Leica Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6

Leica Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6

Few modern Leica lenses look back as deliberately as the Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6. Reintroduced in 2016, it is a faithful M-bayonet remake of a 1950s screw-mount wide-angle, and Leica positions it as the smallest lens in the M system, measuring under two centimetres in length [1]. The point of the lens is not speed or resolution but discretion and the rendering of its predecessor: Leica states that the original optical formula was carried over unchanged, preserving an image character it describes as difficult to replicate digitally.

Optically the lens uses six elements arranged in four groups in a symmetrical layout that mirrors the historical design. The modern version differs from the vintage lens chiefly at the mount: it carries the M bayonet and a built-in identification code so the camera can recognise it, where the original was a screw-mount lens that needed an adapter on an M body[2]. Handling is classic rangefinder fare, with an all-metal barrel, a clear depth-of-field scale, a focusing tab, and a one-metre close-focus limit; the broad depth of field at f/5.6 suits hyperfocal and zone shooting. Because the barrel is so short, photographers should watch that fingertips do not stray into the frame, an observation noted by users of both the old and new versions. Each lens is made in Wetzlar and keeps the traditional screw fitting for its round hood.

The standard finish is silver chrome (model 11695). Leica also produced a matte black paint version (model 11928) as a limited edition of 500 units [3]. Both share the round brass lens hood, which Leica says reproduces the historical hood's design and manufacturing process: it is milled from solid brass and then bent to shape, with grooves machined into the interior to control stray light. The hood is a meaningful detail for buyers, since on the vintage lens the equivalent SOOBK hood is itself scarce and sought after.

Optical qualities

Rendering The Summaron-M is valued for a gentle, period-correct look rather than clinical performance. Leica characterises it as having subtle contrast and natural vignetting, and that vignetting at the widest aperture is one of the lens's recurring signatures in use. Reviewers describe contrast as natural but defined and report that the lens sharpens up and produces clean, low-distortion images when stopped well down [4]. Falloff and the occasional colour shift toward the edges, traits inherited from the original optical design, can be corrected in software when shooting digitally.

Distortion and vignetting Vignetting is pronounced at f/5.6 and is widely treated as part of the lens's intended character; stopping down reduces it, and distortion is reported to be very low.

History

Development and Launch The lens that this remake honours was a screw-mount 2.8cm f/5.6 Summaron introduced in 1955 to replace the older 2.8cm f/6.3 Hektor. Because its maximum aperture was only f/5.6, Leica could keep the optical block flat and the barrel compact. Production of the original ran until 1963, and with only a few thousand examples made it became a comparatively rare and expensive collector item. In 2016 Leica revived the design as the M-mount Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6, marketing it as an authentic continuation rather than a retro tribute, with the original formula retained and the body pared back to essentials.

Production Evolution The principal change from the historical lens is the move from the screw mount to the M bayonet with built-in lens recognition, which lets a modern M body apply the appropriate frame lines and corrections. The optical formula of six elements in four groups was kept, so the rendering is meant to track the 1950s lens closely.

Special editions Beyond the standard silver chrome lens (11695), Leica offered a matte black paint finish (11928) as a limited run of 500 units. No other major factory variants of the modern Summaron-M are widely documented.

Collector Notes Buyers should confirm which finish they are looking at, since the matte black paint edition is the limited version and trades differently from the regular silver chrome lens. The brass screw-in hood is part of the package and is worth checking for presence and condition. Care should be taken not to confuse the modern M-mount Summaron-M with the original 1955 to 1963 screw-mount 2.8cm f/5.6 Summaron, which is a separate, vintage lens with its own collector market and its own rare SOOBK hood. One point worth flagging: Leica's product materials describe the modern lens as carrying 6-bit coding on the M bayonet, while LeicaLensList records the six-bit coding field as not confirmed for this entry; prospective buyers may wish to verify coding on the specific copy.