leica 28mm 1.4 lens coming soon?

[stump4545]

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any clue if Leica is going to release an M-Lens 28mm 1.4 anytime soon or not really?

[nelly]

I think I read somewhere that a 28mm Summilux may be a problem due to viewfinder blockage, not a problem with wider lenses where an external viewfinder is used

Personally I am content with my wonderful 28mm Summicron.

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[marknorton]

I'd be surprised if there was. With the exception of 50mm, Leica seem to have mostly settled for a premium lens and a value lens - 21, 24, 28, 35, 75, 90. A new 28mm Summilux would steal sales from the 24 and 35mm Summiluxes and the existing 28s. Maybe when the 28mm Summicron is up for rework, it will be replaced with a Summilux. The viewfinder argument is valid though with the Frankenfinder supporting 28mm, it's my preferred way of working with a 28 - gives you that much cited benefit of being able to see what's outside the frame.

[Peter H]

Mark, doesn't the viewfinder argument work the other way too, against the introduction of a 1.4?

 

The 28mm Summicron is the widest new lens you can use without a viewfinder (I know you can use any lens without a finder, but you know what I mean), and a Summilux version would presumably block an awful lot of the frame, meaning that for many, the 28 loses one of its big advantages.. So unless they wish to run three 28s, (1.4, 2.0 and 2.8) which seems unlikely, we might end up with a much less desirable spread of features and lens choice than we have now if the Summicron is replaced.

 

Besides which, its such a spectacular lens that it would be such a shame to see it go, and the tiny 2.8 is pretty wonderful too. Not an easy decision for Leica, this one.

[mmradman]

And if forthcoming successor to M9 is fitted with RF+EVF than VF blockage would be less of an argument against any future bulky 28mm.

[thighslapper]

In a digital age with inexorably increasing sensor sensitivity and high ISO's, the need for sub f2 lenses.... particularly wide angle where DOF is never going to be shallow whatever you do...... strikes me as completely superfluous.

 

The Noctilux 0.95 is a 'mission statement' rather than a photographic necessity.

 

Nice images for the odd few % where the extreme subject isolation is appropriate or virtually no available light..... but for the rest of the time totally unnecessary

 

I can't see much advantage to any sub f4 wide angle for that matter ..... who uses a wide angle to isolate subjects with a shallow DOF anyway ???? When you can hand-hold down to 1/8 sec the lack of a couple of stops is hardly a problem.

Edited July 19, 2012 by thighslapper

[myinoshi]

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I can't see much advantage to any sub f4 wide angle for that matter ..... who uses a wide angle to isolate subjects with a shallow DOF anyway ???? When you can hand-hold down to 1/8 sec the lack of a couple of stops is hardly a problem.

 

bokeh panorama. ever hear of it? when done correctly, it looks stunning.

[Messsucherkamera]

The 35mm summilux ASPH takes 46mm filters - it seems that a 28mm f/1.4 wouldn't be too much bigger (55mm, perhaps?) That wouldn't block much of the viewfinder at least when the lens hood is not attached, I would think.

[stump4545]

so based on the new firmware hints of 28mm 1.4, does this mean most likely 28mm 1.4 at the Photokina?

[IWC Doppel]

Interesting question, I suspect this will depend how the 35 APO ASPH Summicron is coming along

 

I also suspect the 24 and 21 gaps might be filled with something at some point soon

[lars_bergquist]

Even with its batch production system, how many different lenses/balls can Leica keep in the air? The more lenses there are in th catalog, the longer your wait will be before your turn comes. People willl start go elsewhere.

 

The old man from the Age of the Standard Lens

[rramesh]

Even with its batch production system, how many different lenses/balls can Leica keep in the air?

I am not sure about 'in the air' but certainly kept in Solms, either being made or being serviced, judging by what I read in this forum.