The 50mm Question: Six Decades of Excellence

Here's the thing about owning fast glass: you're always one announcement away from reconsidering your entire kit. Leica just scheduled a January 29 launch event for the re-issue of the Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2, bringing another classic double-aspherical design back from the archives.

This matters for 50mm shooters because the M-mount market doesn't exist in isolation. When Leica releases a fast 35, users start asking whether they really need a fast 50 or vice versa. The original Noctilux 35mm f/1.2 from the 1970s now trades for collector's prices, and if this re-issue follows the "1966" playbook, expect significant demand pressure on the used market for fast 50s.

Leica's doing what Leica does: releasing the same optically excellent lens in limited finishes that will hold value better than the standard version. The Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH is now available in Safari olive green and glossy black paint, with limited quantities reaching dealers this week.

Let's be direct: if you need a 50mm f/1.4 and want the standard black version, buy it. These special editions are collector plays. The 11-blade aperture, 0.45m close focus, and optical formula are identical. But if you're the type who agonizes over whether your camera "matches"? The Safari green pairs beautifully with olive M bodies, and the glossy black paint will develop a brass patina that the standard black chrome never will.

Historical data suggests these editions appreciate 15-25% over five years while standard versions barely hold inflation-adjusted value. That's not investment advice—it's a reason to buy the finish you actually want without guilt.

The Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.2 ASPH "1966" has started shipping to November pre-orders, and this is the lens that's going to spawn a thousand forum arguments. It's a recreation of the legendary 1966 Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 AA—the first production aspherical lens—which currently trades for $25,000-35,000 when you can find one.

Light Lens Lab isn't promising identical performance. They're promising the same character: hand-ground aspherical elements, high-refractive-index glass, and that distinctive rendering wide open that made the original a cult object. Available in Black Paint, Chrome, and Titanium finishes, it's priced at $2,999—roughly one-tenth of a good-condition original.

The judgment call here is whether you want clinical sharpness (buy the APO-Summicron) or feeling (buy this). The original Noctilux wasn't sharp by modern standards. It was magical. Early reports suggest Light Lens Lab captured that magic. If true, this is the most interesting lens release of the year.

Persistent rumors this week point to a refresh of the APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2—the lens that optical engineers use as a reference standard. The primary upgrade: close focusing to 0.45 meters, matching the recently updated Summilux and 35mm APO lenses.

I've used the current APO-Summicron extensively, and its only real limitation is the 0.7m minimum focus distance. When you're shooting street and want to fill the frame with a detail—a hand gesture, a product, a face—you back up or you switch lenses. A 0.45m version eliminates that compromise.

Announcement expected Q1 2026. If you're holding off on a 50mm purchase, this is why. At $8,995, the current APO-Summicron is already the reference; a close-focusing version removes the asterisk.

The Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 50mm f/3.5 Type II is now widely in stock, and if you're not paying attention to this lens, you're making a mistake. At 162 grams—lighter than your phone—it delivers resolution that rivals Leica's $8,995 APO-Summicron at 98% of the sharpness score for $699.

The tradeoff is obvious: f/3.5 maximum aperture means this isn't your low-light lens. But for daylight street photography, landscape, and travel where every gram matters, the APO-Lanthar delivers "zero aberration" performance in a package that disappears on the camera. It's smaller than vintage Elmar lenses from the 1950s while optically destroying them.

For hikers, travel photographers, and anyone who's felt the shoulder fatigue of an M10 with a Noctilux hanging off it, the APO-Lanthar Type II deserves serious consideration. Sometimes the best lens is the one you actually carry.