Sharpness at 35mm

For this review, the sharpness test is carried out by photographing a real-world sample, rather than a test chart. The Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-SL 16-35mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH was mounted on a Leica SL, which was in-turn mounted on a sturdy tripod. Exposure delay was activated to prevent camera-shake. Any changes in tone you might see across the crops are due to natural light changes during the shooting session.

The full frame at 35mm

At the widest aperture available at this point (f/4.5), the Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-SL 16-35mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH centre sharpness is very good. It rises to excellent when you get to f/5.6, and remains excellent until f/16, where it is slightly softer. At f/22, it’s softer again, but has a good overall impression of detail when viewing at normal printing sizes. At the edges of the frame, the best sharpness can be seen between f/5.6 and f/8.

Aperture	Centre Crop	Edge Crop
f/4.5
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16
f/22