Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 I

Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 I

The first Summilux 50mm marked Leica's entry into ultra-fast standard lenses for the rangefinder system, and it had one of the shortest lifespans of any M-mount lens. Introduced in 1959, it stayed in production only about two years before being replaced by a redesigned successor, which makes the original comparatively scarce and a focus of interest for collectors who track the earliest Summilux glass [1][2]. It carried over the f/1.4 maximum aperture that would define the Summilux name, a Latin-derived term meaning maximum light [3].

The lens was developed under Walter Mandler with Erich Wagner and arrived in both the M bayonet and the older Leica screw thread (LTM), so it could be used across both the M cameras and earlier screw-mount Leicas of the period. Built to a 50mm focal length with a fast f/1.4 aperture, it took a 43mm filter and used a multi-element design in five groups. In its M-mount silver chrome form it weighed about 360 grams, with a brass-based barrel that gives the lens noticeable heft. It replaced the earlier 50mm f/1.5 Summarit, offering an updated optical formula in a similar overall layout.

The first version was offered in more than one finish. Most examples were a chrome-plated brass barrel with a scalloped focusing ring, while a black-lacquered version in brass and aluminium was made in very small numbers and is now particularly sought after. Total production of this first design was roughly 19,600 units over its brief run, a small figure by Leica standards. In 1961 it gave way to a revised second version by Mandler that rearranged the cemented elements within the same broad seven-element, five-group framework and changed the barrel materials and focusing ring style; Leica did not publicly acknowledge the redesign until 1968.

Optical qualities

Rendering Documentation of this specific first version is limited, since most published testing concentrates on the longer-lived second version and its descendants. As an early fast standard lens of the late 1950s, it is generally understood to trade some outright sharpness and contrast at full aperture for a soft, glowing rendering wide open that improves on stopping down. Leica's own framing of the modern reissue, which is modeled on the 1959 original, emphasizes the vintage design's drawing character and its bokeh at the f/1.4 aperture rather than clinical resolution. Claims beyond this are not well supported for the first version specifically, so they are best avoided.

History

Development and Launch The Summilux 50mm was launched in 1959 as the first lens to carry the Summilux name, establishing a line that became synonymous with Leica's fastest lenses. It was designed by Walter Mandler together with Erich Wagner and positioned as the high-speed standard lens of the M system, taking over from the 50mm f/1.5 Summarit it replaced.

Production Evolution Production of the first design ran only from 1959 to 1961, an unusually short window. In 1961 Leica introduced a second version, also by Mandler, that kept the same general element count and grouping but altered which elements were cemented and changed the barrel construction and focusing ring. That second configuration, with later updates, remained in production for decades, which makes the original first version a distinct and short-lived chapter rather than the basis for the long-running model.

Special editions No widely documented factory special editions or military or export variants of the first version are recorded beyond the standard chrome and the rare black-lacquered finishes noted above.

Collector Notes Collectors distinguish the first version chiefly by its scalloped focusing ring and early finishes, and by serial number; one reviewer advises that the earliest 1959 to 1961 lenses are externally similar to the later type but use the earlier optical design, and lists a serial cutoff for telling them apart. Originality of finish matters, as the rare black-lacquered brass examples command particular attention and are easy to confuse with later repaints. Buyers should verify mount type (M versus screw), check the glass for haze or cleaning marks given the lens's age, and confirm that hood and caps are correct for the period. Published sources vary on some details: model number 11113 and the second-version chrome and black variants are sometimes tied to the post-1961 redesign in collector writeups, and element counts are reported as either seven or eight depending on how a cemented group is counted, so cross-checking a specific serial number against a reliable database is worthwhile before purchase.