What are Leica Summilux lenses?

Leica Summilux lenses are some of the most desirable Leica lenses there are. According to the Leica name meanings, Summi comes from the latin “Summa” or summit, and lux is light. So it’s the height of light gathering. These are Leica’s fastest lenses at f/1.4.

ProsCons
Fast f/1.4 lensesMore expensive than Summicrons
Bulkier than Summicrons
Heavier than Summicrons
Leica Summilux pros & cons

Summicrons are some of the most popular Leica lenses that strike a balance between size, price and speed. The downside of Summilux lenses are their price and bulk. But if price is not an issue and you don’t mind the weight, the Summilux offers impossibly beautiful images at the f/1.4 speed.

What are Summilux lenses good for?

The best tool for the right purpose. While you can use any lens for shooting situations, the f/1.4 aperture speed afforded by the Summilux makes a great lens for portrait photography and night photography.

Even the widest Summilux can bokeh well and make great portraits. They are also great Leica lenses for street photography, landscapes and travel lenses. But the question will always be, is the extra speed afforded by the Summilux lenses worth the weight?

This is all about tradeoff. You do get beautiful f/1.4 but after hours with your camera in hand your hands might scream for a break. On the flip side…once you shoot the Summiluxes wide open, it’s often more than worth it.

Summilux Comparison table

Name21mm28mm35mm50mm90mm
Angle of view (diagonal, horizontal, vertical)92° / 81° / 59°75° / 65° / 46°63°, 54°, 37°47°, 40°, 27°27°/23°/15°
Number of lenses/groups:10 / 810 / 79 / 58 / 58 / 6
Focal length21.628mm35.6 mm51.6 mm90mm
Position of entrance pupil:24.4 mm31.9 mm16.6 mm25.7 mm27.2 mm
Focusing range0.7m – infinity0.7m – infinity0.7m – infinity0.7m – infinity1m – infinity
ScalesCombined meter/feet graduationCombined meter/feet graduationCombined meter/feet graduationCombined meter/feet graduationCombined meter/feet graduation
Smallest object field:685 x 1027 mm526 mm x 789 mm418 x 626 mm271 x 407 mm211 x 317 mm
Largest reproduction ratio:1:291:21.91:17.41:11.31:8.8
Setting/FunctionManual / Click-stops / half stopsManual / Click-stops / half stopsManual / Click-stops / half stopsManual / Click-stops / half stopsManual / Click-stops / half stops
Lowest value1616161616
BayonetM with 6 bit codingMM with 6 bit encodingMM
FilterSeries filter VIII in lens hoodE49E46E46E67
Lens hoodSeparate, screw-on typeSeparate, screw-on typeSeparate, screw-on typeSeparate, screw-on typeIntegrated
Length66 / 77 mm (without / with lens hood)81 mm / 67 mm (without / with lens hood)46 mm / 58 mm (without / with lens hood)52.5 mm91 mm / 102 mm (without/with extended lens hood)
Largest diameter69.5 mm61 mm56 mm53.5 mm74mm
Weight580 g440 g320 g335 g1010g

Summilux lenses available

More coming soon

Scroll to Top