There is a new finish for the Light Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 Aspherical "11873" lens.
The High-Polished Titanium Edition is now available to order, limited to 60 units worldwide, and scheduled to ship in September 2026. Light Lens Lab will discontinue it once it is gone.
Use the link below and enter promo code FREDMIRANDA at checkout for 5% off -- saving you $100 on the Polished Titanium model!
I was told they never actually planned to produce this finish, it was originally meant only for Mr. Zhou's personal use. But after seeing how the community in Singapore reacted during the SG camera con (during Bobby Tonelli's interview with him), they convinced Mr. Zhou to run a special one-off batch for the local crowd and international customers as well.
You can actually see the High-Polished Titanium in that interview, it shows up starting around the 12:43 mark.
Saw this earlier this week on IG and wondered how common a finish like this was in the collector's edition realm. It looks wild. Not for me, but if I was a proper collector I may be all over this. I have a feeling LLL is going to be one of the lasting lens makers out of China.
I saw this listed on Taobao yesterday and figured it was a custom job but interesting to see it is a proper release. Not sure I like it enough to move from the "standard" titanium version though. Nice chance for those who missed out on the first version to pick one up new though.
Might depend on whether it's really truly a one-off production run. I don't think there's enough history with LLL to answer this, and even with some of Leica's limited releases, they seemed to be available longer than originally suggested (thinking 50 Lux ASPH black chrome as one example that IIRC was supposed to only be 500 units?).
On one hand, LLL has been great for providing affordable options to access clones of lenses that are normally otherwise out of reach for everyday photographers because of the collector's demand for the originals. But considering many of their lenses have had relatively short production runs, it could mean they will also eventually become collectible due to relatively rarity. Unless they do re-releases, which I believe they just did for a few lenses. I'd prefer they do periodic re-releases than one and done, unless it's specifically something cosmetic/superficial such as polished titanium or bare brass, etc.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I was told they never actually planned to produce this finish, it was originally meant only for Mr. Zhou's personal use. But after seeing how the community in Singapore reacted during the SG camera con (during Bobby Tonelli's interview with him), they convinced Mr. Zhou to run a special one-off batch for the local crowd and international customers as well.
You can actually see the High-Polished Titanium in that interview, it shows up starting around the 12:43 mark.
I had to snag one after picturing it on a glossy black paint body (like the current black MP with its chrome shutter release). Should look a bit outlandish on my SL3 Reporter in the meantime. Thanks for the discount code, which covered expedited shipping plus import duties and little more. I had cancelled my 75mm Z21 order due to the 1m MFD, so this should scratch that new M lens itch for now.
highdesertmesa wrote:
I had to snag one after picturing it on a glossy black paint body (like the current black MP with its chrome shutter release). Should look a bit outlandish on my SL3 Reporter in the meantime. Thanks for the discount code, which covered expedited shipping plus import duties and little more. I had cancelled my 75mm Z21 order due to the 1m MFD, so this should scratch that new M lens itch for now.
That pic confirmed for me I would not personally enjoy the finish due to it being a fingerprint magnet. Looks stellar while clean but keeping it that way is another thing to worry about. Just like my frustration with the piano black finish so many automakers have been reluctant to move on from. I wish it didn't bother me as much as it does.
highdesertmesa wrote:
I had to snag one after picturing it on a glossy black paint body (like the current black MP with its chrome shutter release). Should look a bit outlandish on my SL3 Reporter in the meantime. Thanks for the discount code, which covered expedited shipping plus import duties and little more. I had cancelled my 75mm Z21 order due to the 1m MFD, so this should scratch that new M lens itch for now.
If I didn't already have the regular Titanium, I'd be all over this one. It should look fantastic on the SL3 Reporter, and it's definitely one of a kind, or at least only 60 of a kind.
endergemini wrote:
That pic confirmed for me I would not personally enjoy the finish due to it being a fingerprint magnet. Looks stellar while clean but keeping it that way is another thing to worry about. Just like my frustration with the piano black finish so many automakers have been reluctant to move on from. I wish it didn't bother me as much as it does.
I think for me the idea will be to get it as dirty as possible and never clean it — the unmaintained Star Wars droid look
Fred Miranda wrote:
If I didn't already have the regular Titanium, I'd be all over this one. It should look fantastic on the SL3 Reporter, and it's definitely one of a kind, or at least only 60 of a kind.
I was too late for the original titanium, so this was fun to get another shot at it. Camera West had a few in stock after LLL sold out of them, but I slept on it a few days too long. Someone had released a new YouTube video about the lens, and poof they were gone.
I already have the limited titanium one ... if not I'd be all over this one. Still tempting.......but.....
I have read and listened to all the reviews and YouTube of this lens and the debate of what it may replicate, I long ago came to the inclusion I don't care, I really like what the lens does and at least for me nothing else really matters since I only care about the image. The lens is a winner. Still Fred's 5% is calling !
