Leica Summicron TL 23mm F 2 ASPH Review | 54 Data compared

The Leica Summicron-T 23mm f/2 ASPH is a compact, lightweight APS-C lens offering a versatile f/2 aperture, excellent build quality, and no optical distortion, according to PCMag. Despite these strengths, the lens exhibits soft images at f/2, noticeable color fringing in JPEGs, and a premium price point. The analysis also notes a quirk where the maximum aperture restricts to f/2.8 at close focusing distances.

The Leica Summicron-T 23mm f/2 ASPH lens (a 35mm full-frame equivalent) proves to be an exceptionally discreet, lightweight, and effective tool for low-light event photography, such as live music performances. Its standout features include a compact form factor that blends into crowds without drawing attention, and an accurate autofocus system that eliminates the need for tedious manual micro-focusing when shooting wide open. Combined with a wide enough focal length to capture both the performers and the ambient space, it allows the photographer to easily compose intimate, close-up shots and experiment with unique, off-axis angles using the camera's rear screen. However, the lens and camera setup requires careful handling in challenging environments, presenting notable limitations in high-contrast lighting. It struggles to automatically manage drastic shadow and highlight differences, which often results in blown-out highlights unless the photographer manually steps in to adjust the exposure settings. Additionally, the review highlights a physical limitation when transitioning between environments: the lens is highly susceptible to fogging and severe battery drain if it is not given ample time to adjust to ambient temperature changes between...

The Leica Summicron-T 23mm f/2 ASPH is a compact, lightweight prime lens designed for the Leica T-mount system, offering a 35mm equivalent focal length ideal for street photography and reportage. It features an internal focusing mechanism with a quiet, fast stepping motor and supports 52mm non-rotating filters. Photo Review Key performance advantages include excellent subject isolation at f/2, fast autofocus, and high portability. The primary limitations involve its niche, exclusive compatibility with the Leica T mount, restricting use to specific native camera bodies.

The Leica T is a luxury mirrorless camera defined by its exceptional, minimalist aesthetic and premium construction. Carved from a single block of aluminum, it features a striking design reminiscent of modern Apple products and boasts a highly capable 16MP APS-C sensor, native ISO up to 12500, built-in Wi-Fi, and 5fps continuous shooting. The primary strengths (pros) of the camera lie in its stunning build quality and the trademark, stellar performance of its Leica lenses, which deliver creamy out-of-focus areas and natural colors. Additionally, shooting with a T-to-M mount adapter alongside manual lenses transforms the device into an incredibly fun, reminiscent, and simplified photographic experience. However, the camera suffers from severe usability and ergonomic drawbacks (cons), making it a highly unintuitive tool for quick street photography. Leica completely stripped away rear physical buttons in favor of an enormous 3.7-inch touchscreen, resulting in clunky menu navigation and a sluggish, frustrating interface. Essential actions like swiping up to review a picture or removing the rubberized strap just to access the battery compartment add redundant steps for the sake of looks over functionality....

In this field review, master photographer Oz Yilmaz evaluates the Leica Summicron-T 23mm f/2 ASPH lens while documenting a live jazz performance at Montreal's Diese Onze club. Paired with a Leica TL2 camera body, the lens provides a 35mm full-frame equivalent focal length. Yilmaz highlights several pros of this setup, emphasizing its incredibly discreet and lightweight form factor which allows a photographer to blend seamlessly into a crowd without the conspicuous presence of a bulky DSLR. Furthermore, the lens features a reliable autofocus mode that eliminates the need for tedious manual micro-focusing when shooting at wide-open apertures. Its versatile focal length is praised for being wide enough to capture the ambient spirit and intimacy of a venue without distorting the scene by being too wide or too narrow. However, the review and its operational context also reveal notable cons and technical limitations. A significant drawback occurs in high-contrast environments, where the camera and lens combination struggles with drastic lighting, resulting in blown-out highlights that require manual exposure adjustments or heavy post-processing compensation in software like Adobe Lightroom. Additionally, Yilmaz notes...

The Leica T (code-named "Taifun") is a highly distinct mirrorless camera milled from a single block of unibody aluminum, giving it an exceptionally solid, durable, and premium "industrial chic" feel similar to an Apple computer. It features a 16-megapixel APS-C sensor with no anti-aliasing (AA) filter, resulting in sharp, contrasty image files with excellent dynamic range and strong high ISO performance up to 3200. Instead of physical clutter, Leica implemented a stripped-down, modern user interface consisting of a toughened glass touchscreen with tablet-inspired customizable icons, a video button, and just two control dials. Key advantages highlighted in the review include 16GB of built-in internal memory, a quiet and discrete shutter mechanism, and an electronic viewfinder (EVF) that offers high resolution, an eye sensor, a tilt mechanism, and integrated GPS. Furthermore, its exceptionally large lens mount and dedicated M-adapter (featuring an optical pass-through for 6-bit coding) make it an excellent, highly engaging body for shooting legacy Leica M and R lenses. However, the camera does have several performance and hardware limitations compared to its mirrorless rivals. It lacks a built-in EVF...

The Leica CL is a compact, 24-megapixel APS-C digital camera manufactured from a single block of magnesium, offering outstanding build quality, excellent image quality, and a minimalist design focused on ease of use. Tested during a camping vacation in southern Utah, it performed impressively for landscape photography, delivering sharp images with beautiful, realistic color and tonality that required minimal post-processing. Its native autofocus is fast and accurate, and it seamlessly pairs with manual-focus Leica M-mount lenses via an adapter, utilizing focus peaking and magnification tools to ensure exceptional detail. The camera's main strengths include its highly intuitive, customizable, and straightforward menu layout, alongside a compact profile that makes it highly portable for travel. However, the reviewer identified a few distinct weaknesses during field testing under bright conditions. The built-in eye cup is insufficient to block out stray side light, which can make the Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) difficult to view and requires the photographer to shade it by hand. Additionally, the camera suffers from low battery life, which is officially rated at only 220 images per charge and requires users to...

The Leica TL2 is a mirrorless APS-C digital camera that simplifies traditional photographic controls into an intuitive, smartphone-like touchscreen interface while retaining high-end rendering capabilities. Built with a durable aluminum unibody, the camera features an upgraded 24-megapixel sensor, snappy auto-focus response times, a high-speed electronic shutter reaching up to 1/40,000 second, and highly clean image quality up to 25,000 ISO. Reviewer Thorsten Overgaard highlights its modular flexibility via the L-mount, which accommodates native crop-sensor TL lenses as well as full-frame SL, M, and R lenses via dedicated adapters. The camera excels in delivering stunning "Leica glow" color rendition, micro-contrast, and texture retention in both its uncompressed DNG raw files and its desaturated "Natural" JPEG profile. However, the camera features a few notable design limitations and operational quirks. Its primary drawback is the discontinuation of Leica's APS-C line, meaning the camera system is no longer actively manufactured or expanded. It completely lacks a built-in flash, built-in image stabilization (relying strictly on optical stabilization found inside specific lenses), and an integrated viewfinder, forcing users to purchase the bulky external Visoflex EVF for...

The Leica Summicron-T 23mm f/2 ASPH. is a compact autofocus prime lens designed for the Leica T mirrorless camera system, offering a field of view equivalent to a classic 35mm full-frame lens. Measuring just 1.5 by 2.5 inches and weighing a mere 5.4 ounces, it stands out for its lightweight and svelte form factor, which is noticeably smaller than competing lenses like the Sony Carl Zeiss 24mm f/1.8. It features an all-metal barrel, shares 52mm front filters with the companion Vario-Elmar-T zoom, and eliminates barrel distortion entirely. Furthermore, it includes a reversible lens hood and can focus down to approximately 1 foot, making it a highly portable and physically robust option for T-system photographers. However, the lens falls short of delivering the flawless performance typically expected of its premium $1,850 price tag. Its primary drawback is a lack of edge-to-edge clarity at its widest setting, exhibiting softness at f/2 that requires stopping down to f/4 or f/5.6 for sharp results across the entire frame. Additionally, the maximum aperture automatically narrows from f/2 to f/2.8 when shooting at close distances, a...

📸 Small but Bright Prime The Leica Summicron-T 23mm f/2 ASPH. is an autofocus prime lens designed for the APS-C sensor T mirrorless system. It is highly praised for its compact size—measuring just 1.5 by 2.5 inches and weighing a mere 5.4 ounces—and its wide f/2 maximum aperture. It delivers zero barrel distortion and offers a useful close-focus distance of up to 1 foot. It serves as a solid option for photographers seeking a shallow depth of field. ⚠️ Pricey with Edge Softness However, it fails to achieve absolute perfection due to a hefty $1,850 price tag and a few performance limitations. Images taken at f/2 suffer from softness around the outer edges and visible purple or yellow color fringing when shooting in JPG format. Bizarrely, the camera automatically narrows the maximum aperture to f/2.8 when focusing at its closest distance. For true edge-to-edge clarity, you must stop the lens down to f/4 or f/5.6.