Maybe a small, exquisite, and beautiful 35mm lens can change your view of photography or give you a different photography style. The Leica Summicron 35mm f/2 Asph is the key to opening the door of street photography for you.
Versions
The Leica Summicron lens has always been a popular choice for street photographers and report photographers. Before the 35mm asph version, there were already four versions without asph. Their optical quality was really impressive, way above what you’d get from other brands of the same era. In terms of optical technology, asph is a big step up from previous versions.
Just wanted to let you know that the asph version has two generations now. I use the first generation asph. It comes in three colors: black anodized aluminum and silver brass chrome. There is also a brass black lacquered version, which is pretty rare. The second generation asph has the same optical design as the first, but with the addition of the aperture blades. I’m happy with the first generation.
Golden ratio
I think the Leica Summicron 35mm lens paired with an M camera is the most beautiful combination. I think it’s a great combination, and my favorite so far. I don’t like to install lens hoods because I want to maintain the golden ratio of lens to camera.
Rainbow
I think the anti-glare capability could be better. With backlighting or side backlighting, it’s easy to create a beam of light that damages the screen. But many people think it’s a wonderful rainbow and have fun with it. I’m not a big fan of it, though. I prefer more classical flares such as large light spots and reduced overall contrast.
Conclusion
I’m amazed that this lens was made in 1997. It works perfectly with digital cameras and produces rich colors and great sharpness. Leica lenses are really good quality. This lens is built to last a lifetime.
In the shadow of its mythic sibling, the Summicron-M 50mm Rigid, lies the Summicron-R 50mm f/2 E43—a lens that mirrors its cousin’s soul but dances to a different rhythm. Born in the 1960s, Leica’s first R-system 50mm f/2 dared to adapt Walter Mandler’s M-design wizardry for the single-lens reflex realm. Priced at a modest 450–450–700 (2025 USD), this brass-and-glass enigma offers Mandler-esque magic without the collector’s premium.
Design: Symmetry’s Compromise
Optical Twins, Mechanical Strangers
Glass Kinship: The E43 shares 6 elements with the M-Rigid, missing only its seventh layer—a sacrifice to the SLR’s mirrored altar.
Rear Chamber Depth: The R50’s rear element retreats 2mm farther from the film plane, yielding to the reflex mirror’s mechanical ballet.
Chassis Philosophy
Aperture Wizardry: SLR trickery demands complexity; the E43’s internal linkages swell its waistline, yet its 315g heft feels lighter than a Tang dynasty scroll.
Optical Scripture: Mandler’s Echo
Aspect
Summicron-R 50mm f/2 E43
Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Rigid
Sharpness
Bamboo stalk at dawn—supple yet unyielding
Samurai sword edge—cold perfection
Bokeh
Wang Wei’s mountain mist
Li Bai’s moonlit wine
Focus
0.5m intimacy (SLR’s whispered secret)
0.7m street tango (rangefinder’s waltz)
Soul
Unpolished jade
Imperial porcelain
The SLR Reformation
Wide-Angle Conundrum
Symmetry sacrificed: To dodge the SLR mirror, Leica engineers reforged Mandler’s design like blacksmiths hammering iron—R-system 35mm lenses ballooned to 9-10 elements, compensating with glass alchemy.
E43 vs E55: Evolution or Devolution?
E43 (1964): 6 elements—Mandler’s frugal haiku.
E55 (1977): Sharper but colder, like digital ink beside hand-ground calligraphy.
Practical Zen: Why This Lens Sings
Price-to-Grace Ratio: At 450–450–700 (2025 USD), it’s the cost of three Michelin-starred meals for optical banquets daily.
Focus Sorcery: 0.5m minimum distance—capture a lover’s eyelash or a teacup’s steam spiral.
Film Pairing: Ilford HP5+ @1600—grain dances with the E43’s gentle glow.
Who Should Buy This?
✓ SLR Minimalists: Seeking Mandler’s soul in reflex form ✓ Budget Alchemists: Turning leaden prices to golden imagery ✓ Macro Curious: 0.5m focus unlocks intimate worlds
Avoid If: You demand autofocus or f/1.4’s bokeh delirium.
Final Verdict: The Underdog’s Triumph
The Summicron-R 50mm E43 is photographic wabi-sabi—a $700 lesson in imperfect perfection. For the price of a weekend in Suzhou, you gain:
“A lens that whispers: ‘The overlooked gem often outshines the crown jewel.’”
Pro Tips:
Adapt It: Mount on mirrorless cameras—watch analog flaws become digital virtues.
Hack the Hood: Use a 12585H—flare paints Impressionist halos.
Epilogue: The Forgotten Classic While collectors chase M-Rigids priced like Ming vases, the E43 lingers in the shadows—a lens that scoffs at mythmaking. Yet herein lies its charm: true artistry needs no temple. As the Song dynasty poets wrote, “The moon’s beauty lies not in its fame, but in its silent glow.” The E43 glows on, patient as a sage, waiting for those who see beyond the hype.
Gear is a means, not an end—a truth the Leica Elmarit-R 35mm f/2.8 (1964–1996) embodies with quiet defiance. Designed for Leica’s inaugural SLR system, the Leicaflex, this 320g aluminum relic rebukes modern pixel-peeping obsessions. At 300–300–600 (used), it’s a $500 lesson in humility: “Your best lens is the one that gets out of the way.”
Design: Mechanical Haiku
Close-Focus Sorcery
Minimum Focus: 0.3m (11.8″)—closer than Super-Angulon 21mm’s 0.4m
Build: Brass helicoid, aluminum barrel—dense as a haiku, rugged as a tank
Ergonomic Nuance
Focus Throw: 270°—precision over speed
Aperture Ring: Clickless for cine-smooth transitions (later versions detented)
Optical Scripture
Sharpness Philosophy
Center: Cuts Kodak Tri-X like a scalpel @ f/2.8
Edges: Soft as 1960s Kodachrome nostalgia—flaws as features
Bokeh Ballet
f/2.8 Rendering: Backgrounds dissolve into pointillist abstraction
Close-Up Magic: 0.3m focus transforms weeds into Weston-esque studies
Generational Wars
Aspect
Version 1 (S6 Mount)
Version 2 (S7 Mount)
Version 3 (E55 Mount)
Build
Brass internals
Aluminum lightweight
Plastic hybrid
Coating
Single-layer vintage
Multi-coated pragmatism
Modern flare control
Character
Mandler’s microcontrast
Clinical precision
Digital readiness
Price (2024)
500–500–600
300–300–400
200–200–300
The Leicaflex Legacy
Leica’s SLR gamble birthed quirks:
Why f/2.8?: Corporate caution—testing waters before Summilux plunges
Capa’s Ghost: “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough”—this lens listens
R-System Irony: Outlived its SLR bodies—now thrives on mirrorless adapters
Who Should Embrace This Relic?
✓ Film Purists: Breathing life into forgotten Leicaflex bricks ✓ Street Minimalists: Who see 0.3m as intimate, not invasive ✓ Budget Connoisseurs: Craving Mandler-era rendering without M-tax
Avoid If: You need autofocus or f/1.4 bokeh bragging rights.
Final Verdict: The Humble Teacher
The Elmarit-R 35mm f/2.8 is optical wabi-sabi—a $500 lesson in photographic Zen. For the price of a premium filter, you gain:
We chase f/1.4 dreams yet find truth at f/2.8. The Elmarit-R 35mm f/2.8—overlooked, underrated—whispers Robert Capa’s forgotten corollary: “The best camera is the one that fits your budget… and your hands.” In its scratched glass and stiff focus ring, we rediscover photography’s first commandment: Thou shalt create, not covet.
To be honest, the Leica M4 is the top-of-the-line camera in the entire Leica M series. It’s got the most advanced film loading and rewinding systems, the most ergonomic film advance lever, and the most advanced black chrome plating technology. A brand new black chrome M4 is considered to be first-class in terms of both technology and workmanship. Plus, you can still find a top-of-the-line black chrome M4 at a reasonable price. Black chrome is more durable than black paint, but collectors prefer the latter because brass shows through where the paint has worn off.
There’s nothing quite as alluring as a black paint Leica camera. Once you get your hands on a black paint Leica, you can’t let it go. The worn-off black paint on the brass gives it a kind of glow that reminds us of the history of our rise and fall. It’s inspiring, really.
Black paint is becoming more and more popular, and the price keeps going up. Another option is to buy a current version of the black paint MP, since it hasn’t been discontinued yet, and even used ones often look like new.
In the past, black Leicas were a great help to war photographers, and now those same photographers have contributed to black paint Leicas. When you wear a black paint Leica M4 on your chest, you’re reminded of the masters, which gives you even more courage and strength. If this is true, then such a camera is truly priceless. Leica has become a cultural symbol, at least that’s how they promote themselves.
The Leica M4 stands out for its speed. It loads, advances, and rewinds film quickly, which is really useful. The M4 also has a combination of the M3 and M2 structures, with the counter from the M3 and the viewfinder from the M2. It was sold at a higher price than the M2 and M3 at the time. So, no matter what color it is, the Leica M4 is a really user-friendly camera.
The M4 was the first model to have a bent corner and a plastic washer on the film advance lever. This design increased the contact area of the thumb during film advance, so the thumb could slide along the edge of the body to the end. The classic film advance lever on the M3 looks good, but when the film is fully advanced, the finger has to leave the body, which reduces grip stability. The M4’s film advance lever design makes it easier for your thumb to move, which actually speeds up film advance and increases grip stability. The Leica M4’s film advance lever is designed with ergonomics in mind.
The Leica M4 also loads film pretty quickly. This fast film loading feature was inherited from the military versions of the Leica M2 and M2-R.
In 1961, Leica unleashed the world’s first 35mm f/1.4 lens—the Steel Rim. Not merely a tool, but a manifesto in brass and glass. This 300g unicorn (1961-1966) redefined “luxury” in optics, its nickel-plated steel lens hood locking into milled grooves with Swiss watch precision. Today, surviving specimens trade for 8,000–8,000–15,000, not for their optics, but as mechanical haikus from an era when lenses were forged, not assembled.
Walter Mandler was pretty bummed when the first generation Summicron 90mm lens didn’t take off because of its size. He came up with the second-generation Summicron 90mm f/2, which was a huge hit. The optical design stayed the same from 1980 to 1998, which is pretty cool because it shows how important the E55 version lens was in history. Despite all the advances in technology, the later 90mm lenses with ASPH and APO technology just couldn’t get any smaller or lighter, so the E55 version was a popular choice.
Given how it’s used, I think the second-generation Summicron 90mm f/2 E55 or E49 version is the best fit. These lenses aren’t too old and can be found in good condition, which makes them both economical and affordable. The E55 version has a great design and is almost the same size as the 90AA, but it’s lighter. It produces sharp portraits when it’s wide open and sharp landscapes when it’s stopped down one stop. In short, the E55 version offers the same quality as the pricier 90AA, making it a great choice.
Weight of the 90mm lens
While the Summicron 90mm fi-generation lens initially met my image quality standards, its size became an issue, so I ended up selling it. As someone who uses a Leica M, I understand the importance of lens size. However, after investing more money, I got the second generation E55, which has revolutionized my view of 90mm lenses. This version is much more portable, and the F2 aperture is impressive.
90mm is a peak
When it comes to photography, there’s often a difference between what we want to capture and what we can actually do. This gap is often represented by a mountain of cameras and lenses, which can be tough to overcome. Some photographers have managed to climb over this mountain, while others have gotten lost in the valleys below.
In the world of Leica photography, it is very common for users to have multiple 50 mm and 35 mm lenses and a 21 mm or 28 mm wide-angle lens. However, only a few opt for the 90 mm lens. This shows the special place of the 90 mm lens in the world of Leica lenses. So why make it?
With the rise of high-pixel-count cameras, the 90mm lens might seem less important. After all, you can get the same field of view by cropping an image taken with a 50mm lens. But by looking at things through a 90mm lens, you can see things in a whole new way. The 90mm lens has a more focused field of view than the 50mm lens, which makes it great for getting the subject in focus. This makes it a great lens for portraits and close-up shots. But as Saul Leiter shows us, a 90mm lens can also be used for street photography. It can capture the elegant interplay of light and shadow in a way that sparks the imagination.
Even though there are some challenges to climbing the peak of the 90mm lens, the rewards are worth it. This lens offers a unique perspective that can open up a whole new world of possibilities in photography.
90mm lens focusing
It can be tricky to get the hang of focusing with a 90 mm lens without the right technique. By the time you get the focus just right, the ideal moment to shoot may have passed. I’ve put together a few useful tips for focusing with a 90 mm lens.
To speed up your focusing time, set your focus to 5 meters and estimate the distance between your subject and yourself in advance. As a general rule of thumb, you should be able to get the distance between you and your subject right around 10 meters for distant subjects and 2 meters for close ones.
Using an M3 body can be a good idea because it has a magnification of 0.91 and a super-large focusing screen. You might also want to think about getting a viewfinder magnifier to help you focus more accurately.
leica summicron-m 90mm f2
Code: SOOZI(screw mount, removable le lens head) SEOOF 11123(screw mount, built-in lens hood), S0OZI-M(bayonet), SEOOF-M or SEOOM 11123 (bayonet), ZOOEP 11133: lens head onl Serial#:1,119,001-n/a ly Total production: n/a Maximum aperture: 1: 2 Focal length(nominal): gomm Angle: 270 Minimum distance: 100cm Weight: 685 grams Filter: E48
In a world chasing featherweight primes, the 1969–1980 Leica Summicron 90mm f/2 “Big Head Nine” looms like a vintage Cadillac Eldorado—unapologetically massive, mechanically sublime, and dripping with analog charm. Priced between 500–500–1,200 (2025 USD), this 700g brass-and-glass titan proves that sometimes, bigger really is better. Think of it as the Marlon Brando of lenses: imposing, unforgettable, and utterly uncompromising.
Design: Swiss Watch Meets Steam Engine
Tactile Theatre
Hood Sorcery: The retractable hood deploys like a Rolls-Royce umbrella—each millimeter of travel dampened with Swiss-watch precision. Modern plastic hoods? Amateur hour.
Body: Polished chrome (silver) or vulcanite-clad brass (black)—dense as a Dickens novel, balanced like a Broadway diva.
Generational Quirks
V1 (Silver): A disco ball on your camera—blindingly gorgeous, blindingly reflective.
V2/V3 (Black): Chunky dual focus/aperture rings—like wearing two Rolexes on one wrist. Quirky? Yes. Stylish? Debatable.
Stopped Down: At f/5.6, microcontrast rivals Ansel Adams’ zone system—every eyelash, wrinkle, and stray hair sings.
The “Three Truths”
Focus Throw Zen: The long helical focus demands Cartier-Bresson-level patience—a meditative antidote to spray-and-pray culture.
Handheld Havoc: At 1/90s, it’s a sobriety test for your hands. Fail? Embrace the watercolor abstraction—call it impressionist mode.
Who Needs This Lens?
✓ Portrait Purists: Who believe soul > autofocus ✓ Nostalgia Alchemists: Turning leaden weight into golden imagery ✓ Contrarians: Who’d bench-press this lens for bragging rights
Avoid If: You shoot street, hike mountains, or think “vintage” means “eBay flip.”
Final Verdict: The Unapologetic Classic
The Big Head Nine isn’t a lens—it’s a statement. For the price of a weekend in Vienna, you gain:
A masterclass in Mandler-era optical sorcery
Proof that “impractical” often means “irreplaceable”
“A lens that whispers: ‘True character isn’t measured in grams, but in gravitas.’”
Pro Tips:
Tripod Love: Use it—your neck (and sanity) will thank you.
Film Pairing: Kodak Portra 160—its creamy palette harmonizes with the lens’ oil-painting bokeh.
Zen Mantra: “Slow is smooth, smooth is sharp.”
Epilogue: The Titan’s Whisper Leica’s Big Head Nine scoffs at trends, whispering: “Greatness isn’t measured in grams or gigapixels—it’s etched in brass.” Like a Tang dynasty ink painting, its beauty lies in bold strokes, not tiny details. Now go paint your masterpiece. 🖌️
