Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/2 ASPH Lens Safari Edition

Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/2 ASPH Lens Safari Edition Summary

The Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 ASPH Safari Edition has the same optical design, focusing behaviour and close-focus distance as the standard black lens, but boasts a distinctive matt olive-green finish which is seen on all of Leica’s Safari releases.

The silver-chrome brass focus tab and red and white scale markings remain, which gives the lens the same look and feel as 35mm and 50mm Safari editions. These three Safari lenses are designed to complement the M11-P Safari body, but are also compatible with regular black or silver M camera bodies.

This 28mm Summilux is one of the wider Leica Summilux-M lenses and is often chosen for genres such as reportage, travel and street photography because it has natural depth while still allowing you to shoot closer to the subject.

The wide angle Leica lens has an optical design with ten elements in seven groups, including an aspherical surface and several lenses with anomalous partial dispersion. Three cemented elements help correct colour fringing, and the floating element system maintains sharpness at shorter distances.

The close-focus distance of 40cm offers more versatility for capturing close-up shots and for getting closer to the subject, although the rangefinder coupling still operates down to 70cm as usual.

Despite the wide and fast aperture, the lens is very compact for everyday shooting and the wider focal length with f/1.4 aperture provides a good combination of low-light capability and control over depth of field.

Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/2 ASPH Lens Safari Edition Key Features

• Matt green safari finish lens barrel
• 75° Diagonal angle of view
• Focusing range 0.7 m to ∞
• 1:21.9 maximum reproduction ratio
• 10/7 lenses/groups
• 67 mm long approx.
• 440 g weight approx.
• Screw-on lens hood
• E49 filter thread

Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/2 ASPH Lens Safari Edition in More Detail

What does ‘Summilux’ mean?

Summilux lenses have been made since the late 1950s, and the word comes from the Latin words summi and lux, which mean “maximum light.” Any Leica lens with an f/1.4 aperture is denoted as Summilux, but it carries more weight than that because Summilux lenses also feature a recognisable look.

They are made by hand in Germany and provide high sharpness with clean rendering, while providing gentle falloff between the subject and the background. The combination of speed and character is why many photographers choose this range today, and it is also why Leica produces so few variations on each design. The Safari Edition has an olive-green finish on the exterior, but all of the range’s characteristics on the interior.

How does the optical design affect image quality?

With identical optics, this version of the lens performs just like the standard black version. The Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 ASPH uses ten elements in seven groups, including an aspherical element and several lenses with anomalous partial dispersion. Three cemented elements help with colour correction, and the floating element design keeps the performance high at shorter distances.

The lens delivers high detail with good sharpness and natural contrast across the frame, and it has gentle separation at f/1.4 with a smooth background blur.

Is the 40cm close-focus distance useful on rangefinders?

The Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 ASPH has a close-focus distance of 40cm. You still focus normally through the rangefinder to 70cm, and then there is a slight resistance which marks the point where the extended close-focus range begins. From there, focusing between 70 and 40cm is done using Live View, the Visoflex viewfinder or the Leica FOTOS app.

This closer range works well for detail shots, table-top subjects and tighter framing, and the floating element design helps maintain image quality when you are working near the minimum distance.

What is unique about the Safari finish on this Leica lens?

Leica has released Safari design variants for decades, and this version continues the matt olive-green theme. It complements the M11-P Safari body, although it also complements black or silver M cameras.

The silver-chrome brass focus tab stands out against the green, and the red and white distance markings are easy to read.

Is the 28mm Summilux good for general photography?

Yes. A 28mm focal length is often used for reportage, travel and street photography because it shows more of the environment while still keeping subjects central to a scene. It is of course also a classic focal width for landscapes, cityscapes and snapshots.

The compact size and fast f/1.4 maximum aperture are useful in low light, and the lens gives a natural wide-angle perspective with smooth background rendering when shooting at wider apertures. The optical design includes ten elements in seven groups, and the 11-blade aperture produces rounded bokeh compared with other aperture designs.

What’s in the box

• Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/2 ASPH Lens Safari Edition
• Front lens cap E49
• Rear lens cap