> "Is the Leica glass worth the massive premium, or am I just paying for the red dot?" Building on the earlier suggestion, you gotta look at the Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZM. It beats the Leica on resolution, lowkey. The micro-contrast is insane, honestly. If you want something even tinier, grab the Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 Aspherical Type II. It’s sharp as a tack and fits in a pocket. Anyway, bottom line is skip the 15mm for street. Go 21mm.

> "Honestly, 15mm is insanely wide for street—it makes everything look distorted" Totally agree, 15mm is a huge commitment. If you want that classic look, consider the Voigtlander Ultron 21mm f/1.8 Aspherical. It’s way cheaper than the Leica glass, super sharp, and lowkey handles street shots way better than a 15mm. Check out the lens reviews on Ken Rockwell’s site if you haven't yet, they’re super helpful for M-mount comparisons. NGL, the 21mm range is just the sweet spot for travel.

Building on the earlier suggestion, I totally agree that 15mm is just too much of a specialty lens for general street work—you end up having to get way too close to people, which, let's be honest, is awkward for everyone. If you're really stressing the price-to-performance ratio, you have to look at the Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 Aspherical Type II. It is shockingly small—like, pancake small—and the sharpness is honestly indistinguishable from the Leica glass in 99% of real-world scenarios. Here’s why you shouldn't overthink the premium:

• The Leica Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH is a stellar piece of engineering, but for street, you’re paying for build quality that you might not even need for daily carry.
• The Voigtlander gives you that modern, contrasty look that plays perfectly with the M11’s sensor resolution. Save the extra cash for a weekend trip to actually use the camera, you know?

Rarely post but saw this and had to chime in because the 15mm vs 21mm dilemma is classic M-mount headache. Honestly, 15mm is insanely wide for street—it makes everything look distorted unless you get right in someones face, which is a nightmare for candid work. Stick to the 21mm range for actual street photography. Regarding the glass, you arent just paying for the logo; the corner-to-corner rendering and contrast consistency on the higher-end options are just on another level when youre pushing that sensor. Just watch out for third-party adapters or six-bit coding issues if you go non-native, because the M11 is picky about lens profiles. If you buy cheap glass, you are gonna be fighting the software corrections in post forever. Save yourself the headache and go for the better build quality.

Did this last week, worked perfectly

Same setup here, love it

@Reply #6 - good point! Have you considered the field of view difference between 18mm and 21mm? Do you prioritize edge-to-edge sharpness or keeping the lens profile as thin as possible?

Look, the debate on these focal lengths is never-ending. People are arguing over 15mm versus 21mm like it determines the fate of the world. Honestly, it is ridiculous. Companies charge thousands for a piece of glass you could drop in the shop. It drives me crazy how much they overcharge for simple optics these days. It is all a scam to keep us buying unnecessary gear while the quality control just keeps sliding downhill.

Everyone pushes the Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH because of the brand, but honestly, the corner sharpness on the M11 sensor often reveals focus shift issues that people conveniently ignore in reviews. You aren't just paying for optics; you are paying for the 6-bit coding and the specific color profile of the Leica glass, which can be replicated with a decent RAW preset. If you want a smarter use of your $4k, look at these instead:

• Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZM: It provides better contrast and more bite than the Super-Elmar. It is slightly larger, but the build quality is superior to the Voigtlander options.
• Voigtlander Ultron Vintage Line 21mm f/1.8 Aspherical VM: This lens is faster and significantly cheaper. It handles the M11's high-resolution sensor well, though you need to be careful with digital lens detection settings to avoid edge magenta cast. Stop worrying about the red dot. The M11 is a high-resolution sensor; prioritize a lens with a modern coating over a vintage signature that will just bloom on the 60MP sensor.

Rarely post here, but this exact dilemma caught my attention since I went through it last year with my M11. Before deciding on the focal length, I need to know a few details about your shooting habits:

• Do you primarily shoot zone-focused at waist level, or do you rely heavily on rangefinder patch focusing?
• Are you cropping heavily in post-processing, or do you frame tightly in-camera? I struggled for months trying to find a compromise between a tiny footprint and corner sharpness. Once I figured out my actual working distance on the street, the right focal length became completely obvious. Let me know those two points and I can share what actually worked for my kit.