Leica Noctilux-M 35 mm f/1.2: New camera lens is made in Germany and supposed to outperform Summilux
Since the launch of the 50 mm f/1.2 Leica Noctilux lens back in 1966, Leica has offered some of the fastest lenses in the world with the Noctilux line. Leica is now adding a third lens to the 50 mm f/0.95 and the 75 mm f/1.25 Noctilux, namely the 35 mm f/1.2 Noctilux-M. This is the first time Leica has offered a Noctilux wide-angle lens.
The design strongly resembles the 35 mm f/1.4 Summilux. With a length of 50.2 mm and a diameter of 64.6 mm, the Noctilux is slightly larger, the filter thread diameter increases from 46 to 49 mm, and the weight increases by 23% to 14.7 oz. That’s arguably a small price to pay for a lens that is half a stop faster or 50% more light-sensitive.
The high weight is due to the complex construction with ten elements in five groups, including three elements with aspherical surfaces and a floating element. The latter is designed to ensure high image quality even when focusing at short distances, as the Noctilux has a minimum focus distance of 0.5 meters instead of the 0.7 meters in the Leica M system.
As Leica’s MTF curves show, the brand-new Noctilux is significantly sharper wide open than the Summilux at f/1.4. However, since the edges of the image never become truly sharp even when stopped down, the Leica APO-Summicron-M 35 mm f/2.0 remains the better choice when the higher speed is not needed. Distortion is moderate, while vignetting of around three stops is severe, which is also typical of fast Leica M lenses where compact dimensions are prioritized to avoid obstructing the rangefinder. The camera lens is made in Germany, and production tolerances are said to be below 3 nm per millimeter.
Price and availability
The Leica Noctilux-M 1.2/35 ASPH. is now available at Leica’s official online store and authorized retailers at a suggested retail price of $9,650. For comparison, the 35 mm f/1.4 Leica Summilux-M costs $6,415, while the 35 mm f/2 APO-Summicron is offered for $9,090.
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