Leica has announced their newest M lens, the revolutionary Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH. A generational leap in performance, this is the fastest 35mm lens in the M-System to date. With a maximum aperture of f/1.2, the lens earns the Noctilux moniker. Additionally, it is the first Noctilux lens to feature close-focusing capabilities, making it an even more versatile tool for image making.
Over 70 years of innovation and state-of-the-art production technologies have been implemented in this lens’s development. The result is a high-precision optic in a compact, portable size. Additionally, this is the first Noctilux lens to feature close-focusing capabilities. With a minimum focusing distance of just 0.5m, the lens not only gives the photographer the ability to get up close looks as small subject matter, but greater subject isolation in the frame.
The 35mm focal length has long been dubbed the “Swiss Army knife” of lenses due to its versatility. It’s a focal length that covers a variety of uses—from landscapes and street photography to travel and environmental portraits. With an incredibly wide maximum aperture, an incredible close focusing distance, a portable design, this versatile 35mm lens is sure to become a staple in many Leica shooters kits. However, its size and close-focusing abilities are only one piece of the puzzle. Where the lens truly soars, is in the image quality it produces.
Its stellar image quality is achieved by the inclusion of special glass materials and aspherical lens elements manufactured using innovative PGM (Precision Glass Molding) technology in a process with tolerances as fine as three nanometers per millimeter of diameter. The subsequent optical design is comprised of ten elements separated into five groups, including three of the aforementioned aspherical lenses, as well as a floating element to ensure consistent quality and performance across the entire focusing range.
It was 1954 when Leica first introduced the M-System. In the 72 years since its conception, the M-System has remained largely the same, retaining much of the tried-and-true mechanical construction the brand is known for while adopting and innovating many modern technologies from high resolution image sensors to content authentication. To fully integrate legacy M lenses into the modern world, owners can have them engraved with the six-bit coding used by modern digital models to recognize the lens type.
As sensor technology continues to advance, the threat of higher and higher megapixel counts looms. The high-resolution sensors that fans crave might just prove to be beyond the wildest dreams of the designer of these original M lenses. That said, lenses from the 1950s seem to be doing just fine on the current 60-megapixel sensor found in the M11-P. Still, what happens when we reach 80 megapixels or 100 megapixels? We don’t know, but in classic Leica fashion, they’re not waiting around to find out.
The Leica Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH lens has been optimized for the latest M-series cameras with high-resolution imaging sensors and beyond, ensuring its longevity within the M ecosystem. We imagine that—just as its predecessors remain in circulation decades after their release—this new addition to their ranks will too.
Leica continues to innovate their highly praised M-system, producing cameras and optics with an unrivaled sense of craftsmanship, and this 35mm lens no exception. To learn more about the Leica Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH, check out the detailed product page.
