Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Review

Leica's Summilux series of f/1.4 lenses carry a hefty asking price, but back it up with quality.

The Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 ASPH.

($6,595) appeals to wide-angle photographers and delivers images with a very specific look when shot wide open—sharp, with a shallow depth of field and heavy vignette.

It's not perfect—purple fringing is visible at wider apertures in some shots—but there's not much else to complain about.

If you use an M rangefinder and crave a 28mm f/1.4 it's your only option, and thankfully one capable of capturing stunning images.

Wide and Bright

The 28mm Summilux doesn't stray from Leica's modern design motif.

It's finished in glossy black with white and yellow markings.

It measures 2.6 by 2.4 inches (HD), weighs 15.5 ounces, and supports 49mm front filters.

It's very small when compared with high-end 28mm f/1.4 lenses for SLR systems—the Zeiss Otus 1.4/28 is 5.3 by 4.3 inches and 3 pounds.

The included lens hood screws on to an external thread, designed so it is always oriented in the correct position.

It has a cut-out window at the top corner to minimize the amount of the viewfinder blocked by the lens.

Viewfinder blockage is something that M users have to deal with, especially with bright lenses that protrude a bit from the body.

The 28mm Summilux isn't an exception.

When paired with the digital M10-P, the lens blocks the bottom quarter of the frame, with the lens hood's window slightly ameliorating the effect.

Removing the hood entirely cuts down on blockage significantly.

I didn't get a chance to try the lens with an M6, M7, or MP with wide-angle 0.58x viewfinder.

The effect should be lessened, even with the hood attached.

Unfortunately, Leica does not offer wide-angle versions of its digital M cameras.

But you can add an EVF to certain models, which gives you a true through-the-lens view.

As with all M lenses, the Summilux is purely mechanical and manual focus, with no electronics at all.

Aperture is dialed via a control ring, located toward the front of the barrel, which can be set from f/1.4 through f/16 in half-stop increments.

The manual focus ring is just behind it, closer to the mount.

It includes the signature Leica "tiger claw," a small protrusion with a finger-sized indentation.

I typically focus with my left thumb, and find lenses with the focusing aid to be more pleasant to use than those without.

There is a real depth of field scale, marked in feet and meters from f/1.4 through f/16.

Scales have disappeared almost entirely from modern autofocus lenses, but they are useful when working with a rangefinder lens—it makes it possible to guess distance between camera and subject and to set focus before bringing the camera to your eye.

Close focus is not a strong point of rangefinders.

The M10 and other recent rangefinders are only able to focus as close as 2.3 feet (0.7-meter), and the 28mm Summilux is no exception.

Its macro capabilities are a paltry 1:21.9 at its nearest focus distance.

Some Zeiss lenses, like the Biogon T* 2,8/28 ZM, focus to about 1.7 feet (0.5-meter), even though the rangefinder focus patch will only net accurate results to 0.7-meter.

Sharp, With Some Fringes

I tested the 28mm Summilux with the 24MP M10-P.

It's a sharp lens, notching 2,359 lines on Imatest's center-weighted evaluation at f/1.4.

That's better than the 1,800 lines we want to see at a minimum from a 24MP sensor.

Edge resolution isn't as strong as the average, but it does pass muster at 1,806 lines—not crystal clear, but not blurry either.

At f/2 the average improves to 2,673 lines and edges are better, 2,210 lines.

The trend continues at f/2.8, with the lens managing 3,015 lines across the frame, with only a slight drop at the edges, which show about 2,800 lines.

See How We Test Digital Cameras

You can stop worrying about edge performance at f/4.

The periphery of the frame is close enough to the 3,265-line average to the point where you won't be able to notice any drop off in quality in images.

Starting at f/5.6 the lens is at its sharpest, 3,452 lines, with results at f/8 that are just as good (3,433 lines).

There's a slight drop at f/11 (3,148 lines), but diffraction isn't a problem until f/16 (2,519 lines).

The lens shows absolutely no barrel distortion, an accomplishment for any 28mm f/1.4, let alone one this small.

There is a strong vignette, especially noticeable at f/1.4, where the corners lag behind the center by -4.8EV.

It diminishes as you stop down—we see -3.9EV at f/2, -3EV at f/2.8 and f/4, -2.5EV at f/5.6, and -2EV at f/8.

Beyond that it's not noticeable.

I didn't mind the effect—when shooting with a 28mm, a bit of natural vignette is a big plus to help isolate subjects from their environment.

If it's something you don't like it's easy enough to brighten corners with a quick adjustment when processing photos in Lightroom.

I did notice some purple color fringing in a few shots, but it's not an overwhelming problem.

If you're shooting at f/1.4 and capture an image with very strong contrast—a dark building against a bright sky, for example—expect to see a thin line of false purple color along its edge.

Thankfully it's fairly minor, and can be easily removed using Lightroom.

If you pair the lens with the black-and-white M Monochrom you won't have to worry about it at all.

A Great, Expensive Lens

Photographers using the Leica M system are used to high prices.

But even in context, the Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 ASPH.

is a premium lens.

It's brighter than any other 28mm M lens out there, sharp from edge to edge, and free of visible distortion.

If you're able to afford it, your money will get you one of the best 28mm primes out there.

I haven't had a chance to use the improved second edition of the lesser-priced 28mm Summicron, but when I reviewed the first version a few years back, I was impressed enough to award it our Editors' Choice.

The updated Summicron will still run you $4,395, but promises better optics and a much-improved lens hood, which was a complaint I had with the first edition.

Leica also sells the compact Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH., which is a good lens, but not as optically stunning as the Summilux.

Budget shoppers can turn to the Zeiss Biogon T* 2,8/28 ZM or the Voigtlander Ultron 28mm f/2.

We haven't yet tested the Voigtlander, but at just $599, it's a much easier pill to swallow.

But if you want the best, brightest 28mm lens for your M, the Summilux won't disappoint.