Leica Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400mm F5-6.3 lens unveiled

Leica has officially unveiled the Leica Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400mm F5-6.3 lens , an L-mount telephoto zoom lens and a 1.4x teleconverter compatible with the new lens, allowing the maximum focal length to be increased to 560mm at F9 . Full-fledged photos of both the first and second appeared on the network a couple of days before the official presentation.

A rather modest aperture ratio made it possible to make the lens relatively compact for such focal lengths. It comes with a detachable tripod leg compatible with the Arca-Swiss system.

The lens offers up to 0.24x magnification at 400mm and a minimum focusing distance of 1.59m. It is 198mm long and 88mm in diameter. The optical performance and 22 element in 16 groups construction is very similar to the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS, albeit with a metal case.

The lens is compatible with the Leica Extender L 1.4x teleconverter released with it, providing a focal length of 140-560mm F7-9. The weight of the teleconverter is 182 g.

Optical design

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Specifications: Leica Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400mm F5-6.3

• Body color: black
• Focal length range: 100-400mm
• Minimum aperture: f/5 (at 100mm) – f/6.3 (at 400mm)
• Maximum aperture: f/22
• Mount: Leica L
• Sensor format: full frame
• Viewing angle (diagonal/horizontal/vertical): 23.8°/19.9°/13.3° (at 100mm), 6.4°/5.3°/3.5° (at 400mm)
• Minimum focus distance: 1.1m (at 100mm), 1.59m (at 400mm)
• Optical design: 22 elements in 16 groups
• Optical Coating: Hydrophobic Aqua-Dura®
• Focus: auto/manual
• Stabilization: yes
• Tripod mount: yes
• Filter diameter: 82 mm
• Zoom: 1:9.3 (at 100mm), 1:4.1 (at 400mm)
• Dimensions: Ø88 x 198 mm
• Weight: 1.53 kg

And the prices?

The Leica Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400mm F5-6.3 will go on sale for a suggested price of $2195, while the teleconverter will cost $875. Recall that a similar Sigma 100-400mm f / 5-6.3 for L-mount is sold much cheaper – for $950.

Author: Bryan Schmidt