Today Leica announced a new range of M-mount rangefinder lenses, called Summarit. They will be available in focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm—all f/2.5 and coded for the M8—from the end of November, 2007 forward.
Leica’s press release:
The new class of Leica precision lenses
It is the lenses on which the legend of the Leica brand was founded. Finely crafted masterpieces – compact and practical precision optics for analog and digital photography.
With the Leica Summarit-M class of lenses, Leica maintains its tradition of producing lenses that are renowned for optical and mechanical excellence. The new family consists of four lenses and covers the most popular focal lengths in the Leica M system:
LEICA SUMMARIT-M 35 mm f/2.5
LEICA SUMMARIT-M 50 mm f/2.5
LEICA SUMMARIT-M 75 mm f/2.5
LEICA SUMMARIT-M 90 mm f/2.5The maximum aperture of f/2.5 and the concentration on the classic and proven spherical lens design leads to a new series of lenses that now brings famous Leica quality and a superb price/performance ratio.
The launch of the Leica Summarit-M family of lenses marks the return of important Leica heritage elements. All letter and number engravings are made with the traditional “Leitz-Norm” font as originally used by Leitz Wetzlar during the 1960s, and the red button on the lens mount is now true to the original color used on Leitz lenses produced since the introduction of the M mount through the 1960s.
Lens Campaign in Leica Rangefinder System
The launch of the new Leica Summarit-M lenses is the start of a campaign in which Leica is putting a greater focus on its core competencies in optics manufacture. Leica’s high-performance optics, which are all made by hand at Leica’s main factory in Solms near Wetzlar, Germany are the fruit of many years of experience in optics and precision mechanics, unique technologies, high-quality materials and the commitment and craftsmanship of competent staff.
Steven K. Lee“Leica users are the most demanding customers in the world of photography. To satisfy their high expectations of quality, we put a unique amount of effort into manufacturing Leica lenses. This starts with a bold idea and continues with an ambitious optical design, a selection of the best materials on the market and sophisticated production processes. Meticulous quality assurance with 100% checks is, of course, an integral part of the process. The aim of all these efforts is to create high-class photographic and phototechnical images. Corner-to-corner definition and brilliance over the entire visual field, maximum imaging performance already at full aperture and superior stray light reduction – this is what photographers like about their Leica lenses, plus a unique mechanical excellence that is immediately felt when turning the focus ring or adjusting the aperture. This gives Leica photographers decades of pleasure – and enviable photographic results,” says Steven K. Lee, CEO of Leica Camera AG.
Deliveries of Leica Summarit-M lenses are scheduled to begin at the end of November 2007.
More info here from Leica, including a PDF technical data sheet.
(Thank goodness they nailed the most important part of any imaging system: the font used to engrave the lens. Yeah, they make nice kit—even if their film loading is still in the stone age—but it’s so hard not to laugh at anybody who takes this stuff seriously. (And I’m a designer!))