Leica has announced a new Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 that is claimed to provide modern optics in a vintage-style housing.
Key features
- Full-Frame | f/1.4 to f/16
- Fast Normal-Length Prime
- Manual Focus Design
- Minimum Focusing Distance: 2.3′
- 12-Blade Diaphragm
- 7 Elements in 5 Groups
- Filter Thread: 46mm
- Solid Brass Construction
Leica’s newest M-mount lens, the silver chrome Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4, resurrects the look and feel of its film-era origins with modern optics to match the brand’s stable of high-resolution mirrorless cameras. The fifth member of the Leica Classic Line, the lens’s wide maximum aperture and focal length are claimed to yield outstanding results in both sharpness and bokeh.
The Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 has been developed based on its legendary predecessor. The new version of this standard lens is also made by hand out of solid brass and equipped with a removable, round lens hood. This protects the lens, minimizes glare and lens flares, and emphasizes the vintage look.
Leica introduced the first Summilux lens back in 1959. The name ‘Summilux’ is derived from the Latin ‘summa lux’, meaning ‘maximum light’. Since then, Summilux has been synonymous with fast lenses. The Summilux-M normal lens, with its focal length of 50 mm, is the prime lens for many photographers worldwide and has captured countless iconic pictures throughout the history of photography.
The reinterpretation is based on optical calculation for the second Summilux-M 50 f/1.4, which was produced between 1962 and 2004 with very few modifications. Meticulously crafted from 105 individual components, this optical masterpiece is the result of carefully considered refinements. Seven lenses, manufactured from advanced types of glass and arranged in five groups, reproduce subjects at a close focusing distance of only 0.7 m.
Price & Availability
The Leica Summilux 50mm f/1.4 will retail for $3,895 USD.
