Should I buy a Leica lens?
p.1 #1Should I buy a Leica lens?
Although I have a Lieca M6, I’ve never actually owned a Leica lens. I have had a whole lot of LLL and Voightlander with the idea that they are nearly as good at a fraction of the price and they are new so that also avoids some issues. Do you think I would actually notice the quality of a Leica Lens (I could have probably afford a basic summicron) or would it just be a disappointment because they don’t perform any better than anything I already have? In other words, is it true that the more and more third party lenses that are coming out means there less and less of the need to buy a Leica?
Sep 06, 2026 at 03:40 AM
p.1 #2Should I buy a Leica lens?
It’s hard to give a good answer without knowing what you want from a lens. I think the better question isn’t Leica vs. third party, but what you want that your current lenses don’t give you. For my core set, Leica gave me what I wanted, while for other lenses, Voigtländer and Zeiss did the job. My next lens? I’m looking at Thypoch. If you can identify something you want badly enough to pay a lot for, you’ve probably got your answer. Clarity provides courage, after all.
Sep 06, 2026 at 04:56 AM
p.1 #3Should I buy a Leica lens?
Good and logical answer above. I will add though that once you start thinking about it you probably will need to scratch that itch somehow. You might know that the Zeiss or Voigtlander you're using is objectively no worse or better than whatever Leica lens, but chances are (it was for me) that you'll end up wondering "what if" anyway.
With used Leica gear pricing the worst that could happen is that you end up selling it probably for what you paid if it turns out it isn't the one for you.
Not sure what focal length you're after but a Summicron is rarely a poor choice. Summaron is fantastic if you prioritise vintage look and rendering over ultimate image quality.
With used Leica gear pricing the worst that could happen is that you end up selling it probably for what you paid if it turns out it isn't the one for you.
Not sure what focal length you're after but a Summicron is rarely a poor choice. Summaron is fantastic if you prioritise vintage look and rendering over ultimate image quality.
Sep 06, 2026 at 05:30 AM
p.1 #4Should I buy a Leica lens?
There's no right answer I am afraid, and no substitute to trying out on your own if rental or used ones are an option and scratch-off the "itch" - otherwise this thing will keep bugging until you do so.
At f2 and smaller, performance gains vs. price differential between Leica and good third-party options may not be significant (if any at all), especially on film. Summicrons are often more compact and more corrected than third-party offerings (except for third-party APO which people find equally good). For Summilux and Noctilux, or for specific/old character rendering, Leica may be a way to go, but not everyone will find it that way too since this stuff is so personal that we tend to justify anything and everything we like/choose; and we all have different preferences for acceptable levels of sharpness, contrast, field curvature, chromatic aberration, etc.
At f2 and smaller, performance gains vs. price differential between Leica and good third-party options may not be significant (if any at all), especially on film. Summicrons are often more compact and more corrected than third-party offerings (except for third-party APO which people find equally good). For Summilux and Noctilux, or for specific/old character rendering, Leica may be a way to go, but not everyone will find it that way too since this stuff is so personal that we tend to justify anything and everything we like/choose; and we all have different preferences for acceptable levels of sharpness, contrast, field curvature, chromatic aberration, etc.
Sep 06, 2026 at 05:39 AM
p.1 #6Should I buy a Leica lens?
A "Leica lens" is just too broad to reason about. Could start with the basic principles like focal length, speed, size/weight, optical qualities, price range? Sometimes the optimal choice is the Leica option, sometimes not.
If you simply want to experience owning one, a used Cron, Summarit or an Elmar-M from in the 80s onwards should be financially safe try with an option to sell later.
If you simply want to experience owning one, a used Cron, Summarit or an Elmar-M from in the 80s onwards should be financially safe try with an option to sell later.
Sep 06, 2026 at 06:09 AM
p.1 #7Should I buy a Leica lens?
I don’t see why unless you want something specific that only Leica offers. I have one Leica lens, the 28mm Elmarit, that I like because it’s much smaller than the competition. That’s it. All my other lenses for M mount are Zeiss and Voigtlander.
Sep 06, 2026 at 07:46 AM
p.1 #8Should I buy a Leica lens?
I can’t answer that for you. They’re too expensive. I can share how I went about it when I got my Leica 50.
For me, I wasn’t looking for just any lens. I first had to think about which photographers I admired and what they shot. Leica shooters. I already knew I wanted the M10R and I wanted to get rid of my Sony 50/1.2. It’s an amazing lens, but it was causing conflict with my firstborn, the 35 GM. And it turns out Dad has favorites.
So once I kicked that lens out, I immediately knew what I wanted to shoot. The pinnacle of photography. In my opinion, anyway. Have your own.
The 50 Lux.
I don’t think there’s another Leica lens I can see myself buying that would make me take this thing off the M10R. I don't worry about if this other lens might be APO or less or WHATEVER.
All that to say that you should try it. I think it was worth it.
damonnomonon wrote:
Although I have a Lieca M6, I’ve never actually owned a Leica lens. I have had a whole lot of LLL and Voightlander with the idea that they are nearly as good at a fraction of the price and they are new so that also avoids some issues. Do you think I would actually notice the quality of a Leica Lens (I could have probably afford a basic summicron) or would it just be a disappointment because they don’t perform any better than anything I already have? In other words, is it true that the more and more third party...Show more →
For me, I wasn’t looking for just any lens. I first had to think about which photographers I admired and what they shot. Leica shooters. I already knew I wanted the M10R and I wanted to get rid of my Sony 50/1.2. It’s an amazing lens, but it was causing conflict with my firstborn, the 35 GM. And it turns out Dad has favorites.
So once I kicked that lens out, I immediately knew what I wanted to shoot. The pinnacle of photography. In my opinion, anyway. Have your own.
The 50 Lux.
I don’t think there’s another Leica lens I can see myself buying that would make me take this thing off the M10R. I don't worry about if this other lens might be APO or less or WHATEVER.
All that to say that you should try it. I think it was worth it.
damonnomonon wrote:
Although I have a Lieca M6, I’ve never actually owned a Leica lens. I have had a whole lot of LLL and Voightlander with the idea that they are nearly as good at a fraction of the price and they are new so that also avoids some issues. Do you think I would actually notice the quality of a Leica Lens (I could have probably afford a basic summicron) or would it just be a disappointment because they don’t perform any better than anything I already have? In other words, is it true that the more and more third party...Show more →
Sep 06, 2026 at 07:54 AM
p.1 #9Should I buy a Leica lens?
For decades, I only owned one Leica lens, whereas I had many Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses. Today, they have all held up nicely. Buying Leica, especially used, can be a very cost effective purchase in that these lenses tend to hold their value. The Zeiss and Voigtlander depreciated more, but were much less expensive. If I might generalize, the Leica are much more expensive, usually better finished, smaller and in many cases have slightly better optics.
I have a number of photo books and I would be hard pressed to tell you what brand of lens was used.
I’m going to add a personal afterthought. You really won’t know the answer to your question without trying specific lens pairings. For example, my favorite fast 35mm lens is the Zeiss f/1.4 Distagon ZM, but I mostly use the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Asph Version IV. Like other ZM lenses that I love, 21mm f4.5 Biogon C, 35mm f/2.8 Biogon the high micro-contrast and for the 35mm, the sharpness at f/1.4 is really something. I shoot the Voigtlander because it is smaller, but optically not at the same level. Leica gets you close to the 35mm ZM in a much smaller package.
Edited on Sep 06, 2026 at 09:48 AM · View previous versions
I have a number of photo books and I would be hard pressed to tell you what brand of lens was used.
I’m going to add a personal afterthought. You really won’t know the answer to your question without trying specific lens pairings. For example, my favorite fast 35mm lens is the Zeiss f/1.4 Distagon ZM, but I mostly use the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Asph Version IV. Like other ZM lenses that I love, 21mm f4.5 Biogon C, 35mm f/2.8 Biogon the high micro-contrast and for the 35mm, the sharpness at f/1.4 is really something. I shoot the Voigtlander because it is smaller, but optically not at the same level. Leica gets you close to the 35mm ZM in a much smaller package.
Edited on Sep 06, 2026 at 09:48 AM · View previous versions
Sep 06, 2026 at 07:55 AM
p.1 #10Should I buy a Leica lens?
For what it's worth - just picked up voightlander 28mm APO lens and the build quality is phenomenal! Did not expect it ! Pictures are amazing and I am satisfied with it, may switch to another focal length in future but for now - very happy !
Sep 06, 2026 at 08:07 AM
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p.1 #11Should I buy a Leica lens?
I've shot with a lot of 35mm lenses over the years and owned many My favorite 35 is the 35 1.4 Summilux FLE v1. Thats not putting down any of the others, it's just my preference.
Sep 06, 2026 at 08:18 AM
p.1 #12Should I buy a Leica lens?
From own experience in this matter: it depends! Most difference in Leica lenses are referring to vintage ones but not to modern versions. Some of them have the "Leica glow" which modern Leica lenses do no longer have - some examples here are the Leitz 50/2.0 Summitar LTM, Leitz 50/1.5 Summarit LTM, Leica 50/1.4 Summilux vII, Leica 50/2.0 Summicron Dual-Range (DR). Their background blur is also distinctive and different from modern versions. I am unable to tell the difference between any of my modern Voigtlander and Leica lenses - the Voigtlander lenses tend to be a bit warmer in color than Leica ones but this can be easily corrected in PP, too. I compared for example my Voigtlander 28/2.0 vI M and my Leica 28/2.8 Elmarit-M lens: I did not see any difference between them at f/2.8 and further closed down.
The vintage Leitz/Leica lenses are different because they have all their own little faults and were not as highly corrected as modern ones which IMO makes the older lenses more interesting to use. Nowadays you pay a price to get these vintage lenses because many others also realized that character lenses might be less sharp, might have more aberrations and vignetting wide open but provide a more unique and distinguishable image. Older M or LTM lenses tend to be built better, too assuming you get a good copy. One con with the Leitz/Leica lenses of this era is the limited minimum focusing distance of 1 meter and not 0.7 meter or less in modern ones. I personally have no issue with this in my photography - and if I need to get closer, I am using the mentioned 50/2.0 DR anyway. It is the main reason why I stopped buying modern M lenses.
Edited on Sep 06, 2026 at 03:41 PM · View previous versions
The vintage Leitz/Leica lenses are different because they have all their own little faults and were not as highly corrected as modern ones which IMO makes the older lenses more interesting to use. Nowadays you pay a price to get these vintage lenses because many others also realized that character lenses might be less sharp, might have more aberrations and vignetting wide open but provide a more unique and distinguishable image. Older M or LTM lenses tend to be built better, too assuming you get a good copy. One con with the Leitz/Leica lenses of this era is the limited minimum focusing distance of 1 meter and not 0.7 meter or less in modern ones. I personally have no issue with this in my photography - and if I need to get closer, I am using the mentioned 50/2.0 DR anyway. It is the main reason why I stopped buying modern M lenses.
Edited on Sep 06, 2026 at 03:41 PM · View previous versions
Sep 06, 2026 at 03:33 PM
p.1 #13Should I buy a Leica lens?
damonnomonon wrote:
Although I have a Lieca M6, I’ve never actually owned a Leica lens. I have had a whole lot of LLL and Voightlander with the idea that they are nearly as good at a fraction of the price and they are new so that also avoids some issues. Do you think I would actually notice the quality of a Leica Lens (I could have probably afford a basic summicron) or would it just be a disappointment because they don’t perform any better than anything I already have? In other words, is it true that the more and more third party...Show more →
No.
I've got a bunch of Leica lenses and a bunch of CVs etc. On film unless the lens is really quirky/characterful you will not notice any difference. Unless the situation causes lens flare, then the Leica lenses generally are much worse.
What the Leica lenses do give is a more delightful haptic/handling feel to them. If you are going to get a 50 Cron, get the latest one as it handles and feels the best. And most probably will not look all beat up. Latest one has the built in lens hood that slides out.
Although I have a Lieca M6, I’ve never actually owned a Leica lens. I have had a whole lot of LLL and Voightlander with the idea that they are nearly as good at a fraction of the price and they are new so that also avoids some issues. Do you think I would actually notice the quality of a Leica Lens (I could have probably afford a basic summicron) or would it just be a disappointment because they don’t perform any better than anything I already have? In other words, is it true that the more and more third party...Show more →
No.
I've got a bunch of Leica lenses and a bunch of CVs etc. On film unless the lens is really quirky/characterful you will not notice any difference. Unless the situation causes lens flare, then the Leica lenses generally are much worse.
What the Leica lenses do give is a more delightful haptic/handling feel to them. If you are going to get a 50 Cron, get the latest one as it handles and feels the best. And most probably will not look all beat up. Latest one has the built in lens hood that slides out.
Sep 06, 2026 at 03:39 PM
p.1 #14Should I buy a Leica lens?
50 Lux-
Buy it- Live Happy....Knowing you have the best lens ever made; by humans.
Buy it- Live Happy....Knowing you have the best lens ever made; by humans.
Sep 06, 2026 at 03:43 PM
p.1 #15Should I buy a Leica lens?
Desmolicious wrote:
If you are going to get a 50 Cron, get the latest one as it handles and feels the best. And most probably will not look all beat up. Latest one has the built in lens hood that slides out.
The Leica 50/2.0 v5 is optically superb and has a nice bit more modern background blur. I own the silver chrome version which is very well built regarding the lens body and interiors. Biggest con from my experience with this lens - the wobbly lens hood to slide out. I absolutely dislike it! In my copy the hood is pushed back unevenly easily when just hitting my coat for example. I read that I could send my copy to Leica to get the hood fixed better. But I am not spending $$$ for it, so I leave it as is.
If you are going to get a 50 Cron, get the latest one as it handles and feels the best. And most probably will not look all beat up. Latest one has the built in lens hood that slides out.
The Leica 50/2.0 v5 is optically superb and has a nice bit more modern background blur. I own the silver chrome version which is very well built regarding the lens body and interiors. Biggest con from my experience with this lens - the wobbly lens hood to slide out. I absolutely dislike it! In my copy the hood is pushed back unevenly easily when just hitting my coat for example. I read that I could send my copy to Leica to get the hood fixed better. But I am not spending $$$ for it, so I leave it as is.
Sep 06, 2026 at 03:46 PM
p.1 #16Should I buy a Leica lens?
RustyRus wrote:
50 Lux-
Buy it- Live Happy....Knowing you have the best lens ever made; by humans.
It's a science for itself to decide which version to purchase. Very subjective decision. I decided recently to add my first Summilux lens to my lens stable which is the Leica 50/2.0 vII. I am not disappointed. I am glad that I decided to go for the older lens version and not the newer modern ASPH look. To be honest, for a more modern fast 50 mm lens, I would likely choose the Voigtlander 50/1.2 over the modern Leica Summilux ASPH. But that's just me!
50 Lux-
Buy it- Live Happy....Knowing you have the best lens ever made; by humans.
It's a science for itself to decide which version to purchase. Very subjective decision. I decided recently to add my first Summilux lens to my lens stable which is the Leica 50/2.0 vII. I am not disappointed. I am glad that I decided to go for the older lens version and not the newer modern ASPH look. To be honest, for a more modern fast 50 mm lens, I would likely choose the Voigtlander 50/1.2 over the modern Leica Summilux ASPH. But that's just me!
Sep 06, 2026 at 03:49 PM
p.1 #17Should I buy a Leica lens?
Should I buy a Leica lens?
As long as you promise us you'll only buy one... yes, absolutely!
If I had to recommend just a single lens, I'd go with one of the classic ASPH. ones that cover most lighting conditions:
35mm shooter: 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. (FLE v1 or v2)
50mm shooter: 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH.
As long as you promise us you'll only buy one... yes, absolutely!
If I had to recommend just a single lens, I'd go with one of the classic ASPH. ones that cover most lighting conditions:
35mm shooter: 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. (FLE v1 or v2)
50mm shooter: 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH.
Sep 06, 2026 at 04:28 PM
p.1 #18Should I buy a Leica lens?
No.
I speak as someone with a heap of Leica-brand M/LTM spanning 60 years. Of course, if you need to scratch that itch then start counting your coins. Rental is an option for the recent optics, otherwise you can get into the buy/sell cycle. For the cheapest outlay look at older lenses like Elmars 50 and 90 from the 1950s which are very well built, will give some character, and perform nicely on film.
I speak as someone with a heap of Leica-brand M/LTM spanning 60 years. Of course, if you need to scratch that itch then start counting your coins. Rental is an option for the recent optics, otherwise you can get into the buy/sell cycle. For the cheapest outlay look at older lenses like Elmars 50 and 90 from the 1950s which are very well built, will give some character, and perform nicely on film.
Sep 06, 2026 at 05:16 PM
p.1 #19Should I buy a Leica lens?
retrofocus wrote:
RustyRus wrote
50 Lux-Buy it- Live Happy....Knowing you have the best lens ever made; by humans.
Maybe you mean a 50mm f/2.0 Summicron. I beleive the Summilux lenses are all f/1.4?
Sep 06, 2026 at 07:03 PM
p.1 #20Should I buy a Leica lens?
Fred Miranda wrote:
As long as you promise us you'll only buy one... yes, absolutely!
If I had to recommend just a single lens, I'd go with one of the classic ASPH. ones that cover most lighting conditions:
35mm shooter: 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. (FLE v1 or v2)
50mm shooter: 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH.
Probably a 50mm. A fast 50 is probably the only type of lens I haven't tried on M-mount so far. Is the 11891 a good one?
Edited on Sep 06, 2026 at 07:52 PM · View previous versions
Earlier quote
Should I buy a Leica lens?If I had to recommend just a single lens, I'd go with one of the classic ASPH. ones that cover most lighting conditions:
35mm shooter: 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. (FLE v1 or v2)
50mm shooter: 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH.
Probably a 50mm. A fast 50 is probably the only type of lens I haven't tried on M-mount so far. Is the 11891 a good one?
Edited on Sep 06, 2026 at 07:52 PM · View previous versions
Sep 06, 2026 at 07:25 PM