Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. close-focus / FLE II

Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. (FLE II)

Announced by Leica in September 2022, this lens is a thorough mechanical reworking of the long-running 35mm Summilux-M f/1.4 ASPH. rather than a new optical design. It carries over the proven optical formula of the 2010 floating-element (FLE) version while adding the close-focusing capability and updated handling that newer M and SL bodies made worthwhile [1][2]. Within the M lineup it sits as the flagship fast 35, one stop quicker than the APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. that pioneered the same focusing mechanism.

The most significant change is the focusing system. Like the 35mm APO-Summicron, the lens uses a newly developed patent-pending double-cam unit that allows focusing down to 0.4 m, well past the 0.7 m limit imposed by the rangefinder coupling. The focus throw is roughly doubled to about 176 degrees, with a clearly felt detent at 0.7 m; beyond that point the rangefinder can no longer measure distance, so focusing relies on live view, an electronic viewfinder, or the Leica Fotos app. The optical layout retains nine elements in five groups with aspherical surfaces and the floating element of the earlier FLE, the lens is six-bit coded for digital M bodies, and it focuses through normal rangefinder coupling within the usual range. Compared with the previous version, the screw-in hood is replaced by a built-in retractable, twist-out circular shade, which trims the bulk when the hood is stowed.

The lens is offered in black and silver anodised finishes that weigh the same, carrying model numbers 11726 and 11727 respectively. Because it shares the optical formula and overall proportions of the older 35mm FLE, the two are easy to confuse from a distance, the close-focus version being marginally longer and slightly thicker, with the new collapsible hood the clearest external tell.

Optical qualities

Rendering Since the FLE II reuses the established 35mm FLE optical design, its rendering closely follows that of the earlier lens, with the practical gain being much closer focusing for environmental and near-portrait work. Independent testing describes good sharpness overall and well-polished aspherical elements, while noting that correction of chromatic aberration, coma, flare and distortion is only average and that vignetting is high wide open [3].

Sharpness Detailed testing reports strong central sharpness wide open, but a pronounced midzone dip means the lens needs to be stopped down to around f/5.6 for very good performance across the whole frame.

Distortion and vignetting The same testing notes heavy light falloff at wide apertures, compounded on digital M bodies by forced in-camera vignetting and color-shift corrections that can introduce a corner color cast of their own.

History

Development and Launch The Summilux name has anchored Leica's fast lens line since the 50mm Summilux of the late 1950s, and the first 35mm Summilux, the so-called steel rim, arrived in 1961 and remains sought after by collectors. An aspherical 35mm f/1.4 followed in 1991 with two aspherical elements in a difficult-to-manufacture, low-volume run, replaced in 1994 by the single-aspherical 35mm Summilux ASPH., which was prone to focus shift. To address that, Leica introduced a floating-element design in 2010, widely called the 35 FLE, which became a mainstay of many M kits for over a decade. The 2022 close-focus model, informally the FLE II, keeps that optical recipe but modernizes the mechanics for cameras with live view and electronic finders.

Production Evolution The changes from the previous FLE are mechanical rather than optical: the patent-pending double-cam focusing unit enabling 0.4 m close focus, a longer focus throw, and the switch from a screw-in hood to a built-in retractable shade. The lens entered production in 2021 to 2022 and remains current, sold in black and silver.

Special editions No major factory special variants of this close-focus version are widely documented beyond the standard black (11726) and silver (11727) finishes.

Collector Notes Buyers should distinguish the close-focus FLE II from the earlier 35mm FLE, which looks very similar but lacks the 0.4 m focusing and the integrated twist-out hood. The black and silver versions correspond to model numbers 11726 and 11727. One point worth flagging: several reviews and Leica's own announcement describe an eleven-blade aperture for this generation, whereas LeicaLensList records nine blades for this entry, so prospective buyers may wish to verify the diaphragm count against the specific sample and documentation.