The wide-aperture 35mm lens is a favorite of many rangefinder shooters, and up until the release of the Zeiss Distagon T* 1,4/35 ZM ($2,290) there were only a couple of ways to go if you wanted a new, modern lens for your M-mount camera. The Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. ($5,150) is the gold standard in terms of reputation and size, but it comes with a gold standard price. Voigtlander's Nokton 35mm f/1.2 ($1,199) is an affordable alternative, but one that's a little bit larger and heavier than many would like. The Distagon T* rests somewhere in the middle, and is extremely sharp from edge to edge, even at f/1.4. If you value size above aperture, the Zeiss C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM ($749.00 at Amazon) is a svelte, budget-minded alternative—and an Editors' Choice winner—but it doesn't capture nearly as much light as the Distagon, which is just as deserving of Editors' Choice honors in its own right.

The Distagon ( at Amazon)  measures 2.6 by 2.5 inches, weighs 13.4 ounces, and uses 49mm front filters. It's not quite as compact as Leica's take on the 35mm f/1.4 (1.8 by 2.2 inches, 11.3 ounces), but it balances well on both film and digital M rangefinders. The lens is built well; the barrel is all metal, and there's no physical change in length as focus is adjusted. It's available in black or silver finish.

Like most rangefinder lenses, close focus is limited to 0.7-meter. It's a pure manual focus lens, the focus ring turns smoothly, with the proper amount of resistance, and small a protrusion lets you turn it with your finger. There's a printed depth of field scale with marks at f/4, f/8, f/11, and f/16, and a distance scale in both feet and meters. The aperture can be set from f/1.4 through f/16 in third-stop increments. You'll find a bayonet mount around the front element for a hood, but one is not included.

I used Imatest to check and see how the Distagon performs when paired with the 24-megapixel Leica M (Typ 240) ($2,969.00 at Amazon) . A center-weighted sharpness test netted a score of 2,432 lines per picture height at f/1.4, which is much crisper than the 1,800 lines we use to mark a photo as acceptably sharp. Most impressive is that the lens delivers very even performance across the entirety of the frame, even at f/1.4 it shows 2,364 lines. You'll have no issues capturing extremely crisp images with a shallow depth of field, no matter where in the frame your subject sits.

Detail improves as the aperture is narrowed. At f/2 the lens scores 2,913 lines, it improves to 3,521 lines at f/2.8, and it peaks around f/4 (3,837 lines) and f/5.6 (3,861 lines). Diffraction sets in at f/8 (3,429 lines), but you can feel comfortable shooting at f/11 (2,990 lines) and f/16 (2,400 lines) when the shot calls for it. Distortion is a complete nonissue—there is none. The Distagon is sharper than the smaller, less expensive Zeiss C Biogon 35mm at f/2.8 (2,955 lines), but when both lenses are set to f/5.6 the Distagon only shows a 100-line advantage. The C Biogon is a solid, budget alternative if you don't need to shoot at f/1.4 or f/2, and is extremely small and light (2.2 by 2 inches, 7.1 ounces).

We haven't had the opportunity to test the current version of the Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. in the labs yet, but I shot with the previous version (referred to as the pre-FLE version in most circles) for several years. My time with the Zeiss Distagon T* 1,4/35 ZM hasn't been as extensive, but it gives the Leica lens a serious run for its money in terms of quality. Leica's take on the lens is smaller and lighter, includes a lens hood, and may win in the ethereal area of character, but the Zeiss has plenty of character of its own. Given its price, build quality, and incredible sharpness, even at its widest aperture, the Distagon earns Editors' Choice honors. If you shoot with a rangefinder and are looking for a 35mm f/1.4 that won't put as huge of a dent in your budget as the Summilux, the Distagon is a fine way to go.

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