LEICA-D-Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH for 4/3rds format

What is it made of and who makes it...?

Somewhere in the deepest corners of my Leica reference archives is a letter from the Solms Leica-R production department responding to a query I made more than a decade past concerning the use of high grade plastic and polycarbonate components in their R type slr cameras. Basically, the letter infers that Leica did not (at the time) use plastic components in the manufacture of its slr cameras, concluding with "our customers do not like it."

Nowadays, expectation values and just about any other notion one might care to mention in the context of series (not to mention, mass.) production, has been swept under the carpet of normality. Customers who know about these things, purchase new toys under some kind of reluctant and often, unspoken sufferance, musing perhaps, 'that things ain't what they used to be.' But hey, plastic has been with us for yonks. It can be moulded, milled, machined, polished to very fine tolerances, except when you look at the finer detail under a microscope and find that somehow, it simply doesn't match the finished quality that can be obtained from metal. And to my eyes, polish or no polish, the finished article simply doesn't look right or feel right in the hand. A camera dealer's observation that, 'it's all part of the world we live in now.', simply doesn't wash. It may be so, but I don't buy into it for the simple reason that it doesn't always have to be this way.

When the Panasonic Lumix L1 (Digilux 3) was launched a few months back, I had a short hands-on opportunity to discuss the product and give it a whirl. The body form (of the L1) is elegant and nicely made from moulded magnesium; it feels good in the hand. On the inside, many plastic components are used and some of these are visible from the outside when the lens is removed. The Olympus supplied mirror box unit for example, looks lightweight (probably as it should be), assembled with plastic levers. It all seemed to work, effortlessly and quietly.

But when it came to the much touted LEICA badged zoom lens offered as part of the kit, the finish on the polycarbonate moulded lens barrel contrasted poorly with the camera body. Again, it all worked as it was supposed to and while I was shooting with the camera, the fact that Panasonic had selected polycarbonate over metal for the lens barrel was not anywhere on my agenda. It's only before or afterwards, as some photographers are prone to do, that one thinks about these things.

Olympus have made great play of the fact that all of their 4/3rds lens barrels are precisely machined from lightweight aluminium. Why did they choose that material and not polycarbonate? Why, because they know from a lot of experience of interaction with photographers who use their kit, that this is what the customer prefers. You can argue the toss all day long about the benefits of polycarb, durability et al., it means nothing to someone who perceives a higher value in all respects is obtained from the use of metal.

Now, a new 4/3rds lens has been launched with the LEICA name on it.



I have not had the opportunity of handling it, so cannot say if this too has a polycarbonate outer barrel. In any event, the issue will matter not to those who want it. What is quite interesting according to the legend carried on one diagram of the objective configuration, is that some of the glass for this Leica design appears to have been supplied by Sigma and Olympus. I suspect, but do not know for sure, that it is manufactured to very strict tolerances in Panasonic's Yamagata lens facility, set up some time ago with the assistance of Leica Camera Ag. A few images of the inside of the plant are included with this post. Further posts on the Yamagata lens plant are due to follow this shortly. If you are subscribed to this blogsite, you will be automatically notified of new postings.



The new lens features 10 lens elements in 9 groups and includes one large-diameter aspherical lens. Outstanding brightness is claimed at the maximum aperture of f/1.4 along with exceptional optical performance. The use of one Super ED lens and three ED lenses suppresses chromatic aberration, minimizing image color fringing while a floating focus system permits macro imaging at the closest focus distance of 38 cm. A manual aperture control ring on the lens barrel is designed to appeal to users who want a higher level of operating control.



Lens construction = 10 elements in 9groups
Closest focusing distance = 0.38m / 14.96in
Maximum image magnification = Apporox. 0.18x (35mm film camera equivalent)
Filter size = 62mm
Dimensions =?77.7mm / 3.06in
Weight = 525g / 18.5oz
Accessories = Lens Cap, Lens Hood, Lens Rear Cap, Lens Storage Bag

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