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

Leica introduced the Summilux 50mm f/1.4 in 1959 to sit above the f/2 Summicron. The first version used a seven-element formula; a 1961 revision — what collectors call "the v2" or simply "the classic Summilux" — settled on the optical prescription that would remain in production until 2004. Forty-five years of production with only cosmetic changes is an extraordinary statement of confidence in the original design.

For beginners: the pre-ASPH Summilux 50 is the lens most associated with the phrase "the classic Leica look." Wide open at f/1.4, images have a creamy softness at the edges and a gentle glow around highlights that many photographers find more pleasing than technically superior modern designs. By f/2.8 it is sharp across the frame and fully modern in output. Buyers should note that the very earliest examples (1959-1961) use a different optical formula; the 1961-and-later "v2" is the one that commands devotion. All pre-ASPH versions are distinguished from the current ASPH version by a lack of aspherical elements and a more characterful wide-open rendering.