When I was preparing the announcement of the new Leica Apo-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280mm lens on March 16 I noticed that there appeared to be a discrepancy between the Leica press release and the specification sheet. In the release the lens is said to have 23 elements and 7 groups whereas the specification refers to 23 elements and 17 groups.
I contacted Jenny Hodge at Leica UK and she referred the question back to Wetzlar. They have just confirmed the situation: The lens has 23 elements in 17 groups but 7 moving groups. Just for the record in case you are putting in an order for the new lens.