Thypoch Simera 50mm f/1.4 ASPH

The Thypoch Simera 50mm f/1.4 ASPH is a manual-focus prime for photographers who like to work slowly and deliberately. It suits street scenes, portraits and everyday shooting in natural light. Thypoch launched this design in 2024, and it remains in production. It gives manual-focus shooters a new fast normal prime option.

It comes in Leica M, Fujifilm X and Nikon Z versions, and each one covers a full-frame sensor. Pick the version made for your camera system. The main trade-off is focus: you set it by hand every time. Fast-moving subjects are hard work, while still scenes reward the care.

The Leica M version weighs 9.9 oz (280 g) and measures 2.13 in (54 mm) across and 2.09 in (53 mm) long. It is small and light enough to carry all day. A screw-in filter attaches directly to the front, and on this version it must match the 49mm thread. Other mount versions differ in these measurements.

At 50mm on a full-frame sensor, this lens frames street scenes and portraits at a natural working distance. You can fill a doorway from across a street, or hold a seated subject from a few steps back. The specification score for optics is 75/100.

The f/1.4 aperture is the main draw. Wide open, it gathers much more light than a typical f/2.8 zoom, so dim interiors and evening streets need lower ISO settings. Depth of field also narrows sharply. At f/1.4, a portrait subject stands clear of a busy background, with sharpness held in a thin band. Stopping down a little deepens that band when you need both eyes sharp.

The aperture uses fourteen blades. They help the opening stay round when you stop down, which tends to smooth out-of-focus highlights. Lamps and window lights behind a subject tend to render as gentle discs rather than hard shapes.

The Leica M version focuses as close as 1.5 ft (45 cm). That covers head-and-shoulder portraits and cafe tables well.

Focusing is entirely manual. You turn the ring by eye, or lean on your camera's focusing aids. This pace suits stationary subjects and a measured way of working. Fast action is a poor match.

There is no built-in stabilisation. At f/1.4, you often have shutter speed to spare in dim light. When light falls further, steady hands, higher ISO or a support carry the shot. A monopod helps on long evening shoots.

The lens also has no weather sealing. Keep it under cover in rain, and take care with dust on sandy or gritty ground. A soft pouch in your bag adds simple protection.

Inside are eight elements in six groups. One aspherical element has a specially shaped surface that helps correct optical faults such as distortion, where straight edges appear curved. One low-dispersion element helps reduce chromatic aberration, the colored fringes that can appear along high-contrast edges. On a backlit portrait, those edges are where fringes would show first.