The Leica 50mm f/1.4 for L-Mount Is the Most Compact on the Market

Leica has announced the Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 ASPH., which it says is the most compact 50mm f/1.4 lens on the market — across all lens mounts.

“The Leica SL-System is renowned not only for its high-performance cameras, but also for its range of lenses offering exceptional optical quality,” Leica boasts. “With the Summilux-SL 50 f/1.4 ASPH., Leica once again demonstrates its innovative strength in lens manufacturing by presenting the world’s most compact autofocus lens with this focal length and a lens speed of f/1.4.”

The company says it managed to make the lens so compact due to its specialized manufacturing process (but did not elaborate further). The lens measures 75.5mm (three inches) long by 74mm (2.9 inches) across. It weighs 584 grams (1.3 pounds) and features a 67mm front filter thread diameter. As is typical of Leica SL lenses, the 50mm f/1.4 housing is fully anodized aluminum. Also, like other Leica SL lenses, there are very few physical controls on the lens: it only features a manual focus ring and an autofocus/manual focus selector switch. All other settings must be controlled through the camera.

Leica’s new 50mm lens features a construction of 11 elements arranged into six groups, including two aspherical elements (hence the ASPH. in the lens name). It also has an 11-bladed diaphragm with a range of f/1.4 through f/16, which the company says renders soft, natural bokeh for precise subject isolation.

Leica also touts the lens’s accurate, fast, and quiet autofocus, driven by a voice-coil system. It has a maximum subject reproduction ratio of 1:7.6 and a close focusing distance of 50 centimeters (1.6 feet).

“The precision-crafted, full-metal lens body forms a unit with SL-Cameras that is protected against dust and water splashes as per the IP54 standard. The AquaDura coating also ensures reliable protection even under demanding conditions,” Leica adds.

Those familiar with Leica’s SL lens series will probably note that there is already a Summilux 50mm f/1.4 ASPH.; in fact, it was Leica’s first-ever prime lens for the mirrorless Leica camera series that the company ever made, launched alongside the original Leica SL. It’s not clear when that lens was discontinued (B&H no longer lists it, and it’s sold out on Leica’s website), but Leica’s new 50mm is very likely designed as a replacement.

The original technical sheet for the first 50mm f/1.4 can be seen here, but Leica not only changed the physical design, but it also features a different optical design, a different focusing range, a reduction of minimum aperture from f/22 to f/16, a smaller front filter thread, and a significant size reduction.

In fact, this is one of the most dramatic reductions in size and weight between two versions of a lens that PetaPixel has ever seen. The new Summilux-SL 50 f/1.4 ASPH. is half the weight of the original and substantially smaller than Lumix’s 50mm f/1.4 S.

The Leica Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. is available starting June 25 for $4,950.

Image credits: Leica