Slumgullion
Well-known
Ned, do you have Summilux AA in your collection?
Light Lens Lab - 35mm f1.4 Aspherical now in production
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Ororaro
Well-known
Yes, two
Slumgullion
Well-known
Wonderful! What do you like about it?
Ororaro
Well-known
Everything I like about this lens is unrelated to optics and imagery.
enasniearth
Well-known
it was a difficult lens for leica to make
I was told there were only 2 or 3 people on the assembly
that could put it together at a high standard
quality control was very tight on it
so a replica - you can copy the optics I guess
2 aspherical surfaces
the Jupiter 12 3.5cm f2.8 is technically a copy of the prewar biogon by zeiss
but quality does vary on them quite a bit
at one point LLL - they were going to make a copy of the zeiss 15mm f8 hologon
a few ptrototypes were made - but that's as far as it got
I was told there were only 2 or 3 people on the assembly
that could put it together at a high standard
quality control was very tight on it
so a replica - you can copy the optics I guess
2 aspherical surfaces
the Jupiter 12 3.5cm f2.8 is technically a copy of the prewar biogon by zeiss
but quality does vary on them quite a bit
at one point LLL - they were going to make a copy of the zeiss 15mm f8 hologon
a few ptrototypes were made - but that's as far as it got
Slumgullion
Well-known
Wonderful! What do you like about it?
Slumgullion
Well-known
These are valid points.
That being said, the state of the art is well beyond Leica's manufacturing ability in the late 80's.
The real struggle, as Marty mentioned, is going to be in assembly and centering the aspherical elements. On a lens as small as the AA, there are probably zero or nearly zero adjustments for fine-tuning. My 11874 is mildly decentered. It probably passed QA in 2001 because it was centered enough for film, but on high megapixel sensors it's more evident.
So we will see...
Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
I once owned a copy of the original Leica lens in silver chrome, which I'm sure would be worth a small fortune today!
Slumgullion
Well-known
There's one on eBay asking $750k, or something like that. Small fortune, indeed.
TenEleven
Well-known
So you admit it's just an ostentatious display of wealth?
I guess we finally agree on something!
Ororaro
Well-known
Not at all.
This lens is a breakthrough in german optical savoir-faire. A giant leap forward which paved the way to the whole industry.
it was the bleeding edge of what could be done. Where were the chinese optical companies when Leica produced this remarkable and unthinkable masterpiece? Yeah, they were busy not understanding the concept of quality and cheap binoculars. Two aspherical elements! Pure insanity!
So this is what this lens truly is: a trophy, a relic of an industry in search of perfection. The very expression of the Leica Spirit.
This lens is tremendous, historically. It’s the mother of ALL modern lenses.
Please note, I have not mentioned anything about image quality, no word salad about “exquisite colors and bokeh” and microcontrast nonsense. This lens matters on a much larger scale than mere image quality.
By the way, do Las Vegas Elvis’ dudes actually fool anyone? Really? 😅
Freakscene
Obscure member
Freakscene
Obscure member
The differences in the intervening 35 years are massive. LLL are using moulded not hand ground elements. If they collimate them using modern equipment (and given how they are working now I am sure they will) and apply adequate QA/QC measured by modern methods, they will be better elements and more accurately assembled than lenses from the early 1990s, even from Leica. But not as good as a Leica lens from 2025. That’s how things go.
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Archiver
Veteran
See, this is the kind of esoteric photographic knowledge I've come to expect from RFF, apart from the skill and talent, the engaging discussion, the camaraderie and mutual upliftment, and the historical knowledge.
Freakscene
Obscure member
Freakscene
Obscure member
Slumgullion
Well-known
Great shot! I'll bite -- who is this?
Slumgullion
Well-known
I don't totally believe that you are asking this in earnest.
There is a a lot of truth and a pinch of hyperbole in your answer to the "why the AA" question, but your passion and excitement comes through (for the record, I have no qualms with hyperbole), and excitement and passion is the core of all of this.
I'd counter by pointing out that the Leica AA (currently) exists at a price point that, unless your relationship to money is massively different than mine (and it easily might be), purchasing one would result in immediate divorce (both nuptially and from reality). For me, having a replica is a way to honor some of that design history or feel a bit of the emotion of it. I know that the replica isn't the real thing. I don't think anyone is telling themselves it is. The replica, especially in titanium, looks cool (and was never an option from Leica). You might say that none of those things matter to you and maybe they don't. You might even think my rationale is dumb (and maybe it is). But, I've liked all the LLL lenses that I have. They are fun to shoot...and taking pictures (and having fun) is ultimately the point of the photographic hobby. Your mileage may vary.
(also, you could argue the Minolta 35/1.4 of 1988 is the mother of modern design, at least in how it pertains to the industry at-large from SLR's to modern mirrorless, but that's my two cents...do you have one of those in your collection?).
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Freakscene
Obscure member
He was an optical engineer who worked for, among others, Elcan, Optical Coating Laboratory International (OCLI) and Zeiss. He asked me not to publish his name. He died in 2024, a few days before he turned 94. He was a good friend of my father.
Slumgullion
Well-known
Rad!
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