Looking to travel with your camera? Here is the list of the best Leica lenses for travel photography, all handpicked with sample images.
Hi, my name is Sven the Leicaphile and if you are looking to travel with your camera you will need a lens that is good for multiple genres, fast and compact. Here’s a list of 7 of the best Leica lenses for travel photography that fit the bill.
Best Leica lenses for travel photography list
| Name | Focal length | Max aperture | Get it here: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Leica Summicron 35mm f/2 | 35mm | f/2 | Check Price |
| 2. Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 | 35mm | f/1.4 | Check Price |
| 3. Leica Summicron 50mm f/2 | 50mm | f/2 | Check Price |
| 4. Leica Summilux 50mm f/1.4 | 50mm | f/1.4 | Check Price |
| 5. Leica Tri-Elmar 16-18-21mm f/4 | 16-18-21mm | f/4 | Check Price |
| 6. Leica Summicron 28mm f/2 | 28mm | f/2 | Check Price |
| 7. Leica Summicron 90mm f/2 | 90mm | f/2 | Check Price |
Now that we’ve seen the overview, here’s why each lens deserves to be in the list of the best Leica lenses for travel photography
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Perfect focal length + Small + Sharp + Fast | – None |
Let’s start our list of the best Leica lenses for travel photography with the 35 Cron. When it comes to travel photography simplicity rules. You could dump all of your lenses in a Leica camera bag, but then it would be a drag to lug around. There’s a lot of walking around involved when traveling and having just one lens if the best approach.
After a few hours in the streets, you’ll be glad with the lack of bulk. That’s why the first choice is a 35mm. This focal length is adored by many for being the best of both wide angle and telephoto worlds. Take a few steps back and you can do great urban landscapes, take a few steps closer and it’s great for portraits.
That f2 speed is great for low light and night photography as most travels often lead to. This lens is small enough to keep with you all day and not have to break a sweat. It’s sharp like no tomorrow and does beautiful Bokeh.
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Sharp + Even faster + Great focal length | – Bigger and more expensive then Summicron |
In most of our Leica lenses, Summilux lenses usually come first for that extra stop of light. When it comes to Leica lenses for travel this takes the second place of our list of the best Leica lenses for travel photography because it’s a tad bulkier then the Summicron and more expensive.
It’s not THAT larger so it’s really that much of an but when traveling, you really want to lightest kit possible. For that extra stop of light you get even better bokeh and low light capabilities.
The fast apertures really come alive when doing some food shots.
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| + More comfortable focal length for some + Sharp + Speedy | – Larger then 35mms |
Next on our list of the best Leica lenses for travel photography is the 50mm Cron. I’m a big fan of 35mms because they allow you to do everything. But that is subjective, some simply prefer their nifty 50, so if that is you the first choice as a Leica travel lens is the Summicron 50mm.
The Summicrons have a balance of price / speed and weight going for them that is why this list of the best Leica lenses for travel photography puts them first for each focal length. Compared to the Summilux it is lighter and cheaper too.
The 50mm is more approachable then wider focal lengths and it is razor sharp with some dazzling Bokeh to boot.
The Bokeh coming out of this lens is really creamy as you can see the background fading in th e shot below.
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| +Stunning Bokeh + Sharp as a knife | – Bulkier than Summicron |
If you want the best 50mm this is it. It is however bulkier then the 50mm so it’s up to you to decide if that extra stop of light is worth it. The 50mm offers a more intimate travel photography experience as it allows for your subjects to be bigger in the frame compared to a wide angle.
As you can guess the 1.4 and focal length will allow you to shoot creamy Bokehlicious portraits to people that are ok with their portraits made.
5. Leica Tri-Elmar 16-18-21mm f/4
For the traveling urban landscape shooters and street photographers
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| + 3 lenses in one + Convenient for travel + Sharp | – Only for a select few – Needs viewfinder (included) – Slow |
This lens will not be for everybody. But for those who don’t mind a tripod at night, or loves street photography while they are abroad, this is one heack of a lens that offers 3 wide angle lenses in one. This is the closest you will ever come to having a zoom on a Leica.
The downside is the f4 aperture but that is a non issue for urban landscape enthusiasts, those who love to do light trails and street photographers.
The real downside here is that no Leica supports 21mm and above framelines out of the box so you will have to put an extra accessory to shoot this. It is included and it will give you the 3 frame lines needed, or you could use the Visoflex Leica accessory.
6. Leica Summicron 28mm f/2
One of the best Leica lenses for travel photography for wide angle lovers
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Great focal length + Fast f2 + Compact & Light | – Might be too wide for some |
Part of Travel photography is also spending time walking in the streets, hence this is one of the best Leica lenses for travel photography if you like to shoot wide angle street.
Small and compact it doesn’t weight too much so you can walk all day with this baby glued to your camera and walk all day. It’s well loved with it’s fast f2, so it it is great for those low light scenes you might find in your travels.
It is great to showcase the sweeping vistas you can encounter or the occasional landscape.
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Most beautiful Bokeh + Great for portraits mostly + Stealthy | – Large lens |
The final choice for our list of the best Leica lenses for travel photography is the Summicron 90mm. At that focal length and at that speed, you can bet that the Bokeh is something to behold, especially considering that you can shoot as close as 3.3 feet or 1 m. But more importantly what this does is allow you to have some degree of stealth in your travels.
You do not need to be THAT close with telephoto lenses so you can shoot some pretty outstanding travel imagery while not being right in front of your subject. This is great if you do not like to disturb the scene too much.
Unfortunately this lens is on the heavy side at 1.1 lb or 500 g, but this comes with the territory. This lens also has two glass elements that practically eliminate color fringing and chromatic aberration that usually plague other lenses.
The lens is super sharp, making many subjects pop out like 3D making images of striking clarity and color.
Conclusion
I hope you liked this article about the best Leica lenses for travel photography. The best Leica travel lens is the Summicron 35mm f/2. Small, portable with a not-too-hot, not-too-cold focal length that will manage all of the photos that may come your way. The faster Summilux 35 is just as good and it is of course faster. If you are more comfortable with longer focal lengths then the Summicron 50mm and Summilux 50mm. If you are not much into wide angles, get both the Summicron 28mm and 90mm and change as needed. Happy travels!