Leica Announces Summicron-SL 35 f/2 ASPH and Leica Summicron-SL 50 f/2 ASPH Lenses
Leica has introduced two new full-frame L-Mount lenses for the SL-System. The Leica Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH and Leica Summicron-SL 50mm f/2 ASPH join the already impressive lineup of SL glass, providing SL users with extra options in the two most used focal lengths. The new lenses do not replace the already excellent APO-Summicron-SL 35 and 50mm lenses. Rather, they provide far lighter and more compact alternatives with a more classic rendering.
Both standard focal lengths are characterized by particularly compact dimensions and low weight. At the same time, they impress with their high speed and the famous Summicron look with a very shallow depth of field. This makes the SL-System even handier and ideal for daily use and traveling. The Summicron lenses focus extremely fast, smooth, and accurate thanks to their linear direct drive. Hence, they not only deliver excellent focus performance for photography but are also perfectly suited for videography, where quiet focusing is very important.
The Summicron-SL 35 f/2 ASPH. covers a wide range of applications in landscape, street, and reportage photography and offers new perspectives because of a closest focusing distance of only 0.25 m. The Summicron-SL 50 f/2 ASPH. shows its strength in almost all photographic situations, especially in travel, event, and portrait photography. Both SL lenses expand the SL-System and the L-Mount portfolio by two versatile, compact, and lightweight optics to photograph and film in brilliant image quality “Made by Leica.”
In the case of the two new Summicron lenses, aspheric lenses are also used. These enable high optical performance in combination with compact dimensions in the first place.
The new Summicrons are nearly half the weight and 20% smaller in size than their APO-Summicron counterparts, weighing 400g and measuring 83mm in length, meeting user requests for reduced-weight lens solutions. To put the new lenses’ 400g weight in context, the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH FLE II weighs only slightly less at 350g.
To facilitate the first steps with the SL-System, Leica is now offering four more SL-Kits with the new Summicron lenses in addition to the two existing kits of Leica SL2 or SL2-S, including Vario-Elmarit-SL 24–70. Thus, six SL-Kits, each consisting of a camera body and a lens, are available with an attractive price advantage.
To lower the price point, Leica opted to manufacture these in their Portugal facility rather than Germany. Don’t expect any sacrifice in quality, though. This is the same state-of-the-art factory that produces all of the top-notch Leica Sport Optics binoculars and scopes.
Both new lenses are expected to be available starting today. The Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH is set to be available for $2,195, while the Summicron-SL 50mm f/2 ASPH will be available for $1,895.
