kennethreitz.org / Essays / 2018 / Leica 28mm Summaron M F56 Lens Review
Leica 28mm Summaron-M f/5.6 Lens Review
LEICA
**Summaron\-M 28mm f/5\.6 Lens**
[Buy Now](https://www.amazon.com/LeicaSummaron-M-28mm-f-5-6-Lens/dp/B06WWQJ4W1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529491863&sr=8-1&keywords=summaron-m)This little lens is absolute magic.
I’ve owned it for a few days now, and I rarely want to take it off my camera, especially when I’m out on the street and it’s bright outside.
This is the ultimate street photography lens.
[vimeo 275075352 w=640 h=360]
Selfie (taken indoors) with the new limited Leica 28mm Summaron-M f/5.6.
The Perfect Street Photography Lens
- It’s incredibly small (smallest M lens ever made!).
- It has an absolutely fantastic rendering, very classic look while retaining a modern edge.
- At f/5.6, nearly everything is in focus — perfect for street photography.
- 28mm is a great focal length for street photography.
Sample Images
[View fullsize![L1001442.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666490199-79WKXR098WLVG4LGSP73/790b6-27ade-l1001442.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001449.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666494699-AZQZP4R7XCZS7NOFN3FE/8625b-d61ce-l1001449.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001451.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666496006-E3WICXA5KQMM0SPKEGN4/8b6b2-13bb8-l1001451.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001471.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666525313-0LEV2NT3KCRGSH6ISC2O/ef7d4-b4e99-l1001471.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001660.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666526696-0HJSLRGZ4U21MD4NAKH9/f8157-9e3df-l1001660.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001729.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666520900-SH20TXHYJUBRI6MKWVMQ/dd3c0-b526f-l1001729.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001745.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666502670-8AYWSC9OWJJ8DT48PZLL/a5610-d96d3-l1001745.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001753.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666517513-7X1KLOJARETZB6FM4P95/d8c11-a5f2e-l1001753.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001767.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666503100-2Z4HTXBF5QRTZ5Y94N5O/a64b3-ff2fa-l1001767.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001782.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666478737-3G46KHWU0AF2WQCVGQJQ/4864e-fa591-l1001782.jpeg) [View fullsize![L1001790.jpeg]()](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665498111876725f7613f1e6/1719666486047-T6D8A215GMMVSOCA857B/61403-1f3b2-l1001790.jpeg) \#block\-yui\_3\_17\_2\_1\_1528898638922\_27612 .sqs\-gallery\-block\-grid .sqs\-gallery\-design\-grid { margin\-right: \-20px; }\#block\-yui\_3\_17\_2\_1\_1528898638922\_27612 .sqs\-gallery\-block\-grid .sqs\-gallery\-design\-grid\-slide .margin\-wrapper { margin\-right: 20px; margin\-bottom: 20px; } As you can see, the microcontrast rendering of the 28 Summaron\-M lens itself incredibly well to black and white photography, and colors, while muted, can easily be “popped” in post production, with much success.## Things to Note about the 28mm Summaron-M
- This lens’ minumum focus distance is 1m, not 0.7m like most modern Leica glass.
- The focus mechanism does not rotate between 9 o’clock and 6 o’clock like most Leica glass does. This range is used for the standard street distances you’ll be shooting it with — but for closer objects, you have to go all the way to 1 o’clock, which definitely takes some getting used to.
- Because the lens is so small, it’s easy to accidentally have a finger at the edges of your frame. This just requires some adjustment to the handling vs. standard Leica glass.
- The focus mechanism locks at infinity, and requires a depress of the adjuster to unlock it. This comes very naturally, but takes a little getting used to.
- Mounting and dismounting the lens is a little difficult, as there’s little to grab on to, other than the focus adjuster. This is why it locks at infinity.
I highly recommend this lens for street photographers.