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Leica 35mm f/2.5 Summarit-S ASPH

Leica 35mm f/2.5 Summarit-S ASPH

The Leica 35mm f/2.5 Summarit-S ASPH is the (only) wide angle lens for the S2 as of July 2010, equivalent to a 28mm lens on a full-frame 36X24mm DSLR.

With medium format cameras, wide angle lenses are hard to come by, but with the S2’s 45mm X 30mm sensor, one can reasonably expect that a ~26mm lens might eventually emerge (eg 21mm equivalent).

Leica states that the 35/2.5 “operates practically without distortion”, which to me means less than 0.5% distortion, but to Leica might mean up to 2%. No distortion graph is provided.

Standard 82mm filters are usable, the same size used by the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II and Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon.

It seems likely that Leica will bring a wider angle lens to the market than the 35mm, perhaps a ~26mm lens (21mm equivalent). I’d also hope to see a 45mm lens (equivalent to 35mm on a 35mm camera).

Specifications

Nominal, per Leica.

Close-focus capability is adequate, but the 1:11 reproduction ratio does reduce the versatility for enjoyable close-range shooting.

Specifications for Leica 70mm f/2.5 Summarit-S ASPH
Item Value
Focal length 35mm (nominal), equivalent to 28mm in 35mm terms
Lens construction 11 elements in 9 groups with rear group focusing and 2 aspherical surfaces, five special glass elements with anomalous partial dispersion
Focusing range: 21.7" = 55cm
Smallest object field: 1:11 reproduction ratio
Item Angle of view 75°, 65°, 46°
Diaphragm: f/2.5 - f/22
Filters: 82mm
Dimensions 88mm diameter X 122mm long
3.46 X 4.8 inches
Weight 930g / 32.8 oz (1080g / 38.1 oz for CS version)

MTF

Wide open at f/2.5, performance is very high over the central 1/2 of the frame, declining gracefully to the corners. The decline to the corners is likely due to field curvature. Stopping down to f/5.6 does improve performance slightly in mid zones, and significantly at frame edge and corners, though the oddball graph confuses the issue.

The MTF charts shows that one cannot expect the same level of performance approaching the edges and corners as with the 70mm f/2.5, at least not on a planar (flat) subject. But it is stil a very high level of performance overall, and real performance might actually be higher, just not on a flat plane of focus.

Mouse over to compare f/5.6.

MTF for Leica 35mm f/2.5 Summarit-S ASPH

Learning more

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