Canon 35mm f/1.5

Canon 35mm f/1.5

Among Canon's rangefinder wide-angles, the 35mm f/1.5 stands out for being both unusually fast for its era and comparatively rare. Canon's own museum records that it was marketed in August 1958 at an original price of 35,000 yen, an ambitious figure that helps explain why it was produced in far smaller numbers than the company's slower 35mm lenses [1][2]. It uses an eight-element, four-group optical layout, a complex design for a 1950s wide-angle and one reflecting the difficulty of correcting a 35mm focal length at such a large aperture. Because so few were built compared with the 35mm f/1.8, f/2 and f/2.8, the lens has a reputation as a sought-after item among Leica thread-mount collectors.

The lens is a compact all-metal unit in the Leica screw mount (LTM / M39), with rangefinder coupling so it focuses correctly on Leica and Canon screw-mount bodies, and it adapts readily to Leica M and to mirrorless cameras through simple adapters[3]. It carries a ten-blade diaphragm that stops down to f/22, focuses to one metre, and takes 48mm filters, according to Canon's published specifications. Users describe the aperture ring and focusing as smooth in good examples, and the small barrel handles comfortably on both vintage rangefinders and modern bodies.

Documentation and version history for this lens are thin, in part because of its low production. No widely documented optical reformulation, mount change or major finish variant is recorded for it in the sources consulted, so most surviving examples appear to share the same basic configuration.

Optical qualities

Rendering Reliable published analysis of this lens is limited, and one user who reviewed it noted how little had been written about it. The available first-hand account describes a rendering that clearly reflects its late-1950s design when used wide open: it is not clinically sharp by modern standards, with the centre sharpest and softening toward the edges, and at f/1.5 in bright light bright or white edges can show some blooming. Contrast is described as relatively low, which is typical of vintage coatings of this period, while purple chromatic aberration was reported as not noticeable. Stopped down, the lens is said to become quite sharp. Overall the rendering is best regarded as characterful rather than corrected, and individual condition will strongly affect results.

History

Development and Launch Canon introduced the 35mm f/1.5 in August 1958 as part of its rangefinder lens line for Leica thread-mount cameras, including its own VT and later screw-mount bodies. At launch it sat at the top of Canon's 35mm offerings in terms of speed, above the more affordable f/1.8, f/2 and f/2.8 versions, and its high price restricted sales. The eight-element, four-group construction was Canon's answer to the optical demands of a fast moderate wide-angle in the rangefinder era.

Special editions No major factory special editions, military or export variants of this lens are widely documented in the sources consulted.

Collector Notes Scarcity is the defining trait for collectors: comparatively few were made, which skews prices upward and makes clean examples harder to find than the company's slower 35mm lenses. Because it is a fast 1950s design, condition matters more than usual; buyers should check the aperture and focus action, both of which are praised on good copies. Some collectors discuss whether certain fast Canon rangefinder optics of this period used thoriated (radioactive) glass, with a yellow cast cited as a possible indicator, but this remains a point of debate rather than a confirmed fact for this specific lens, so any such claim should be verified on the individual example rather than assumed [4]. As with most LTM lenses, it is worth confirming that the mount, filter thread and any caps or hood are correct and undamaged before purchase.