Some folks say there’s secret magic behind Leica lenses. And indeed, every time we shoot with one we feel the same thing. But with Leica SL lenses, there’s at least some science behind what makes their lenses so unique. The lenses we’re going to talk about have sincerely wonderful bokeh. And if you’re looking for something with autofocus, then look no further. Here is our essential roundup to the best Leica SL lenses with beautiful bokeh.
This piece is presented in partnership with Leica. We’ve independently and ethically reviewed all the lenses in this roundup already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key gems to you. The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product.
Nomenclature for Leica SL Prime Lenses and Understanding Them
Some things about Leica SL lenses might not be clear. Here are a few things worth a brief explanation:
- Summicron: Leica’s designation for a lens with an f2 maximum aperture
- SL: A lens designed for full-frame L-mount cameras
- ASPH: Aspherical lens elements
- APO: Apochromatic design. This uses a special lens element to make whatever is in focus have more contrast and pop from its surroundings.
Pro Tips on Using Leica SL Lenses with Beautiful Bokeh
Here’s what you need to know about Leica SL lenses:
- All the Leica SL lenses with beautiful bokeh presented here are for L Mount. They work with any Leica L-Mount and TL cameras.
- All the Leica SL lenses with beautiful bokeh presented here are weather-sealed. And they’ve done a great job with that too!
- These lenses have a metal exterior, so they’re durable enough to handle lots of abuse.
- Leica SL lenses are all autofocus. You can zone focus with them, but they’re not going to work the same as Leica M-mount lenses.
- Leica sticks with their classical focal lengths when it comes to prime lenses.
- The entire f2 prime lens range are the same size and filter size.
- On the Leica SL2, the Leica SL Prime Lenses will render their sharpest images because of the resolution of the sensor.
- On the Leica SL2-S, the Leica SL Prime Lenses will focus faster and help passionate photographers in low-light situations better.
- What makes the bokeh from these lenses so special? It’s the apochromatic element. It works by essentially boosting the contrast of whatever is in focus (while decreasing the contrast of out of focus areas). It’s a critical part of what makes these the best Leica SL lenses for beautiful bokeh.
- We’ve reviewed every single Leica SL lens, and you can see that in our guide right here.
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f2 ASPH
In our review, we state:
“Look at that! The bokeh is positively gorgeous. Can you go wrong? I think portrait and event photographers will adore the bokeh this lens creates.
Essential Tech Specs
- High performance in a handy format
- Classic reportage focal length
- Quick and quiet focusing thanks to precision autofocus system with Dual Syncro Drive TM
- Precise production “Made in Germany” under the highest quality standards
- Reflection and scattered light optimization through high quality coating and optimized frame geometry
- AquaDura ® coating for dust and spray protection for use in everyday photography under extreme conditions
- The eye detection enables sharp, pinpoint portraits, even with very shallow depth of field.
- L-mount bayonet
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50mm f2 ASPH
In our review, we state:
Bokeh balls are soft, with no hard edges. Most of the bokeh this lens captured was smooth throughout, but you may occasionally find a bit of soap bubble bokeh from particularly harsh light sources. Bokeh is circular at the center, but takes on a cat-eye shape towards the edges. If you have a lot of bokeh, the mix of circles and cats eyes will give the background a swirly look.
Essential Tech Specs
- High performance in a handy format
- New dimension of visual aesthetics
- Versatile standard focal length extends the lens portfolio of the Leica SL and other L-mount systems
- Quick and quiet focusing thanks to precision autofocus system with Dual Syncro Drive TM
- Precise production “Made in Germany” under the highest quality standards
- Reflection and scattered light optimization through high quality coating and optimized frame geometry
- AquaDura ® coating for dust and spray protection for use in everyday photography under extreme conditions
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 75mm f2 ASPH
In our review, we state:
One of the coolest things about this lens is the bokeh. It’s nice and smooth. Yet, in some ways, it’s also sort of hazy. You’re not going to get the beautiful smoothness you would from a faster lens, but the quality is surely there.
Essential Tech Specs
- High performance in a handy format
- Quick and quiet focusing thanks to precision autofocus system with Dual Syncro Drive TM
- Precise production “Made in Germany” under the highest quality standards
- Reflection and scattered light optimization through high quality coating and optimized frame geometry
- AquaDura ® coating for dust and spray protection for use in everyday photography under extreme conditions
- The eye detection enables sharp, pinpoint portraits, even with very shallow depth of field
- The high detail contrast in combination with the maximum magnification of 1: 5 provides impressive images
- L-mount bayonet
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f2 ASPH
In our review, we state:
Look at this! This is at f2! The bokeh is creamy for sure. And there isn’t any sort of weird micro-contrast game going on either. Instead, it’s pure sharpness and pop in the image! If you love bokeh, it’s hard to complain about the Leica 90mm f2 SL.
Essential Tech Specs
- High performance in a handy format
- Quick and quiet focusing thanks to precision autofocus system with Dual Syncro Drive TM
- Precise production “Made in Germany” under the highest quality standards
- Reflection and scattered light optimization through high quality coating and optimized frame geometry
- AquaDura ® coating for dust and spray protection for use in everyday photography under extreme conditions
- The eye detection enables sharp, pinpoint portraits, even with very shallow depth of field
- The high detail contrast in combination with the maximum magnification of 1: 5 provides impressive images
- L-mount bayonet
This piece is presented in partnership with Leica. We’ve independently and ethically reviewed all the lenses in this roundup already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key gems to you. The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product.
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