Leica Summicron 50mm f2

Inspector’s condition notes

This lens is a flagship model from the early era of Leica. It has very high sharpness, with bokeh that renders like an oil painting — capable of separating the foreground and background in a 3D-like manner. This is truly the signature bokeh unique to Leica. The lens is collapsible, but you must extend it every time before shooting, otherwise the image will be blurred. It has an infinity lock. This is another lens that vintage lens enthusiasts long to own. The front lens element is made of Rare Earth (rare mineral) Lanthanum, which has properties that help control specific characteristics of light, making it easier to design premium-grade lenses, widely used in telescopes and some Leica lenses. However, this comes with the trade-off of its softness — if wiped or cleaned improperly, it can easily cause scratches. As for this particular lens, there are slight cleaning marks on the front lens element that you need to look carefully to see. They do not affect the image. No fungus, no haze, no scratches on the rear element. The focus and aperture glide smoothly like a new lens. Internal components are solid, with no sound of internal elements shifting around. The external condition of the lens body still looks very new for a lens that is over 50 years old.

How this lens renders

Compared to the 50mm Leica Summicron-M f/2 of the same spec, this one is the gold standard of the industry. Compact, with rock-solid build quality, and delivering sharpness wide open without needing any aspherical or apochromatic lens elements. Wide open at f/2, it's nearly sharp across the full frame, with just a touch of softness at the corners. Stop down to f/2.8–f/4 and the corners sharpen up completely, while the center is tack-sharp at every setting. Bokeh dissolves the background smoothly for the most part. In certain lighting with highlights in the background, you'll see soap-bubble bokeh — a signature character. Colors are rich and saturated, contrast comes through naturally without overdoing it, and vignetting is minimal. A workhorse manual focus lens that delivers both sharpness and character in one package. Ideal for anyone looking for 50mm a reference-grade standard — well worth adding to a collection.

In the box

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Honest disclosure