Light Lens Lab 35mm f1.4 "11873" available for pre-order with discount code "LEICALENSLIST"
Light Lens Lab just released a new lens which is a recreation of the Summilux 35mm f/1.4 AA, known as “Double Aspherical”. Currently available on lightlenslab.com for $1399 (or €1234)
With the discount/coupon code: LEICALENSLIST for another 5% off (which works year-round and for your other lenses, by the way!), bringing the price down to $1329 (or €1172), making this an appealing buy…!
Production is in its final stages, with deliveries for the pre-order period expected between December 2025 and January 2026.
The original
The lens by Leica, “Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH”, often abbreviated as “35 Lux AA” was produced between 1990 and 1994. The “Double Aspherical” referred to the two hand-ground aspherical elements, which was a very impressive feat at the time.
Production
At that time, Leica didn’t have machines that were capable of mass-producing precise aspherical surfaces. Each aspherical element had to be grounded and polished by a master technician, similarly to the 1966 50mm f/1.2 Noctilux, which is also remade by Light Lens Lab (the 50mm f/1.2 ASPH). Each element had to be inspected by using mechanical gauges and optical tests to reach tolerances of only a few microns.
Every lens took many hours (some say days) to make, and the yield rate was low. If an element was off, the entire lens was scrapped.
That’s why:
- Only about 2,000 lenses (some say as few as 1,000–2,500) were ever produced.
- Production was stopped once Leica developed automated methods for shaping a single aspherical surface, leading to the later 35 mm Summilux-M ASPH (with just one molded aspherical element, 1994 onwards).
- This lens costs at least 5 figures due to its rarity. Not exactly cheap!
The Light Lens Lab “11873“‘s rendering - shot on Leica M11
Why is it so special?
In my opinion, this lens is a very good combination of being sharp and corrected, but with a subtle amount of character of which the later Summilux variants lack a bit. That’s why fans really like this lens.
With a weight of 278g it also balances nicely on your Leica M rangefinder, while still having a better corrected lens compared to the Nokton 35mm f/1.4 or the Summilux Steel Rim 35mm f/1.4.
The Light Lens Lab Lens
This reproduction is a faithful homage to the original double aspherical concept while bringing modern advancements in rendering precision, distortion control, and chromatic aberration reduction. That means this lens by Light Lens Lab is not exactly the same, but is improved for modern high resolution sensors.
Light Lens Lab explicitly mentions ED and lanthanide-infused glass to keep the classic “wide open” glow but reduce CA and improve edge behavior on digital. That’s a 2025 design choice; Leica’s didn’t have that. So the LLL version may be a bit cleaner than some original samples.
At least, I really like what they’re doing by making such wonderful designs made by Leica a bit more accessible for the photographer, not the collector.
Testing / review
I will also be testing this lens in the beginning of 2026, after the pre-orders have been shipped. Stay tuned for this review!
Images
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All images in this post are shot on Leica M11
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