Leica 50mm f/2 Summicron-M

This Summicron is a 50mm f/2 prime for Leica M cameras, covering full frame. A 50mm lens frames people and scenes much as you see them, so it suits street, travel and documentary work. It also works for portraits taken at a talking distance. A single focal length keeps your framing consistent from picture to picture.

Leica introduced this lens in 2016, and it remains in production. The main trade-off is focusing. The lens offers no autofocus, so you turn the focusing ring yourself. In return, the body stays very small and light. That keeps the camera unobtrusive on the street.

The lens weighs 8.5 oz (240 g), with a body 2.09 in (53 mm) wide and 1.73 in (44 mm) long. That makes it compact for a full-frame 50mm lens. A polariser or ND filter screws straight on, provided it matches the 39mm thread.

With a fixed 50mm view, you change framing by moving rather than zooming. That habit suits street and documentary shooting, where you step in or back for each picture. The view is neither wide nor tight, so it serves single figures, pairs and general scenes. You soon learn where to stand for each frame.

The maximum aperture of f/2 admits enough light for dim interiors, evening streets and restaurants without flash. It also separates a subject from a busy background at portrait distance. The aperture uses 8 blades, which helps the opening keep an even shape as it closes, smoothing the out-of-focus areas in a portrait.

Closest focus sits at 3 ft (90 cm). You can frame a head and shoulders comfortably from there. Maximum magnification is 0.09x.

Focusing is manual only. A stationary subject, such as someone seated or a shopfront, is straightforward. A child running or a dancer mid-move asks more of you, since you must judge distance and turn the ring in time. Pre-setting the ring to a chosen distance helps on a busy street. On our specification measures, this lens scores 69 for optics.

There is no image stabilization in this lens. Any control of camera shake comes from the camera body or from your own steady hands. Working at f/2 also allows a faster shutter speed in dim light, which limits shake. In very low light, rest the camera on a table edge, a wall or a similar support. A support steadies the camera; it does not freeze a moving subject.

The lens is not weather sealed, so it needs care in rain, dust or spray at the coast. There is no fluorine coating either, so the front glass does not shed water or oil on its own. A lens cloth in your pocket covers most of this.

The optical design uses 6 elements in 4 groups. None of them are aspherical, and none use low-dispersion or other special glass. That is a simple layout for a full-frame 50mm prime. It fits the short, light body and keeps the handling compact on the camera.