100MM FILTERS ON THE LEICA SUPER-ELMAR-S 24MM
Enjoying the blog? Support us with a PayPal donation:
DO YOU WANT TO USE YOUR 100MM SQUARE FILTERS ON THE LEICA SUPER-ELMAR-S 24MM? EASY!
Since I have been asked on forums about it, I decided to put together a little article to show you how to use your favourite 100mm square filters on the Leica Super-Elmar-S 24mm f/3.5 ASPH.
Disclaimer: At the time of writing, I am not affiliated with Leica or Lee Filters in any way. I am a professional photographer looking for the best equipment for my work, I buy all my gear with my hard-earned cash and I don’t get paid by anyone to write articles for my blog.
The Leica Super-Elmar-S 24mm f/3.5 ASPH features a 95mm filter thread. Most of us Landscape or Architectural photographers use 100mm square filters, and sadly no manufacturer produces an adapter ring that successfully allows us to use our usual filter holder with this lens. Personally, I would never use a 150mm filter system if I can avoid it: too big, cumbersome and problematic in the field.
There is a pretty easy solution, however, that doesn’t involve getting a 150mm filter kit just for this lens. More importantly, it can easily be done at home in 5 minutes, allowing you to use your 100mm square filters on the Leica Super-Elmar-S 24mm f/3.5 ASPH.
First, you’ll need to get the Lee Push-On Filter Holder, which has an internal diameter of 100mm. This holder features a metal inner ring, tightened by a screw, used to fix the holder firmly on your chosen lens’ barrel.
However, the adapter is a bit too wide in diameter for the Leica Super-Elmar-S 24mm f/3.5 ASPH’s barrel. On one hand, this might cause the holder to fall off. On the other hand, I am also worried that, since you have to turn the whole adapter to position your filters, in time this will end up scratching your lens’ barrel.
My solution is very easy and solves both problems: just glue a couple of felt stripes on the holder’s inner metal ring, on opposite sides of the holder. This will make the internal diameter perfect for the Super-Elmar-S, with the added bonus of preventing scratching when turning your adapter on the lens barrel. The felt you see in the image above is a bit too soft and might leave some lint. While this is not going to be a problem, I will replace it with a more compact felt just to be sure.
Done!
Starting October 2021, I am a proud Ambassador for H&Y Filters, in my opinion simply the best filters out there with the most innovative, easy to use, practical filter holder (see my BEST FILTERS FOR LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY and BEST 100MM FILTER HOLDER FOR LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY articles for more info).
Thanks to my relationship with H&Y Filter, I am happy to offer you a 10% discount on H&Y FILTRI, their Italian distributor’s website. Just use code Vieri10 at checkout to enjoy your discount!
Below you’ll see the filter holder on the lens together with a couple of ugly shots taken with a 1.5 Grad ND turned about 45 degrees on the lens, just to show that the adapter works and that it doesn’t vignette.
Thanks for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed it! Why don’t you share it with your friends, or drop me a comment to let me know how you feel about this?
Have a great day, and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER!
Enjoying the blog? Support us with a PayPal donation:
This is a helpful article as I was just working on a solution for the 24 and the 30-90 lenses .
Will a screw in polarizer fit between the Lee adapter/GND filter and the front edge of the lens .
Hello Roger,
glad to be of help. No, a polariser will not fit with this solution; you’d have to polarise first, and slip the Lee slip-on over the polariser and fix it onto it, which will not really be enough for the holder to keep in place. Slipping the holder down to the lens barrel, on the other hand, will result in the polariser touching and scratching your square filters. Best regards,
Vieri