Leica's upcoming Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH lens has seemingly been leaked… by Leica itself! This new 35mm lens is set to replace the popular 35mm lens that's currently available for M series cameras.
Previous rumors been suggesting that Leica was planning an update to the original 35mm M lens. However, these leaked images seem to essentially confirm Leica's plans.
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The current Leica 35mm f/2.0 is one of the most popular M lenses, with its compact size and unique rendering making it a firm favorite for many Leica shooters. One of the commonly discussed downsides of the lens is that the images can be a little soft when the lens is being used wide open. With higher resolution M cameras, such as the Leica M10-R, being released, this means that the current 35mm f/2.0 lens might not be quite up to scratch.
The leaked image of the rumored Leica 35mm f/2.0 lens shows a few key differences. For instance, the leaked image of the lens doesn't have the classic red dot and it also doesn't show any finger protrusion on the focus ring. This protrusion is designed to make it easier to use the focusing ring with a single finger.
However, the most notable difference is the addition of the letters APO on the lens. This indicates that the upcoming 35mm f/2.0 lens will be an apochromatic lens. APO lenses are more capable when it comes to minimizing chromatic aberrations in images, so this lens is likely to offer better image quality for the user.
While some aspects might be changing, it does seem that this new 35mm f/2.0 will still be a compact piece of glass. The E39 text on the lens means that the filter thread size will remain 39mm, indicating that we hopefully won't see any significant increases in size.
While Leica's leak has given us a better idea of what the Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH lens will look like, we still don't have many concrete details. We'll have to wait for official specifications when the lens is finally released.