The Digital M Era · 2006–present

Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH (FLE)

LensLeica M mountMade in Germany2010–202211663
The definitive modern 35mm Summilux for digital M bodies, with floating element correction for consistent performance at all focus distances. Succeeded in 2022 by the Steel Rim-inspired reissue.

Famous for

  • Floating lens element (FLE) design corrects close-focus performance that earlier Summilux 35 versions struggled with
  • The definitive modern 35mm Summilux — sharp corner-to-corner even at f/1.4

The 2010 Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH introduced a floating lens element (FLE) that moves internally as you focus, maintaining optical correction from infinity down to the 0.7m minimum focus distance. Earlier aspherical Summilux 35mm designs compromised at close focus; the FLE version does not.

For beginners: "floating element" is an engineering solution to a problem that only matters at close focus distances. In practice this means the FLE version delivers sharper corners and less field curvature when photographing a dinner table or filling the frame with a face — exactly the distances that matter for portrait and reportage work. The FLE version is the right choice for digital M shooters who want a 35mm f/1.4 without vintage rendering trade-offs. It was superseded by the reissued Steel Rim-inspired version in 2022.

In 2022 it was superseded by the FLE II, which adds a built-in telescoping hood and 0.4 m close focus.

Key specs

elements groups
9/5
minimum focus
0.7m
filter size
46mm
weight
320g

Variants & finishes

FLE II close-focus117262022

The current Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH FLE II — floating lens element (FLE) maintains correction at close focus distances. The definitive modern 35mm Leica lens: sharp, fast, and well-corrected across the focus range.

Market value

Used-market price history is coming soon.

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