OVERVIEW

Earlier this year I acquired a used Leica M8.2 digital rangefinder. For several years I had happily used the Leica M8 with the 50mm Summilux-M ASPH, so I did not worry about the Leica M8.2‘s 1.33x crop factor with a 50mm lens. But after also using the Leica M9 for awhile, M8.2‘s 1.33x crop combined with a 50mm felt too long for walk-around use. So the 35mm Lux joined the family. This was going to be a brief affair. The 35mm Lux was purchased for a vacation and to be sold afterwards. That was over three months ago and now I wince at the thought of selling the 35mm Lux. The lens in this review is the 35mm Summilux #11874 which is the third 35mm Summilux-M model. Here is a quick model history:

1. •Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux-M (1961-1995), Model #11870
   

2. No aspherical elements
   

3. •Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux-M Aspherical (1991-1994), Model #11873
   

4. Two aspherical elements
   

5. •Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH Version 1 (1994-2010)
   

6. Model #11874 Black, #11883 Chrome; One aspherical element
   

7. •Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH Version 2 (2010- ), Model #11663
   

8. One aspherical element, new floating element design
   

HANDLING

What amazes me most is that Leica was able to pack such great performance into such a tiny lens. In comparison to a traditional F1.4 35mm SLR lens, the Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH M is minuscule, weighing a mere 9 ounces. The barrel and mount are metal, the focus and aperture rings sport finally machined knurlings, markings are engraved and hand painted, tolerances are tight, focus is silky smooth. The build quality is excellent (as expected from Leica), but the price can be a startling revelation.

The 35mm Lux’s lens hood is intended to remain attached at all times. For Leica M8 and M8.2, the lens hood hides the IR filter, and the hood has a cover, so no need to snap a lens cap over the filter. The lens hood does partially obstruct the viewfinder, but there is a cut-out. On the Leica M8.2 (and M8) the blockage is minimal and does not hinder framing or focusing. The image below shows approximately how much of the hood is visible on the Leica M8.2’s 35mm framelines.

While the blockage on the Leica M8 / Leica M8.2 is minor, on the Leica M9 the blockage is more noticeable. Using the same picture as a reference, imagine the entire picture being the 35mm frameline view on the Leica M9. The viewfinder blockage has not caused any problems, and to be honest, it does not bug me. It took awhile to get used to viewfinder blockage on a rangefinder, but that is just how things are.

The 35mm Lux is a compact lens, but if I wanted to keep the M9 / 35mm Lux footprint as small as possible, the hood could be left off. The 35mm Lux’s front thread is a 46mm and a standard Leica E46 cap fits fine (one is included with the lens). The 35mm Lux’s hood has a cover as well. The cover slides on and clicks in place.

The 35mm Lux is a “tabbed” lens, meaning it has the ergonomic lever (tab) on the focus ring. The focus tab it intended to make focusing easier with a single finger. I still prefer a scalloped focus rings because they are easy to find via touch and finger placement is not as critical. That said, if the focus ring is not scalloped, then the focus tab is useful.