Leica Summarit-M 35mm f/2.5

Great lens that will surprise with its sharpness, weight, and low cost! This is a great little lens, despite what Leica snobs such as Ken Rockwell write. He's even admitted that he hasn't even tried them ("I haven't used this new lens, but the other Summarit-M lens I used had superb optical quality with sub-par mechanical quality. I wouldn't buy one of these") yet he dismisses them as "discount" lenses suitable only for Zeiss and cheap Voigtlander cameras. Steve Huff, on the other hand, has used them and found them to be great little lenses. I agree - I also have a 75mm f2.5 Summarit and it's as good as the 35. The trade off in speed (f2.0 versus f2.5) from the Summicron is not a factor for me. The Summarit is sharp as a tack, lightweight and small. But then again, I use a film camera that Rockwell does not recommend, the M5. The M5 is a great camera: the meter is spot-on, the weight and size feel good to me (If you want a tiny camera, try the iiig or the iiic) and I like the black chrome. Sure my outfit is a less-expensive alternative to the usual M6, M7, M8/ Summicron setup, but I don't think I am missing anything - at all.Read full review

Perfect Leica's Summarit line of "budget" lenses is simply superb. They're light and small, perfect for street and casual shooting without the weight and "bulk" of the faster, but pricier, Summilux and Summicron lines. The Summarit-M 35mm is a perfect example. Like all Leica lenses it's razor sharp. It has a very nice bokeh, high color contrast (higher than the 'Lux 35), and is very small and light. Grab one if you can. It will rarely be off your camera.

Compact, excellent performer The Summarit line of lenses are Leica M budget lenses. But they serve with outsize value. With digital cameras improving their high ISO image quality, the f2.5 max aperture is longer a hindrance. Sharpness, color rendition and bokeh are worthy of the brand.