Leica Summicron-M 90mm f/2 III Type 1

Leica Summicron-M 90mm f/2 II Type 1

For decades the fast 90mm slot in the Leica M lineup was filled by the Summicron-M 90mm f/2, a moderate telephoto carried under order numbers 11136 (black) and 11137. It sits between the lighter, slower 90mm Elmarit-M and Tele-Elmarit-M designs and the later APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH that eventually replaced it, and it was the speed champion of Leica's M 90mm range during its production life [3]. Its optical layout uses five elements in four groups, and the barrel carries an eleven-blade diaphragm, a comparatively high blade count that keeps the aperture opening close to circular through the range.

Like the other M 90mm lenses of its era, this Summicron was a product of Leica's Canadian optical design tradition associated with Walter Mandler, whose team in Midland, Ontario worked on the M 90mm family [1]. The lens couples to the rangefinder for accurate focusing and focuses down to one metre, with a manual, click-stopped diaphragm in the classic mechanical Leitz style. It is a relatively heavy lens for its size at around 410 g, reflecting an all-metal build, and mounts on the standard Leica M bayonet. The design predates Leica's six-bit lens coding, so it carries no factory coding and is identified instead by its inscription and serial number.

The Summicron-M 90mm f/2 was offered in black, with chrome finishes appearing on related and successor variants in the broader 90mm family [2]. Because Leica reused the basic 90mm Summicron name across very different optical generations, buyers should be careful to distinguish the earlier non-aspherical Summicron-M from the later, optically distinct APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH; the two are not the same lens despite sharing focal length and maximum aperture.

Optical qualities

Rendering

Documentation specific to this exact non-aspherical Summicron-M is limited in the sources retrieved here, so detailed, repeatable rendering claims should be treated with caution. In the context of Leica's Mandler-era M 90mm lenses, these telephotos are generally regarded as capable performers with smooth out-of-focus rendering well suited to portraits, and reviewers note that good examples deliver high image quality across the aperture range. As with other lenses of the period, decentring from age or handling can show up as one-sided softness at wide apertures and infinity, which is a condition worth checking rather than a characteristic of the design.

History

Development and Launch

The fast 90mm Summicron-M descends from Leica's long-running effort to offer a high-speed short telephoto for the M rangefinder. Leica's 90mm M lenses of this generation were developed through the company's Canadian operation, with Walter Mandler central to the family of designs that included the Elmarit-M and Tele-Elmarit-M as the slower, more compact options and the Summicron as the fast alternative. Across that range the Summicron-M 90mm f/2 represented the maximum-aperture choice for available-light and portrait work.

Collector Notes

When evaluating an example, confirm the lens is the non-aspherical Summicron-M rather than the later APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH, since both occupy the same focal length and speed but are different designs with different value. Check the front and rear elements for haze and cleaning marks, and test for decentring by examining sharpness at the edges wide open at distance, a known failure mode on older M 90mm lenses. Verify the order number and inscription against the finish, and note that this generation carries no factory six-bit coding. One discrepancy is worth flagging: LeicaLensList's confirmed record for this entry lists a maximum aperture of f/2.8, whereas the Summicron name and the 11136/11137 order numbers correspond to an f/2 lens; the verified database value should be taken as authoritative for cataloguing purposes, and prospective buyers should confirm the actual marked aperture on the barrel.