Leica Super-APO-Summicron-SL 21 mm F2 ASPH lens review

The Leica Super-APO-Summicron-SL 21 mm F2 ASPH is a high-speed wide angle for Leica SL cameras. It was announced in October 2023.

This lens has the Super-Apo moniker and has a complex design of 14 elements in total, arranged in 11 groups. Leica doesn’t say how many AD (anomalous partial dispersion) elements there are but claims that ‘most’ of the 14 elements are made from ‘special custom glass.’ That may include the three elements with aspherical surfaces, but it’s unclear.

Like others in the SL range, the lens also adopts a ‘digital element,’ or what’s better known as a built-in profile, to correct vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberration. While it’s perhaps thought unusual in this price range, such built-in correction is now commonplace in lenses designed for mirrorless cameras with their inherently obvious benefits for video makers.

How’s the handling?

The Leica Super-APO-Summicron-SL 21 mm F2 ASPH has the same high-quality metal outer barrel and silky smooth, rubber-coated focus ring as its siblings. However, while relatively compact – it’s still quite long at 102mm and at  789 g / 1.7 lb it’s one of the heaviest Summicrons, even if they all share the same dimensions. Still, Leica should be applauded for the approach as it’s a nice touch should you want to rig them up for video, or when simply sharing filters (in this case, 67 mm.)

Although their design is a bit minimalistic, there’s no focusing or depth of field scale, they’re superbly built. Even the supplied lens hood is metal and fits firmly, and there’s no slack or movement of the lens in the camera mount

Dual AF motors mean fast, precise focusing that’s practically silent. I also appreciate the internal focusing, which makes it feel more durable and mitigates the need for extending barrels. With no controls other than a focusing ring, switching between AF and manual focusing permanently requires a dive into the menu. However, you can set up the camera’s joystick so you can switch from manual focusing to AF when needed, which is a nice touch. Several other practical and insightful features include setting the amount of focusing throw and speed, to name just two available from the Leica SL3 menus.

What’s the optical quality like?

As you might expect with a lens like this, photographs are practically free of troublesome longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberration. What is there is cleared up nicely in-camera or a RAW converter. It’s also super sharp to the edges wide open at F2. Admittedly, sharpness improves slightly when stopping down, but that’s mainly in the outer zones and corners. Perhaps the most noticeable is some slight barrel distortion but as this is corrected on the fly (and with up-to-date RAW converters), you’ll likely never see it.  

Vignetting is notably low even before the profile is applied to files, so there’s little to mention there. Ghosting and flare are well-controlled though if shooting straight into a low-sun it’s a good idea to keep the hood handy. It’s quite deep and adds a lot to the overall length of the lens and for that reason, I never used it during the review. A short rectangular hood would be a great benefit to me.  Still, it shows how resistant the lens is. 

Best of all though, is the way the lens ‘draws’ or renders. Like others in the APO range, the Leica Super-APO-Summicron-SL 21 mm F2 ASPH produces silky-smooth, highly attractive transitions from the areas of sharpness to the defocused areas in both the background and the foreground. While it is hard to describe the character, images are smoothly sharp, that’s to say, without the crunchy sharpness of rivals and have a feeling of depth to them. It’s a brilliant performer and while subjective, I know, it probably has the best drawing style of any full-frame wide-angle lens currently available. Still, at around £4,700 inc VAT / $5,495, you’ll need seriously deep pockets. 

 

Check price and availability at the following stores:

B&H Photo (US) | Adorama (US)  | Amazon (US)

Park Cameras (UK) | Leica UK (Leica Online Store)

MBP (secondhand)  | KEH (secondhand)

 

Leica Super APO Summicron-SL 21mm F2 ASPH – Samples

 

 

 

ArtattheAbbey

Technical Data

Manufacturer	Leica
Model	Super-APO-Summicron-SL 21 mm f/2 ASPH.
Web	leica-camera.com
Elements/construction	14 elements in 11 groups
Angle of view (d/h/v)	91.7°/81.2°/59.5°
Max aperture	F2.0
Min aperture	F22
Min focus distance	0.21 m / 8.3″
Mount	L mount
Filter size	E67 (67mm)
Length	102 mm / 4 in
Diameter	73 mm / 2.9 in
Weight	789 g / 1.7 lb
Price	£4,700 inc VAT / $5,495