LEICA SUMMICRON M 35mm ASPH.
Summicron with aspherical lenses
A review and photo examples of the SUMMICRON M 35mm ASPH.
Table of contents
Gallery
- SUMMICRON-M 35mm ASPH. Photo example (with Leica M9 digital camera)
Review
1．Overview
The SUMMICRON 35mm F2 ASPH. is a 35mm focal length Leica M mount lens, and is the latest version of the Summicron-M 35mm without the APO. As the “ASPH.” in the lens name suggests, this lens uses aspherical lenses.
It has been supplied since 1996 and is still available in 2024, with a considerable number of units being made and supplied to the market.
The current lens has a 6-bit code for lens recognition, and older lenses can also be modified to add the 6-bit code. Before the minor change, it was released in three colors: black, silver, and titanium.
It underwent a minor change in 2016, and the lens configuration remained the same with the following changes.
- The number of aperture blades has been changed; the old model had 9 blades, while the new model has 11 blades, and the aperture shape has been changed to maintain a circular shape.
- The hood has been changed from the snap-on type 12526 to a screw-in type.
- The new lens barrel color is only black except for limited editions.
2．Usage
The SUMMICRON 35mm F2 ASPH. delivers stable images even at full aperture.
It also has good resolution all the way to the corners of the screen, is resistant to backlighting, and produces modern images.
Among the increasingly large M-series lenses, this is a compact lens along with the Elmarit-M 28mm ASPH., and when combined with an M-series Leica, it makes for a lightweight camera.
I have owned both the black and silver versions, but not at the same time, and the silver lens feels heavier and more solid than the black.
The lens is well-balanced when mounted on a mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor, and the image quality is modern, providing solid images with a variety of image sensors and image engines.
The official compatible hood is the 12526, and previous hoods such as the IROOA and 12504 are also compatible.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the SUMMICRON 35mm F2 ASPH. is a solid choice among Leica lenses that is reasonably priced and produces stable images.
It is more expensive than lenses with the same specifications from other companies, but you have to accept that this is the price you pay for owning a Leica.
It does give you a sense of satisfaction as an object, so if you can use your desire to take photos to create your own work, even amateurs can benefit.
Specification and Series lens
The main changes in the specifications of the Summicron series are as follows.
Even though the Apo-Summicron-M 35mm will be released in 2021, the aspherical Summicron 35mm will continue to be sold, so it is presumed that this is because this lens provides sufficient image quality and the Apo-Summicron 35mm is expensive, costing over 1.2 million yen per lens.
In addition, the used price of the regular black aspherical Summicron has also risen along with the list price, and the silver one is now quite expensive. In addition, the titanium color, which I have passed on purchasing several times, has risen in price even further, making it a lens that I cannot afford.
| Items | SUMMICRON ASPH-old | SUMMICRON 7 | SUMMICRON 6 Late |
| Focal length(mm) | 35(mm) | 35(mm) | 35(mm) |
| Max aperture | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Lens Construction | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Aperture blade | 7 elements in 5 groups | 7 elements in 5 groups | 6 elements in 5 groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Lens length(mm) | 34.5 | 26 | 30 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 53 | 52 | 51 |
| Filter Size(mm) | E39 | E39 | E39 |
| Lens hood | Lens hood 12524/12526 | Lens hood 12524/12526 | IROOA |
| Lens mount | M | M | M |
| Weight(g) | 225(黒) 340(銀) | 160 | 179 所有個体の実測値 |
| Release date | 1996〜 | 1979〜1999 | 1972〜1977 |
| Production numbers | – | 52,993 | 15,620 |
Reference links
- Leica Wiki 「Summicron-M 2/35 ASPH.」
- LEICA SUMMICRON 35mm F2 8elements・Shige’s hobby
- LEICA SUMMICRON 35mm F2 6elements・Shige’s hobby
- LEICA SUMMICRON 35mm F2 ASPH.・Shige’s hobby
Update history
- 2024.12.13
- 2024.02.20:Update article
- 2022.06.08:First draft
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