The Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH. ($4,495) is the first major update to one of the oldest lenses in the M rangefinder lineup, the original of which came out in 2004. Leica doesn't make too many changes here, just minor tweaks to the optical formula to support a closer minimum focus distance, a different set of aperture blades, and a shorter barrel. Images show some false color, however, a flaw that's especially noticeable on the latest high-pixel M rangefinders. We appreciate the character and clarity of the Summilux's images enough to recommend it, but the APO-Summicron-M 50mm F2 ASPH. ($9,095) remains our Editors' Choice winner for standard M rangefinder primes thanks to its clinically perfect rendition, albeit for around twice the price.

A Squat 50mm F/1.4

Like most M-mount lenses, the Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH. is smaller than its counterparts on competing systems because of its purely mechanical design. In other words, it doesn't include any of the electronic or image stabilization components that make autofocus lenses larger. By the numbers, the Summilux-M measures a mere 2.3 by 2.3 inches (HD) and weighs 13.3 ounces. It's a smidgen heavy for its size, but undercuts the Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM (3.8 by 3.2 inches, 1.1 pounds) in every way, an optic I consider small for its type.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH organizes its eight optical elements into five groups and houses everything in an aluminum barrel. Leica sent me the version with a black anodized finish for testing, but a silver chrome edition is available for $300 more.

The lens hood carries over from the original, as does support for 46mm threaded filters. The hood is easy to extend or retract with a twist action. Either way, it slightly blocks the view of the 50mm frame lines in a viewfinder. More specifically, it cuts off the bottom right corner when you focus to infinity, nearly butting into the inlaid 75mm frame with the M11-P and other 0.73x magnification models.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Some finder blockage is typical with a bright rangefinder lens, and others like the Zeiss Distagon T* 1,4/35 ZM are worse offenders. If finder blockage bothers you, look for a smaller lens. I've not tested it, but the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.5 Aspherical II MC ($949) qualifies. It's just 1.5 inches tall, so it shouldn't interfere with the 50mm frame lines.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

To say the lens is short on bells and whistles would be putting it lightly. It omits autofocus and electronic aperture control components as mentioned, but also skips weather protection. However, Leica seals its digital rangefinders well enough that you can use them alongside lenses without o-ring gaskets on gray days. The lens does include a 6-bit code on the mount, a simple set of white and black dots that digital M cameras use to add focal length EXIF data to images.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

There are scores of alternative 50mm F1.4 M-mount lenses from which to choose, especially since the fully mechanical M mount is backward compatible with lenses from the 1950s. It's out of scope to dive into all the vintage options here, but both Voigtlander and Zeiss sell contemporary mid-tier options that are mechanically sound and perform well optically. Budget brands like TTArtisan and 7artisans also have viable alternatives. The TTArtisan M-mount 50mm F1.4, for example, evokes the exterior design of the Summilux and costs a lot less at $369.

Focuses Closer Than Before

The Summilux-M 50mm has discrete rings to set the focus and the aperture. The aperture ring is typical for Leica. It sits just behind the lens hood on the barrel and goes from f/1.4 to f/16 in half-stop increments. Many third-party lenses, including those from Voigtlander and Zeiss, support third-stop precision, though I don't consider that a huge issue in practice.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The manual focus ring is mid-barrel. The Summilux-M is rangefinder coupled for focus, which means you can confirm focus through the optical viewfinder, at least to a point. Most M cameras have a minimum focus distance of just 27.6 inches (0.7m) since parallax and the limitations of the rangefinder mechanism preclude closer through-the-viewfinder focus and framing.

The Summilux-M focuses closer though, down to 17.7 inches (0.45m). You need to use your camera's rear display or attach an electronic viewfinder to an M camera to check framing and focus in that distance range, or simply use the lens with a mirrorless camera via an adapter. The focus ring includes a soft detent at the 0.7m focus point, so you will feel a slight catch as you move into or out of the close focus range. This close-focusing ability continues a trend Leica started with the Summilux-M 35mm F1.4 ASPH. and Summicron-M 28mm F2.0 ASPH. ($5,295).

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The closer focus distance is the biggest practical advantage over the previous edition and a compelling reason to upgrade for owners of an M camera with live view. Live view debuted with 2012's Typ 240 and has been on most models since then, except the screenless M-D (Typ 262). The older M8 and M9 generations omit live view entirely, as do 35mm film cameras. You can still focus close with those cameras if you use the Summilux, but you will need to rely on the painted distance scales on the barrel to gauge the plane of focus.

Focus breathing is a concern if you plan to use the lens for video projects since the optics show a noticeably narrower angle at close distances. That said, the focus ring is an even greater deterrent since its indented finger rest prevents you from attaching the teeth for a geared follow focus. You aren't totally out of luck if you want to pull focus with this lens, however. The Leitz Cine M 0.8 edition, based on the 2004 optical formula, is still available at retail for around $9,000. It swaps the finger rest for focus gears and retains rangefinder-coupled focus.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The closer focus nearly doubles the magnification level compared with the previous version of the lens, but I still wouldn't turn to it for macro work. It projects subjects at 1:6.4 life-size at its minimum distance, better than the earlier edition's results at 0.7m (1:11.3). Macro lenses are not the forte of rangefinders, so you're better off using an adapted SLR lens and an EVF if you want to get really close with a digital M. If your mind is set on using an M lens for macro, pairing the Macro-Elmar 90mm F4 ($4,095) with the Macro-Adapter-M ($790) produces 1:2 results.

Summilux-M 50mm F1.4: In the Lab

I tested the Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH. with a Sony a7R IV via a lens adapter rather than with the Leica M11-P since I couldn't perfectly focus on my test chart with the Leica's rear display. Its Imatest scores are underwhelming, but not because the lens isn't sharp—the field curvature of the optics prevents it from getting the entirety of the test chart in focus at the short distance necessary for proper framing. Because the test chart is flat, the curved field of focus results in poor sharpness away from the point of focus.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

At f/1.4, the lens shows nearly ideal resolution at its center (5,200 lines), with lower numbers just off-center and at the edges. I see a similarly soft average score at f/2 (2,700 lines), though this performance doesn't line up with real-world results. Narrowing the aperture further increases the depth of field enough to overcome the curved field of focus. At f/5.6-8, images show 4,000-4,500 lines in the outer parts of the frame. The lens continues to deliver excellent results at f/11 (4,500 lines on average), but the score drops off at the minimum f/16 aperture (3,300 lines). Although I never found the original 50mm Lux ASPH. lacking for sharpness, Leica says that the optical changes for this version improve resolution on high-pixel cameras like the M11-P and a7R IV.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Wide-aperture photography captures a sliver of the world in focus, which means the periphery will be all bokeh in many cases. For landscapes and other distant subjects, setting the lens to f/2.8-8 maximizes the detail across the frame. In testing, I noted a softer rendering when I used the lens at f/1.4 at its nearest focus distance. Although it's difficult to discern whether that's an effect of depth of field or the optics, you should probably stop down a little for the clearest close-focus photos. Remember that the shallow depth of field effect is most prominent when you focus close versus at a distance.

Landscape photogs looking for sunstars can stop down to the f/11-16 range. At those settings, small specular highlights render as 22-point starbursts.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I see some optical issues at the maximum aperture unrelated to sharpness. Edges and corners are darker than the center from f/1.4-2, which means images have a natural vignette. I also observe noticeable longitudinal chromatic aberration (LoCA) in transitional areas at the plane of focus. This effect results in false purple and green color and is difficult to remove with photo editing software. It is a situational concern—I spot it in photos with bare tree branches that are just slightly behind the plane of focus and around bright objects like light reflecting off metal. The effect is also something to watch out for when you make portraits with a depth of field so shallow that your subject is not entirely in focus.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The false color is a concern for photographers who take images that are prone to the effect. Although many premium lenses also show LoCA to some degree, it's disappointing that Leica did not better correct the optics for it this time around. Turn to the APO-Summicron 50mm F2 to completely avoid LoCA or stop down the Summilux to f/2 to reduce false color to a negligible level.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Lateral chromatic aberration, an effect that typically shows as purple fringing around high-contrast areas, isn't a problem with this lens. Likewise, the optics don't show distortion. Lines that are straight in the real world appear straight in images. The lens handles flare well, too. It holds contrast against backlit subjects, and the hood prevents off-angle light from hitting the front element.

As for bokeh, the lens draws shallow backgrounds readily at its brighter f-stops. Situational false color aside, the character of the Summilux's bokeh is just as lovely as its predecessor. At wide-open settings, defocused highlights show soft edges without any ugly internal texture and just a slight cat's eye effect near the edges and corners of the frame. The look of F1.4 photos is indistinguishable from the previous edition based on my experience of using the 2004 Summilux for the past decade.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

That said, the two versions show differences at narrower apertures. The updated edition uses an 11-blade aperture, whereas the previous has a 9-blade diaphragm. The prior edition draws distinctive polygons at f/2.8-4 with defined edges, a shape many colloquially refer to as ninja star bokeh. The 11 blades of the latest version lessen the effect. You can see the difference in the sample crops below; I took both images at f/2.8 with the M11-P.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Which looks better is a matter of aesthetic preference. However, the updated version doesn't draw perfectly circular highlights, so its rendering feels slightly lacking. I prefer a lens that either commits to a vintage, character-rich look, or one with more neutral backgrounds and soft, rounded bokeh. The remake of the 1960s Noctilux-M 50mm F1.2 ASPH. is more successful in the former, while the APO-Summicron is a perfect example of the latter approach. The Summilux tries to live in both worlds and suffers for it.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A Welcome Update, But Not Perfect

After nearly twenty years, we finally have an update to the Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH. Leica doesn't make too many changes for this edition, slightly modifying the optical formula to support close-up focus and cleaner backgrounds (at the expense of some character). These rather modest changes mean that photographers who love the look of the earlier lens can upgrade to the 0.45m focus option without too much thought, but we wish Leica did more to control LoCA given the tendency of the pixel-rich M11 bodies to show that effect. We won't pretend that the Editors' Choice-winning APO-Summicron 50mm F2 is a sensible purchase at roughly double the cost, but its superior optics give it a clear advantage for people with the budget to invest in Leica gear.