LEICA SUMMICRON TL 23mm
Review and Photo example of the Summicron TL 23mm.
Table of contents
Gallery
- Sample photo taken with the LEICA T typ701 and LEICA TL2.
Review
1．Overview
The Summicron TL 23mm is a prime lens released for the LEICA T series.
Since it is a lens for APS-C sensor size, the focal length converted to 35mm is equivalent to 35mm.
The main specifications are as follows, and details are listed in the table.
- Aperture: 2
- Lens construction: 9 elements in 6 groups
- 1 aspherical lens with 2 surfaces
- Aperture blades: 9
- Minimum focusing distance: 0.35m
- Hood: LEICA Lens Hood 12426
- Lens color variations: Black
2．Usage
The Summicron TL 23mm is compact and lightweight, made of aluminum, and matches well with the thin body of the Leica T and TL series. It comes with a reverse bayonet hood (12426). The original hood is large for a compact lens and gets in the way when attached, so I used a barnacle-shaped screw-in hood.
This lens is designed for the LEICA TL/SL, and the aperture and other controls are controlled by the camera, so the lens only has a focus ring, which is a simple specification.
The filter diameter is 52mm, which is rare for Leica, and while general-purpose manufacturers have a wide variety of filters in the volume zone, it is rare to see a genuine Leica 52mm filter. Among LEICA TL lenses, the zoom lens VARIO ELMAR 18-56 uses the same E52 filter.
The image is stable from the widest aperture, with no quirks, and the equivalent focal length of 35mm and compact lens barrel make this lens suitable for snapshot photography. The AF speed is reasonable when used with contrast AF on the LEICA T series (T / TL / TL2). The focusing speed is faster than the SUMMILUX-TL 35mm among TL lenses, and I remember it being about the same as the VARIO ELMAR 18-56mm.
On 35mm full-frame sensor cameras such as the Leica SL, the sensor recording range is automatically cropped, so it is not possible to shoot using the entire sensor.
It is a compact and easy-to-use lens, but it is quite expensive compared to Japanese-made lenses of the same specifications.
3．Summary
To conclude, the Summicron TL 23mm F2 is a lens released at the same time as the Leica T, and is a perfect fit for the LEICA T, and there is no complaint about the image quality for normal use. However, it is regrettable that there is no Leica L-mount APS-C sensor camera anymore.
When cropping in full frame, the LEICA SL series is a little large, but it is not as unbalanced as the ELMARIT TL 18mm, so it can be used as a compact Summicron 35mm.
Specification and Series lens
The lens is made in Japan, but the design was done in Germany.
The patent number for this lens, 2015-191237, has the following information:
- [Applicant] LEICA CAMERA AG
- [Inventor] KARBE PETER
Leica APS single focal length lens
| Lens name | ELMARIT | SUMMICRON | SUMMILUX | APO MACRO ELMARIT |
| Focal length(mm) | 18 | 27 | 35 | 60 |
| 35mm equivalent focal length | 27 | 35 | 50 | 90 |
| Max aperture | 2.8 | 2 | 1.4 | 2.8 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 16 | 16 | 32 |
| Aperture blade | – | 9 | – | – |
| Lens Construction | 8elements 6groups | 9elements 6groups | 12elements 8groups | 10elements 9groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.3 | 0.35 | 0.4 | 0.16 |
| Lens length(mm) | 21 | 37 | 77 | 134 |
| Lens diameter(mm) | 62 | 63 | 70 | 70 |
| Filter Size(mm) | E39 | E52 | E60 | E60 |
| Weight(g) | 80 | 154 | 428 | 320 |
| Release date | 2017.12 | 2014.5.26 | 2016.3.31 | 2016.9.24 |
| List Price | ¥142,500 | ¥230,000 | ¥310,000 | ¥320,000 |
Reference links
Update history
- 2024.03.06
- 2023.07.23
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