One of the latest new lens companies, Light Lens Labs is making faithful replicas of an amazing legend. They have launched a new 35mm f/2 Summicron replica using excellent materials and solid builds. I am excited about having a representative from Light Lens Labs at the next PhotoFair show this weekend in Portland, OR. Visit the PhotoFair website for info here. This new version of an old classic is based on the original 1958 Leica Summicron 35mm which featured 8 elements and had superior sharpness to future variants at the expense of some color and contrast losses. I have owned that 35 Summicron M version 1 and it was spectacular. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these new replicas to try them out. Light Lens Labs offers other lenses as well and some will be at the show in Portland.
The same representative will have products from both TTArtisans and 7Artisans lenses. I have reviewed several of their products on this blog and I have been impressed. The 7Artisans lenses have been particularly impressive considering their ridiculously low prices. You may remember the following reviews here:
One of my favorite pictures of my wife was taken with a Leitz Summicron v1 35/2 mounted on an APS/C Canon EOS M5 back in 2016. The Bokeh is beautiful and the lens is razor sharp from f/2.8 down and is very sharp wide open. It happens to be one of the best geometrically corrected wide lenses ever made.
Light Lens Labs has used the same type of glass, old school lens coating, and an exact copy of the Summicron v1, 8 element formula to render images that seem like they were taken with the original. If this turns out to be true, and some reviewers say it is, this will be a great bargain. Unfortunately the lens is in short supply so Ebayers are selling them for double and triple the list price of $499. But once supply catches up the $499 price will look very tasty.
'Couv' Camera 