Are you a Leica fan? Are you looking for the best 50 mm Prime Lenses for Leica M Mount? You would then indeed be looking for Leica lenses. If you are finding it difficult to find the best lenses for Leica M Mount camera, we must say you have chosen the right path. We would want to make your life a little easy and let you find a few good options for your need.
Best 50 mm Prime Lenses for Leica M Mount
We have listed a few good lenses for your need on Leica M Mount cameras. Of course, Leica comes with their own lenses, but Leica isn’t the only one when it comes to the manufacturing of M Mount Lenses. In fact, the lenses from Leica themselves are quite expensive, and that is precisely why you would need to look elsewhere for the glasses of your expensive camera.
Here we go with the select few lenses for your Leica M Mount Camera.
The Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f 2.0 ASPH
Price: [amazon_link asins=’B01JKMRS9O’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’74ef3936-3f23-11e8-88b4-87505b69b3e3′]
The lenses have been known for providing excellent performance. The Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH is not an exception, but they are quite costly.
The performance is par excellence though. They offer you a sharp edge to edge clarity. The lenses do not distort the image you are shooting.
The Pros
- Sharper edge to edge performance.
- Built-in hood should be an added advantage
- There is no chromatic aberration observed at all.
The Cons
- Expensive
- The lenses offer manual focus alone.
If you are looking for the best lens that money can buy in the 50 mm genre, this is the one you would go for.
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 2/50 ZM
Price: [amazon_link asins=’B000MT1GM0′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ac4ea360-3f23-11e8-94d4-9516ad6f9a72′]
This one is designed for softer and low contrast images; the lenses come with the maximum aperture. While they work best for the M Mount cameras, they are equally well suited for the other mirrorless cameras as well.
The Pros
- Best performance regarding sharpness.
- Maximum aperture ensures softer shots.
- All metal build ensures durability.
The Cons
- A little distortion
- Does not come with a lens hood
- Can only be used for manual focus
It can be an excellent option for the standard angle lens for your needs. If you have no issues concerning the slight distortion, you can go for it.
Zeiss ZM Sonnar 50 f 1.5
Price: [amazon_link asins=’B001AM3PRW’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ef922e3f-3f23-11e8-b341-f9fa6daf30b9′]
The Zeiss ZM Sonnar 50f1.5 is indeed the fastest regarding performance. Photographers claim it to have a romantic side to it. The lens offers high contrast sharpness.
The Pros
- Sharper in the center.
- Great bokeh effect
- Excellent rendering of ODF areas.
The Cons
- Closest possible is one meter
- No built-in hood
The lens comes with beautiful rendering. If you are into more exceptional portraits, the lens should be the best options.
Leica Summilux ASPH 50 f1.4 (Lux 50)
Price: [amazon_link asins=’B00422GVSC’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7b9f61b2-3f26-11e8-8b2c-afc942878ea2′]
Well known for the best optical performance, the Leica Summilux ASPH 50f1.4 (Lux 50) should be the best for sharper images. Minimal or no chromatic aberration is yet another feature that would make it an exceptional option.
The Pros
- Comes with a built-in hood
- Edge to edge sharpness.
The Cons
- The lenses are a little bigger than most counterparts.
- Lower contrast.
It would offer you a sharper image, but if you are ready for experimentation with low contrast – it can be a good option.
Leica Noctilux 50 f 0.95
Price: [amazon_link asins=’B001IKEX68′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ba092a42-3f26-11e8-8a05-753ee4ec386b’]
The low light photography at its best – that is exactly what we can say about the Leica Noctilux 50 f 0.95. But, being specifically designed for nightlife shots, the lens needs you to practice quite to a good degree so that you can get used.
The Pros
- The best in class edge to edge sharpness performance.
- It does separate the background from the subject entirely.
The Cons
- The closest focus you can opt for is just one meter.
- The lens is quite expensive
- A little heavy to handle.
The best performance lens works an excellent option if you are in the night or low light photography. However, inability to focus beyond one meter can be a concern.
Russian Jupiter 3 50 f1.5
The lens is equivalent to looks and functionality to Zeiss Sonnar lens. In fact, photographers call it a Zeiss Sonnar Clone.
The Pros
- The lenses are quite cheaper options.
- Value for money features
- Better contrast and better sharpness.
The Cons
- Cannot focus closer than one meter.
- Soft focus issues
- There are a few cases of flare.
If you are into nature photography and looking the best lens for both subtle portraits – this can be your best option for all those needs.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1
Price: [amazon_link asins=’B075N3MM83′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’0810e71a-3f27-11e8-882c-2b3dbed4a8fe’]
It is a high capacity lens for Leica M Mount cameras and can be your best bet for the best bokeh features. The beautiful image quality and complete control over shots are what would make it an excellent option.
The Pros
- Very beautiful and excellent bokeh effect.
- Quite ergonomics design.
- Very much affordable.
The Cons
- There are a few holes in the focusing ring, creating chances of impurities getting in.
All metal body should indeed be the good news for those looking for the best lenses. Except for the holes in the focusing ring, rest of the features make it stronger and sturdy.
In Conclusion
Which one among those lenses is your favorite? We considered all of them since they do a great job, except for the fact that some of them are costlier, but our vote goes for the Leica lenses. They are made for the camera in question and rightly “understand” the requirements of your camera in a better way than the counterparts. However, the expensive price tag is what would make it a little out of reach for most of us camera buffs.
However, that does not leave aside the other able options we have included in this compilation. They too tend to be compelling enough and can replace the Leica lenses to a considerable extent. Among the other lenses we have featured in our collection, we would consider the Zeiss lenses to be quite useful in what they are capable of.
Which one among the Leica M Mount lenses we have featured here would you opt for? Share your thoughts and opinions with us so that it would help our readers in making a learned choice.