In Leica’s constellation of 50mm lenses, the Summicron-M 50mm f/2 v4 (1979–present) shines as Polaris—unchanging, reliable, and eternally luminous. Designed by the legendary Walter Mandler in 1979 and still in production today, this 240g aluminum oracle blends Bauhaus pragmatism with optical sorcery. Priced at 1,800–1,800–2,500 (used), it’s the “gateway drug” to Leica addiction—and often the final destination.
Born in 1972, the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 II Pre-ASPH is a lens that defies modern optics’ obsession with perfection. This 245g aluminum relic—discontinued in 1993—doesn’t just capture light; it interprets it through a veil of chromatic whispers and mechanical poetry. At 2,500–2,500–4,000 (used), it’s not a tool, but a collaborator in crafting visual sonnets.
Born in 1959 as Leica’s answer to postwar optimism, the Summilux 50mm f/1.4 v1 (E43) straddles eras like Berlin’s fractured Wall. Its 7-element design—an evolution of the Summarit f/1.5’s dreamy haze—offers photographers a foot in two worlds: the romantic swirl of 1950s optics and the crisp demands of modern film stocks. At 1,200–1,200–1,800 (well-loved), it whispers, “Character over clinical perfection.”
In the 1990s, when brick-sized zoom compacts ruled the streets, the Leica Mini 3 slipped into the scene like a stealthy haiku—small, poetic, and disarmingly brilliant. Priced between 400–400–800 (2024 USD) today, this 180g plastic-and-glass gem is the Mini Cooper of film cameras: unpretentious, joyful, and engineered for spontaneity. Forget clunky SLRs—this is photography’s answer to a perfectly folded origami crane.
In 1925, a tiny collapsible lens named Elmar 50mm f/3.5 sprouted from Ernst Leitz’s workshop, fertilizing the soil for Leica’s global reign. Weighing less than a bar of Swiss chocolate (120g) and priced today between 400–400–1,200 (2025 USD), this “optical bonsai” remains the DNA of every Leica M lens. Think of it as the Model T Ford of photography—humble, revolutionary, and timeless.
Leica Elmar 50mm f/3.5 (5cm/3.5)Leica Elmar 50mm f/3.5 (5cm/3.5)Leica Elmar 50mm f/3.5 (5cm/3.5)Leica Elmar 50mm f/3.5 (5cm/3.5)Leica Elmar 50mm f/3.5 (5cm/3.5)
Design: Swiss Watchmaker’s Muse
Collapsible Sorcery
Body: Brass cloaked in nickel-chrome—durable as a cast-iron skillet, elegant as a Tiffany pendant. Collapses into your M-body like a telescope retreating into its casing.
Aperture Ring: Turns with the tactile snick of a vintage lighter—each click a haptic love letter to 1920s craftsmanship. （The m-mount version is exclusive, the l39 one is not）
Max Berek’s Legacy
The Einstein of optics, Berek hand-calculated this lens’ design without computers—a feat akin to baking a soufflé with a campfire.
Chinese Proverb Footnote:“老骥伏枥，志在千里” (“An old steed in the stable still dreams of galloping 1,000 miles”) A nod to how this 100-year-old design outpaces modern glass in charm.
Stopped Down: By f/8, it matches modern lenses’ sharpness while retaining the warmth of a vinyl record.
Film vs Digital: Two Eras, One Soul
Film Romance
On Tri-X @400, it channels Ansel Adams’ zone system—midtones sing, highlights glow like moonlight on snow.
Digital Alchemy
On a Leica M11, dial up clarity +15 to mimic its film-era bite. Disable profiles—let its golden flaws dance.
The “Three Delights”
Portability: Fits in a jeans pocket—street photography’s ultimate stealth weapon.
B&W Mastery: Microcontrast so rich, you’ll swear Ansel Adams ghostwrote your shots.
Flare as Flavor: Backlighting paints Impressionist halos—call it “free Instagram filter.”
Who Needs This Lens?
✓ Minimalist Nomads: Who believe less gear = more vision ✓ History Buffs: Collecting tangible fragments of photography’s dawn ✓ Analog Purists: Who’d choose a typewriter over ChatGPT
Avoid If: You shoot sports, crave bokeh orgies, or think “vintage” means “obsolete.”
Final Verdict: The Eternal Underdog
The Elmar 50mm f/3.5 is photography’s comfort food—humble, nourishing, and endlessly satisfying. For the price of a weekend in Napa Valley, you gain:
A working museum piece that still outshines modern rivals in joy-per-ounce
Proof that “progress” isn’t always better—just louder
Permission to fall in love with photography all over again
“A lens that whispers: ‘True greatness fits in the palm of your hand.’”
Pro Tips:
Flare Hack: Shoot into the sun—its uncoated glow paints Renaissance halos.
Film Pairing: Ilford FP4+ @125—Citizen Kane gravitas on a budget.
Digital Zen: Add +20 grain in Lightroom—flaws become features.
Epilogue: The Little Lens That Could In an age of gargantuan f/1.2 monsters, the Elmar 50mm f/3.5 remains stubbornly, gloriously small. It’s a brass-clad rebuttal to excess, whispering: “You don’t need muscle to move mountains—just vision.” As Bresson might say, it’s not the arrow—it’s the archer. Now go shoot something timeless.
Leica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar with black & white filmLeica 5cm 3.5 Elmar + m3Leica 5cm 3.5 Elmar + m3Leica 5cm 3.5 Elmar + m3Leica 5cm 3.5 Elmar + m3
In a world of orchestral SLRs and pixel-perfect symphonies, the Leica Z2X hums along like a forgotten jazz standard—unpretentious, effortless, and steeped in analog soul. Priced between 300–300–600 (2024 USD), this 250g plastic-and-glass relic is the paperback novel of film cameras: lightweight, understated, and surprisingly profound. Think of it as the companion you’d find in a dimly lit café, scribbling haikus while sipping lukewarm coffee.
Body: Curved plastic in black, silver, or “Jaguar Green”—sleeker than a ’90s Nokia, lighter than a croissant. Slides into a jacket pocket like a love letter you’ll never send.
Buttons: Four controls—power, zoom, shutter, mode. Simplicity so pure, it feels like a Zen koan.
The Leica Touch
Lens: 35-70mm f/4.5-6.5 Vario-Elmar—German-engineered glass wrapped in Japanese pragmatism.
Flash Ritual: Press the mode button seven times to kill the flash—a secret handshake for purists.
Optical Alchemy: Warmth in a Plastic Shell
Aspect
Leica Z2X
Contax TVS III
Sharpness
Hemingway’s prose—direct yet forgiving
Spreadsheet precision
Color Rendering
Honey-drizzled toast at sunrise
Lab-calibrated RGB
Stealth Factor
Cat padding through a library
Fireworks at a funeral
Soul
🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷
🎻
35mm Wide: Captures street scenes like a haiku—brief, vivid, lingering.
70mm Zoom: Tightens frames like a noir novelist trimming adjectives.
The “Three Rituals”
Morning Coffee: Load Kodak Gold 200, power on, and let the Z2X’s autofocus hum to life—a meditation before the first sip.
Golden Hour: Shoot without flash, trusting the Vario-Elmar to paint light like a Tang dynasty ink wash.
Chinese Proverb Footnote:“大道至简” (“The greatest truths are the simplest”) A nod to how this plastic marvel channels Leica’s ethos through minimalist design.
Film vs Digital: Analog’s Quiet Rebellion
Film Romance: On Fuji Superia 400, it’s Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas meets a Polaroid found in a thrift shop—grainy, warm, and unapologetically flawed.
Flashback Fuel: The Z2X feels like a mixtape from your first road trip—nostalgic, slightly scratchy, and irreplaceable.
Who Needs This Camera?
✓ Jazz Soloists: Who prefer improvisation over sheet music ✓ Minimalist Nomads: Seeking “less gear, more life” in a Fuji-dominated world ✓ Contrarians: Who’d choose a vinyl crackle over Spotify’s silence
Avoid If: You crave manual controls, pixel-peep, or think “plastic” means “cheap.”
Final Verdict: The Sparrow’s Song
The Z2X isn’t just a camera—it’s a quiet revolution. For the price of a weekend in Prague, you gain:
A passport to ’90s analog nostalgia
Proof that “simple” and “soulful” aren’t mutually exclusive
“A camera that whispers: ‘Sometimes, the simplest melody holds the deepest truth.’”
Pro Tips:
Battery Hack: Use lithium CR2—avoid the dreaded mid-roll blackout.
Film Pairing: Kodak Portra 160—its pastel palette harmonizes with the Z2X’s golden-hour glow.
Zen Mantra: “The best camera is the one you forget you’re carrying.”
Epilogue: The Blue-and-White Whisper Leica’s Z2X scoffs at modern gigapixel arms races, whispering: “True artistry thrives in simplicity.” Like the delicate elegance of a plum blossom in winter (寒梅傲雪), its beauty lies in its understated grace—a silent challenge to extravagance. Now slip it into your pocket and chase light, one unplanned frame at a time. 📸
Fuji Neopan ACROS 100 is like the James Bond of black-and-white films—smooth, refined, and always reliable. Its fine grain is its standout feature, making it a favorite among photographers who crave detail and clarity. While I personally use ISO 100 films more for shooting wide open than chasing grain perfection, I can’t deny that ACROS 100 delivers a level of smoothness that’s hard to beat in its price range.
That said, let’s be real: if you’re a grain-obsessed perfectionist, you’re probably already shooting 120 film. Let’s face it, 135 can’t compete with the sheer resolution of medium format. But for those of us shooting 35mm or even half-frame cameras, ACROS 100’s fine grain holds up beautifully under enlargement. It’s like the film equivalent of a high-definition TV—crisp, clear, and easy on the eyes.
In an age of disposable gadgets, the 1956–1968 Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Rigid and its sibling, the Dual Range (DR), stand like a Stradivarius in a world of plastic ukuleles. Priced between 800–800–1,500 (2025 USD), these brass-and-glass marvels are the Audrey Hepburn of lenses—elegant, precise, and eternally chic. Born when engineers were artists and aluminum was heresy, they remain the gold standard for mechanical perfection.
Aperture Click: Rotating the aperture ring feels like winding a Patek Philippe—each click resonates with Swiss precision. Modern lenses? They clunk like subway turnstiles.
All-Metal Alchemy: Machined brass, weighing 240g—dense as a Hemingway novel, balanced as a ballet dancer.
Dual Range’s Party Trick
Macro Magic: Attach the “goggles” (a clip-on viewfinder), and focus down to 19 inches—like turning a sports car into a moon rover. Purists scoff, but portraitists swoon.
Optical Scripture: The lanthanum Glass Revolution
Aspect
Summicron Rigid/DR
Modern APO-Summicron
Sharpness
A scalpel slicing moonlight
Laser-etched titanium
Contrast
Chiaroscuro of a Caravaggio painting
Instagram filter
Bokeh
Silk sheets rumpled by jazz
Polyester pillowcases
Build Quality
Rolls-Royce Phantom
Tesla Model S
lanthanum Glass: Leica’s 1950s breakthrough—lanthanum oxide lenses boosted refractive index without the ick of radioactivity. Think of it as swapping leaded gasoline for electric batteries, but with more soul.
Flare Note: Wide-open backlighting? On film, it’s a soft halo—angelic. On digital, it’s a Instagram “vintage” preset. Embrace it.
IV. Generational Wars: Rigid vs DR
The Purist’s Choice (Rigid)
Simplicity as a virtue. No goggles, no fuss—just a zen monk’s focus on essentials.
The Tinkerer’s Toy (DR)
Macro mode: Perfect for photographing wedding rings or a butterfly’s eyelash. Rarely used, always admired.
Shared DNA
Same optics, same soul. Choosing between them is like debating espresso vs cappuccino—both caffeinate your creativity.
The “Four Firsts” Legacy
First lanthanum Glass Lens: Ditching toxic thorium for lanthanum—Leica’s “green” revolution before green was cool.
First Computer-Designed Optics: 1950s IBM brainpower meets German engineering.
First True “Rigid” Build: No collapsing nonsense—this lens scoffs at fragility.
Most Cloned Design: Imitated by Cosina, worshipped by collectors.
Shooting Experience: Time Capsule in Your Hands
Film Love Affair
Tri-X @400 + Rigid = Cartier-Bresson’s ghost nodding approval. The lanthanum glass renders grain like stardust.
Digital Renaissance
On a Leica M11, microcontrast pops like a Wes Anderson palette. Tip: Add +10 “texture” in Lightroom to mimic its film-era bite.
The Chinese Proverb Footnote“青出于蓝而胜于蓝” (“Indigo blue is born from green, yet surpasses it”) A nod to how the Rigid, born from 1950s tech, still outclasses modern rivals.
Who Needs This Lens?
✓ Analog Aristocrats: Who polish their M3s with unicorn tears ✓ Minimalist Philosophers: Believing “less is more” (and proving it) ✓ History Buffs: Who geek over Cold War-era innovation
Avoid If: You need autofocus or think “vintage” means “obsolete.”
Final Verdict: The Unkillable Classic
The Rigid/DR is photography’s little black dress—always appropriate, never outdated. For the price of a Rolex Oyster, you gain:
A masterclass in pre-CGI engineering
Proof that “they don’t make ’em like they used to” isn’t nostalgia—it’s fact
Bragging rights at any camera club (“Yes, mine has the original box”)
“A lens that whispers: ‘Timeless craftsmanship never goes out of style.’”
Pro Tips:
Flare Fix: Use a hood from a 12585H—it’s like sunscreen for your lens.
DR Hack: Remove the goggles for a stealthy Rigid clone.
Collector Note: Black paint versions fetch prices akin to Picasso doodles.
Epilogue: The Eternal Rigid Leica keeps reissuing lenses like Hollywood reboots classics, but the Rigid remains stubbornly 1956. In a world chasing pixels-per-dollar, this lens is a brass-knuckled reminder: true greatness isn’t upgraded—it’s revered. As Cartier-Bresson might say, “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept.” The Rigid? It’s sharpness with a soul. Now go shoot something timeless.
In 1934, Zeiss launched the Sonnar 50mm f/1.5. Leica, never one to back down, countered with the Summarit-M 50mm f/1.5 in 1936—a lens designed by Schneider Kreuznach, polished to madness, and wrapped in a 15-blade aperture (a feat rarer than a unicorn at a rodeo). Priced between 2,00–2,00–2,000 (2025 USD) depending on condition, this brass-and-glass rebel divides photographers like a Beatles vs. Stones debate. Love it or hate it? There’s no middle ground.
leica 5cm f/1.5 summarit + leica m3 + Black and white film
Design: Vintage Porsche Meets Jazz Club
Built Like a Tank, Polished Like a Steinway
M-Mount Royalty: Early M3-era models boast Swiss-watch precision, while L39 versions feel like garage-band prototypes.
Aperture Wizardry: 15 blades create bokeh smoother than a Miles Davis trumpet solo.
Generational Quirks
First Gen (1949–1960s): “Fixed aperture scale” models—collector’s crack cocaine.
Second Gen: Rotating aperture ring, less fogging (but still prone to fungal drama).
Optics: Impressionist Painting Meets Noir Film
Aspect
Summarit 50mm f/1.5
Modern Summilux 50mm f/1.4
Sharpness
Bob Ross’ “Happy Accidents”
Navy SEAL sniper
Contrast
Earl Grey tea with a splash of milk
Espresso shot
Bokeh
Van Gogh’s Starry Night
Apple product renders
Soul
Jazz improv at 3 AM
Symphonic sheet music
The “Three Insanities”
Chaos at f/1.5
Shoot wide open, and it’s like attaching a Tiffany lamp to your camera—glowy, dreamy, and utterly unpredictable. Miss focus? Call it “art.”
Zen at f/2.8
By f/2.8, it morphs into a Leica Summicron—sharp as a samurai sword, but with a lingering whisper of madness in the corners.
Black & White Alchemy
Pair it with Tri-X film or a CCD sensor (Leica M8/M9), and you’ll channel Ansel Adams crossed with a Tang dynasty ink painter.
Chinese Proverb Footnote:“别人笑我太疯癫，我笑别人看不穿” (“They laugh at my madness; I laugh at their blindness”—a toast to unconventional beauty*)
V. Street Photography: Pool Hall Hustler
Blind Shooting: At f/1.5, zone focus like you’re sinking an 8-ball shot—half skill, half luck.
CCD Love Affair: The M8’s sensor + this lens = Kodachrome meets a Wes Anderson film.
Who Should Buy This?
✓ Jazz Musicians with Cameras: Embrace chaos as your muse ✓ Film Noir Addicts: Chase shadows, not sharpness ✓ Contrarians: Who’d rather drink absinthe than IPA
Avoid If: You shoot weddings, pixel-peep, or fear surprises.
Final Verdict: The Beautiful Misfit
The Summarit 50mm f/1.5 is photography’s answer to a vintage vinyl record—crackles included. For the price of a bespoke suit, you get:
A time machine to 1950s Mad Men aesthetics
Proof that “flaws” can outshine perfection
Permission to laugh at technical charts
Rating: 🎷🎷🎷🎷🤍 (for jazz souls) | 📊📊🤍🤍🤍 (for lab-test warriors)
“A lens that whispers: ‘Perfection is overrated—let’s dance in the rain.’”
Pro Tips:
Fight the Fog: Store with silica gel—it’s fussier than a Parisian sommelier.
Film Pairing: Ilford HP5+ @1600—grain hugs the glow.
Digital Hack: Add +20 clarity in Lightroom to mimic 1960s press photography.
Epilogue: The Legacy of Madness Leica’s Summarit 50mm f/1.5 is the NBA’s “Pistol Pete” Maravich of lenses—unpredictable, flamboyant, and utterly unforgettable. Modern Summilux lenses may rule the charts, but this granddaddy whispers: “You don’t take photos—you conduct light.” As the Chinese proverb goes, true artistry often hides in the cracks of convention. Shoot wide open, embrace the chaos, and let the world call you mad.
