What are Leica Summicron lenses?
Leica Summicrons are Leica lenses that sit between the Summilux and Elmarit lenses. Looking at the Leica name meanings, Summi comes from the latin “Summa” (or summit), and cron is for “chroma”. These are Leica’s f/2 maximum aperture line of lenses.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fast f/2 lenses | Not as fast as Summilux |
| Cheaper than Summilux | |
| Strikes a balance between price/size and speed |
When it comes to fast lenses, the Summilux line takes the cake with the f/1.4 aperture. But there is a downside to this speed: First these are much pricier than the Summicron and also generally heavier and bulkier. If you want the best Leica lenses that strike a balance between price, size and speed, theses are the most popular Leica lenses.
What are Summicron lenses good for?
The Summicrons are as good as Summilux lenses and the f/2 makes them still pretty fast lenses. The large aperture is makes them great Leica lenses for portrait photography. Night photography is possible too and with the wider angles, great Leica lenses for street photography and landscape photography.
With the more moderate focal lengths and usually lighter weight, they make better lenses for travel photography too. Most Leica photographers prefer the Summicron lenses above the Summilix lenses and willingly give up the faster apertures for smaller lenses.
Summilux Comparison table
| Information | 28mm (Info) | 35mm (Info) | 50mm (Info) | 75mm (Info) | 90mm (Info) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angle of view (diagonal, horizontal, vertical) | 74°/65°/46° | 63°/54°/38° | 47° / 40° / 27° | 32° / 27° / 18° | 27° / 23° / 15° |
| Number of lenses/groups: | 9 / 6 | 7 / 5 | 8 / 5 | 7 / 5 | 5 / 5 |
| Focal length | 28mm | 35mm | 50mm | 74.98mm | 90.9mm |
| Position of entrance pupil: | 23.3mm | 18.4mm | 24.4mm | 30.1mm | 48.6mm |
| Focusing range | 0.7m – infinity | 0.7m – infinity | 0.7m – infinity | 0.7m – infinity | 1m – infinity |
| Scales | Combined meter/feet increments | Combined meter/feet increments | Combined meter/graduation | Combined meter/ feet increments | Combined meter/ feet increments |
| Smallest object field: | 526 x 789 mm | 420 x 630 mm | 271 x 407 mm | 169 x 254mm | 2020 x 330mm |
| Largest reproduction ratio: | 1:21.9 | 1:17.4 | 1:11.3 | 1:7 | 1:9 |
| Setting/Function | Manual / Click-stops / half stops | Manual / Click-stops / half stops | Manual / Click-stops / half stops | Manual / Click-stops / half stops | Manual / Click-stops / half stops |
| Lowest value | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Bayonet | M | M | M | M | M |
| Filter | E46 | E39 | E39 | E49 | E55 |
| Lens hood | Separate, screw-on type, Supplied | Separate, screw-on type, Supplied | Built-in, extend by rotating | Built-in, telescopic, lockable | Built-in, telescopic |
| Length | 41.4mm / 54mm (without / with lens hood) | 35.7/54.4mm (without / with lens hood) | 47mm | 66.8mm | 78mm |
| Largest diameter | 61 mm | 53 mm | 53 mm | 58 mm | 64 mm |
| Weight | 440 g | 252 g | 300 g | 430 g | 500 g |
Which Summicron lens should you get?
If you only had one Summicron to get, the Summicron 35mm f/2 is the most desirable as it is a focal length that is perfect for anything that you throw at it from Landscapes to portraits.
Summicron lenses available
- Leica Summicron 28mm f2
- Leica Summicron 35mm f2
- Leica Summicron 50mm f2
- Leica Summicron 75mm f2
- Leica Summicron 90mm f2
Looking for other Summicrons? Check out the Leica lens list database that allows you to see the year and serial numbers since 1933.
Read more:
Leica lenses > Summilux lenses | Summicron lenses | Elmarit Lenses
Leica lens serial numbers