Ultra-Fast Wide-Angle Prime. Using the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M (Silver) at smaller apertures gives you razor-sharp, nearly distortion-free images; however, using it with a fully open aperture in backlit conditions produces painterly, dreamlike images that incorporate a unique bokeh effect.

Advanced Optical Design. The 35mm f/1.4 is characterized by exceptionally brilliant contrast, superb resolution and detail rendition, and virtually coma-free images. The complex five-group/seven-element optical design produces an image quality that’s unsurpassed in compact 35mm lenses, even at full aperture.

Compact, High-Quality Build. This updated version of the 35mm features a stainless steel front ring; a lockable focus ring; and a round lens hood that lets you use 46mm filters. That said, this lens is still plenty compact and lightweight—it’s just 1.4 inches long and weighs under half a pound.