Leica Summilux M 24mm F 1 4 ASPH Review | 54 Data compared

The Leica 24mm Summilux-M f/1.4 ASPH is a premium, German-engineered wide-angle lens praised for its tank-like build quality, ultra-sharp images, and near-zero distortion, making it a highly valued investment for serious photographers. Weighing 16.5 ounces (468g) and measuring 61 x 75.6 x 58.5mm, it features a fast f/1.4 aperture that lets in an exceptional amount of light, rendering it perfect for low-light or nighttime street photography. However, lab tests reveal that center sharpness is merely average when shot wide open at f/1.4, requiring users to stop down to f/2.8 to unlock peak sharpness, while the corners remain softer and show noticeable chromatic aberration (fringing) throughout the aperture range. A unique drawback of this lens is the complete absence of a traditional focus tab on the focus ring, a feature standard on nearly all other Leica wide-angle lenses; this omission makes manual focus pulling feel somewhat cumbersome, forcing photographers to rely heavily on zone focusing. Additionally, because no Leica M camera body includes built-in 24mm frame lines, framing requires guesswork, live view, or an expensive external viewfinder/EVF accessory. When mounted, the...

The LEICA 24mm f/1.4 SUMMILUX-M ASPH is an ultra-fast, special-purpose lens designed for capturing images in extremely low-light conditions. According to Ken Rockwell, the primary pros include its unmatched f/1.4 aperture for a 24mm rangefinder lens, solid optical performance at medium apertures, and excellent build quality. It serves as a valuable tool for photojournalists and "LEICA Men" who prioritize maximum light gathering, low-light shooting capabilities, and the prestige of owning the brand. Rockwell highlights several notable cons that limit its practicality for the average photographer, including the need for an inconvenient external viewfinder that disrupts the camera's natural workflow. Optically, the lens is considered one of Leica's softest in daylight—especially in the corners when shooting landscapes at infinity—and it is also more expensive and heavier than other Leica wide-angle alternatives, such as the 28mm f/2 Summicron or the 21mm f/4 Elmar.

The Leica Summilux 24mm f/1.4 ASPH is a specialized wide-angle lens praised for exceptional low-light performance at f/1.4 and a unique design that corrects distortion for balanced interior photography. It provides high contrast, natural color, and sharp central focus, making it a premier, albeit niche, tool for interior and low-light applications. However, the lens exhibits significant field curvature where edge focus falls off at infinity, making it unsuitable for flat-plane subjects. Other disadvantages include high, noticeable vignetting at maximum aperture, 2.2% geometric distortion, and a heavy weight of 480 grams.

The Leica 24mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH is a highly sophisticated rangefinder lens that borders on ultra-wide territory. It features an optical design of 10 elements in 8 groups, including one aspheric element and five elements made of anomalous partial dispersion glass. In terms of performance pros, the lens delivers exquisite sharpness wide open at f/1.4, which remains virtually unchanged at medium and smaller apertures, with barely any visible effects of diffraction at f/11 and f/16. It provides a very narrow depth of field with beautiful, smooth bokeh for environmental portraits, alongside an ultra-smooth, well-damped focusing ring down to 0.7 meters. Furthermore, vignetting and light falloff are very moderate, making the overall field performance of this lens close to absolute perfection. Despite its stellar imaging capabilities, the reviewer highlights a few drawbacks to consider before purchasing. The primary cons center around its high cost, as it demands a premium, "princely" price tag typical of elite Leica gear. Additionally, users might find reasons to complain about the design of the included lens shade. Finally, because its 84-degree field of view is wide,...

Overview of the Leica 24mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH The reviewer characterizes the Leica 24mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH as the "invisible child" of Leica's fast lens lineup, occupying a compromised "no-man's land" between the more popular 28mm and 21mm focal lengths. Tested on a Leica M10 during a rainy trip to Tokyo, the lens is built incredibly well and delivers robust physical durability that easily handles heavy downpours. Optical performance stands out as a major strength; it produces sharp images, resolves fine details with clear definition, and renders excellent micro-contrast. Furthermore, it effectively manages optical anomalies like vignetting and chromatic aberration once it is stopped down past its maximum aperture. An additional ergonomic benefit is the lack of a focusing tab, which provides a more tactile and preferred handling experience for certain photographers. However, the lens suffers from notable design and usability drawbacks inherent to the Leica rangefinder system. Because standard M viewfinders do not naturally frame wider than 28mm, the 24mm focal length is a tad too wide to frame accurately in-camera, yet not wide enough to comfortably justify the...

in english language, be very specific, mention pros and cons inside You sent: 1 tab and said: 2 paragraphs summary of this review in english language, be very specific, mention pros and cons inside The extraordinary Leica Summilux M-Mount range of lenses 2 paragraphs summary of this review in english language, be very specific, mention pros and cons inside

The Leica 24mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH is an exotic, high-performance ultra-wide-angle lens designed for compact rangefinder cameras. Built with ten optical elements—including five anomalous dispersion glass types and one aspherical surface—its modern design minimizes vignetting and color shift on digital sensors like the Leica M9. On the positive side, the lens delivers exceptionally high image quality, boasts excellent f/1.4 low-light versatility, and exhibits zero focus shift when stopping down to f/2.8. Ergonomically, it offers generous aperture ring spacing with tactile half-stop clicks, and its physical size handles comfortably in larger hands. However, the lens comes with several significant drawbacks, starting with its prohibitive retail price of approximately $6,495. It is notably large and heavy for a Leica M lens, cannot use standard filters, and has a close-focus magnification ratio that makes it poorly suited for close-up photography. Optically, it suffers from strong astigmatism even at f/5.6, alongside highly noticeable wave-type barrel and pincushion distortion on straight lines. Furthermore, using the 24mm focal length practically forces users to purchase an optional external viewfinder to properly compose images, prompting the reviewer to...

The Leica Summilux-M 24mm f/1.4 ASPH is a highly versatile, fast wide-angle lens that excels at creating three-dimensional image pop, smooth bokeh, and excellent background separation even at its widest aperture. In his real-world field test inside a challenging, mixed-light factory environment, reviewer Oz Yilmaz paired the full-frame lens with an APS-C Leica TL2 camera. This combination yields a cropped 36.5mm equivalent focal length, providing a highly usable light-gathering advantage under less-than-ideal lighting conditions. A major highlight of the lens is its superior optical engineering, which delivers exceptional sharpness, micro-contrast, and remarkably accurate color renditioning that easily bypasses the muddy tones and greenish hues typical of heavy fluorescent office lights. Despite its stellar performance, the review highlights distinct challenges and drawbacks to using this setup. The considerable price difference compared to slower alternatives like the Summicron-M 24mm f/2 serves as a prominent financial barrier for buyers. Operationally, using this manual M-mount lens on a compact mirrorless body like the TL2 removes traditional rangefinder coupling, forcing photographers to rely entirely on the electronic viewfinder magnification or the rear LCD screen to...

This review documents an indoor, low-light photographic challenge comparing three wide-angle lenses shot wide open at f/1.4 during a Muay Thai training session: the Leica 24mm Summilux ASPH (adapted to a Leica SL), the Canon 24mm f/1.4L (on a 5D Mark IV), and the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G (on a D800E). The Canon 5D Mark IV combo won the challenge by yielding the highest volume of usable narrative images (12 photos), followed by Leica (10 photos) and Nikon (7 photos). Performance-wise, the Canon lens delivered the sharpest results, but its camera body suffered from a quickly exhausting RAW buffer during high-speed continuous bursts. Furthermore, using the automatic focus selection on both the Canon and Nikon DSLRs made tack-focusing on the subject's lead eye difficult due to standard autofocus points failing to extend to the outer edges of the frame. In contrast, the manual-focus Leica lens on the SL body allowed the reviewer to precisely position a focusing point near the edge of the frame, resulting in an optimal layout that eliminated the need to carry heavy DSLR equipment while traveling. The...

In this review, photographer Anson details a week-long street photography trip to Taipei using a single wide-angle setup: a Konica Hexar RF paired with the Leica Summilux 24mm f1.4 ASPH lens and Reflx Lab 800 film. Forcing a temporary departure from traditional 35mm or 50mm lenses, the reviewer notes that the 24mm focal length is ideal for capturing a dense, layered cityscape without suffering from the extreme geometric distortions of ultra-wide glass. The core of the review emphasizes utilizing the wide perspective to maximize dramatic leading lines, leverage environmental atmosphere (such as heavy rain and neon lighting), and carefully stack distinct visual layers between the foreground and background. The review highlights several critical pros and cons regarding the Leica 24mm Summilux: Pros: Immersive Wide Field: Captures vast scenes, natural symmetry, and a strong sense of place while retaining distinct visual depth. Cinematic Low-Light Shooting: The ultra-fast f/1.4 aperture serves as a distinct night photography advantage under limited light conditions. Rich Framing Potential: Allows close-proximity shooting to emphasize main subjects within their surrounding context. Cons: Subject Distortion: The subject can easily...