Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (2023)

The 2023 Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH is a refinement of one of the most celebrated lenses in M-system history. The most significant practical change is the minimum focus distance: down to 0.45m from the previous 0.7m, giving photographers a dramatically closer working distance for portraits and detail shots. Leica also added a click-detent mechanism at the near-focus end of the focus throw — a feature borrowed from close-up accessories — that signals the transition into the expanded near-range zone.

For those new to rangefinder lenses: the classic Summilux 50 has been made in various versions since 1959, and each generation has refined the optical formula while trying to preserve the rendering quality that made the lens a legend. The 2023 version keeps the ASPH element introduced in the 1990s version and adds the close-focus capability without changing the character of the lens — it renders the same way in the mid-range that Summilux shooters have always loved.