Maximum performance in a compact lens: the APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. sets new benchmarks

Leica Camera is delighted to launch its most compact 35mm lens yet, the APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. This new addition to the range of M-lenses is the only one with a closest focusing distance of just 30 centimetres, which, in conjunction with the high light sensitivity, offers a host of new photography options and guarantees outstanding image results.

The designers of the APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. were given just one brief: to create a maximum imaging performance lens with a moderate wide-angle focal length of 35mm. This exceptional performance capability is made possible by the elaborate lens design, combined with the high-precision manufacturing processes at the Leica production plant. The ten lens elements are divided into five groups; three elements feature aspherical surfaces (one of them on both sides). Six elements are made of glasses with anomalous partial dispersion, which not only reduce chromatic aberrations to almost zero but also provide apochromatic correction, a quality that is rarely found in lenses of this focal length. The result is a lens whose sharp detail rendition will challenge not just current but also future image sensors.

The APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. delivers particularly outstanding results at close range due to the focus ring with its large throw of 300°, enabling precise focusing at all times despite the extended closest focusing distance. Via the rangefinder, the lens can be focused at a distance as close as 70cm – at which point a slight resistance can be felt on the focus ring. At distances between 70cm and 30cm, the photographer can optionally focus via the camera’s display screen in Live View mode, the Visoflex electronic viewfinder or the Leica FOTOS app.

The innovative construction of the lens hood, in combination with highly effective anti-reflective coatings, makes the APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. extremely resistant to any type of stray light – allowing the photographer to shoot into the sun or other sources of light. Optical flaws such as chromatic aberration and distortion are almost entirely corrected. This, together with the extremely high, edge-to-edge contrast rendition, facilitates an especially pronounced bokeh at open aperture. As the aperture is almost circular (thanks to the use of eleven blades), this effect is also retained when the lens is stopped down.

Even more than any other M-lens, the APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. only has to be stopped down for compositional purposes – never for exposure control as the rendition quality at the centre and edges of the image is already outstanding. Despite its exceptional performance, the APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. is both compact and lightweight. With its classic reportage focal length, this is a lens for every photographic situation that can be used on any current and future model of the M series, Leica SL2 and SL2-S.