Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4
Leica 50mm Summilux-M f/1.4 (non-ASPH)
Leica Xenon f/1.5
Leiac Summarit f/1.5

By: Thorsten Overgaard

Summilux = "Highest light lenses"

"Summilux" refers to the maximum lens aperture - in this case the f/1.4 lenses from Leica. "-lux" means light, and "Summi-" probably comes from Latin summum, meaning "highest." The first Summilux lens introduced was the 1960-model of the 50mm Summilux f/1.4 which was a screw-mount lens (before then the most lightstrong lenses were the 1935-1950 Leica 50mm Xenon f/1.5 lenses), and not till six years later, in 1966, would the Leica marketing department (or whoever make up the names) discover that the "highest light lenses" was surpassed by the even higher light lens, the first Noctilux f/1.2 "Light of the Night" lens.

[This article is in the works and will be expanded over time]

The Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4 in the hands of Birgit Krippner who used to shoot exclusively with this lens.

50mm Summilux-M types

Screw-thread lenses are for Leica II, 250FF, III, 250GG, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IIc, Ic, IIIf, If, IIf, If, IIIg, Ig but can be mounted on Leica M bayonet cameras with an adapter. Everything works as if the lens had a M bayonet mount when the adapter is applied.

The current Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4 is available in both chrome and black.

Proud owner of a Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4, Hans van Dijk from Holland. Palermo, May 2011