All good things come in fours

Leica Camera has expanded the Summicron-SL lens family with another high-performance lens: the Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50 f/2 Asph. Twelve extremely complex lens elements – three of which have aspherical surfaces – arranged in ten groups contribute to the ultimate in terms of image quality, even wide open. Natural skin tones, soft transitions into the bokeh, outstanding contrast in details and consistent sharpness from edge to edge of distortion-free images are further quality characteristics of the APO-Summicron-SL 50 f/2 Asph.

In the new APO-Summicron-SL 50 f/2 Asph. chromatic aberrations have been minimised by apochromatic correction. For this, the majority of the lens elements used in the construction of the lens are made from specially formulated, high-quality glass types with anomalous partial dispersion that push even the innovative manufacturing methods of the Leica Factory to the limits of the technically possible.

The autofocus drive of all Summicron-SL lenses employs extremely powerful and robust stepping motors with DSD® (Dual Syncro Drive™). Thanks to these, the entire focusing throw can be travelled completely in only around 250 milliseconds. Leica Camera also takes an innovative approach in the case of manual focusing technology: Summicron-SL lenses feature a totally new manual focusing ring construction concept. In this concept, a ring magnet with alternating north-south polarisation is embedded in the manual focusing ring. The magnetic field changes its polarity when the ring is turned. A sensor monitors the status of the magnetic field and sends the data to the main processor. The drive then shifts the lens to the corresponding focusing position on the basis of the angle of rotation and the rotational speed – this in turn enables even faster and more precise manual focusing.

Thanks to effective sealing against dust, moisture and water spray, and Aquadura coating of the exposed lens surfaces, all Summicron-SL lenses can be used without a second thought in almost any weather conditions.

Read a detailed practice report in the upcoming LFI 7/2019.

For further information visit Leica Camera