Dan Kerin

 Leica 90mm F/2 Summicron

This is one of those lenses I have been waiting to use because there is a high chance that one will make it into my personal collection in the near future. Being produced from 1957 until 1962 this was Leica’s first mass produced fast telephoto lens. While the 85mm f1.5 Summarex had been around since 1942, that was a specialised lens, while the 90mm f2 Summicron was aimed at the masses. The lens has 6 elements in 5 groups in a double-Gauss design and 15 aperture blades which results in some amazing out of focus areas. Weighing 660g and measuring 110 x 66mm this is quite a large lens however is lighter than the Summarex which it replaced. A nice feature to see on this lens is the built in lens hood which helps reduce flaring during harsh lighting conditions. 90mm is not a common focal length to use on the Leica M system, but ever since using the 90mm f4 Elmar-C and then later the 90mm f2.8 Elmarit, it’s a focal length I have come to like so was super excited to try out the Summicron.

When pairing it on a Leica M camera you defiantly notice the extra weight and length however this is not to say it can’t be used as a walk around lens. The lens feels well balanced, and being larger actually makes it more comfortable to hold when focusing. This helps especially when shooting wide open at f2. There are technically three versions of this lens all optically the same just with different housings. The version pictured, and that I was using is the earlier 1960’s version which came in chrome and black. This one is distinguished by the smooth indents in the focusing and aperture rings. The 1970’s style has the same focus ring but a knurled aperture ring which is reversed meaning to open the aperture you turn it anti-clockwise. The final design of this lens was in 1973 which the aperture was reversed back to clockwise and both the aperture and focus rings are knurled.

In practice this lens is great to use. It is larger and heavier than most M mount lenses but don’t let that put you off. I found the lens to be surprisingly sharp given its age and performed very well for its age. The photos at Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry in Wales were shot around F/5.6 and is a good example of how this lens can be used for more than just details or portraits. Being a longer lens its advisable to shoot at 1/125th of a second or higher to avoid camera shake, but even at 1/60th of a second on the London Underground I was able to get sharp results.

I have grown to really like the 90mm focal length on a Leica rangefinder camera and being an f2 this lens just gave me more flexability than the slower f2.8 and f4 options out there. Price wise this lens can be had at the time of writing this in 2025 for between £300 - £700 depending on condition. I think for portraits especially this lens would be one to consider even if you have the budget for a newer 90mm which will be sharper but I doubt will give the character that a lens of this vintage provides. This is one of the main reasons I prefer to use lenses of this era, the look is something very difficult to match and something which cant be faked in post.