide-angle lens, you can create compositions that emphasize the sense of distance between the foreground and the background.

In this sample too, the stairs in the foreground appear large while the person standing in the back is placed small, creating strong depth.

The colorful wall on the left and the calm color of the building on the right.

That contrast is interesting too, and an everyday place like a staircase has been transformed into a geometric, striking landscape.

When photographing people with an ultra-wide-angle lens, you can give a photo a story not only by making the person large, but also by combining them with the surrounding space.

Sample 4 | Looking Up a Spiral Staircase and Enjoying the Curves

Last is a shot looking up from the bottom of a spiral staircase.

The structure of the staircase spreading from the center outward.

The curving handrails and metal steps create a distinctive rhythm within the frame.

A staircase we normally just go up and down looks like an abstract work of art when viewed from below.

In this photo, the straight lines of the building, the curves of the spiral staircase and the sky visible through the gaps combine into a three-dimensional composition.

The tonal gradation between the metal parts struck by light and the parts sinking into shadow is also impressive.

I feel an ultra-wide-angle lens is extremely well suited to this kind of bold cropping of architectural forms.

Pairing with the Leica M11 | Enjoying the Ultra-Wide World Down to the Details

The Leica M11 used this time is a digital rangefinder camera with an approx. 60.3-megapixel full-frame sensor.

Paired with the Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH., it can record even the ornamentation and fine lines of buildings within the wide angle of view.

For architectural shooting like this in particular, complex structures often spread across the whole frame, making it a combination that takes advantage of the appeal of a high-resolution sensor.

On the other hand, the M11's optical viewfinder has no dedicated bright frames for 16mm, 18mm or 21mm.

For that reason, when you want to check your composition accurately, it is convenient to use live view on the rear monitor or an external EVF.

Also, at ultra-wide angles, even a slight tilt of the camera greatly changes how the lines of a building appear.

Keeping the camera level to produce a tidy architectural photo is fine, and boldly looking up and using perspective as expression, as in these samples, is an interesting way to shoot too.

Conclusion | Familiar Scenery from a Different Viewpoint

What I felt shooting with the Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH. is that an ultra-wide-angle lens is not merely for fitting in a broad landscape.

The straight lines and curves of architecture, nighttime lighting, light floating in the darkness.

Even in places you would ordinarily pass by without a thought, simply changing the angle you point the camera produces a completely different photograph.

Switching among the three angles of view of 16mm, 18mm and 21mm while searching for your own composition.

It is a lens that teaches you that kind of shooting joy.

We hope you'll try it, not only for landscape photography but also if you love architectural photography and urban snapshots.

Leica Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH product list here

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