LEICA SUMMILUX M 35mm ASPH.
Review and Photo example SUMMILUX M 35mm F1.4 ASPH. Titan color.
Table of contents
Gallery
- Sample photo taken with the LEICA M10.
Review
The Summilux 35mm F1.4 ASPH. is a Leica M mount lens with a focal length of 35mm, made from 1993 to 2010.
Since the mount shape is new, official modification to add a 6-bit code for lens recognition is possible.
It has been released in three colors: black, silver, and titanium, and a total of nearly 20,000 pieces have been produced. The list shows that 3,000 to 4,000 are silver and 1,000 to 2,000 are titanium.
The lens we will introduce is the second generation aspherical type, titanium color version.
The image is well resolved even at maximum aperture, and the vivid colors, distortion, and curvature are well corrected, and the flawless depiction has an atmosphere similar to that of the 50mm F1.4 ASPH. Looking at past photo data, it seems that I often took it out on rainy days, and I feel that it is a lens that does a good job of expressing the luster of rain.
The lens construction is symmetrical, with the front element being a concave lens, and the four elements in the front group and the four elements in the rear group, excluding the aspherical lens. New models after this lens have adopted a floating mechanism, which is said to improve image quality during close-up photography.
Among the rangefinder lenses, I also own the spherical type of the Summilux 35mm lens, which was the closest to being the last one, and I was having trouble deciding which one to keep, so I decided to keep the spherical type.
Compared to the spherical type, the aspherical type has an advantage in that it can be used wide open and has a minimum shooting distance of 0.7m. However, personally, I was dissatisfied with the aspheric type because the lens body was large and the design was flat, and the helicoidal feel was not good enough.
It’s a lens that I have a lot of experience with, shooting with the M9/M/M-P/M10 and full-frame digital Leica, and the M6 and film. The lens I owned was an older model with a bayonet-type hood, and I’ve read that the newer model with a screw-in hood has a floating structure that improves close-up shots. However, since I have not used the new model, I do not know whether it is true or not. The new model is available in black and silver.
Along with the M6 titanium body, I purchased the SUMMILUX-M 50mm/F1.4, also in titanium color, and this 35mm at the same time. The three pieces cost less than 500,000 yen, so I was able to purchase them at a fairly low price compared to current prices.
The original ASPHERICAL SUMMILUX-M lens was barely affordable when I bought it, but after passing on two lenses, it is no longer affordable.
If you only think about taking pictures, I feel that if you have 28mm/35mm/50mm and SUMMILUX, you don’t need anything else.
The SUMMILUX-M 35mm was renewed to the third generation in 2010 and will be renewed to the fourth generation in 2022. The selling point of the 4th generation is that the minimum shooting distance has been shortened to 0.4m in consideration of use with mirrorless cameras. The hood is built-in and has been changed to the same mechanism as the SUMMILUX-M 50mm ASPH., which is screwed into place after being pulled out, and the number of aperture blades has also been increased to 11. The lens configuration has not changed since this second generation, and it is thought that the lens coating has evolved and the mechanism has been improved. The price is approximately 800,000 yen.
Specification
| Item | Value | note |
| focal length(mm) | 35 | |
| Maximum aperture | 1.4 | |
| Minimum aperture | 16 | |
| Lens configuration | 5groups 9elements | |
| Leaf blade | 9 | |
| Minimum distance(m) | 0.7 | Camera distance meter interlocked in all areas |
| Lens length(mm) | 34.5 | Distance from mount flange |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 53 | Focus lever excluded |
| Filter diameter(mm) | E46 | |
| Weight(g) | 250(Black) | 415(Silver,Titan) |
| Release date | 1994 | |
| List price(Yen) | – |
Reference links
Update history
- 2024.03.02:Update article
- 2022.09.17:First draft
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