Light Lens Lab’s New 35mm f/2 Apochromatic

credits: Light Lens Lab

Light Lens Lab has officially unveiled the new 35mm f/2 Apochromatic, marking a relatively big change for a company that has built its reputation recreating classic lenses. Rather than reimagining a vintage design, this is Light Lens Lab’s first completely original lens, developed as part of its new High-Performance Optical Research Project and the first model in a planned High Performance Series. Designed for Leica M-Mount, the manual-focus lens tries to deliver very strong optical performance in a compact body, with an emphasis on sharpness, aberration control, and consistent image quality across the frame. It also features an 11-blade aperture and focuses from 0.3m to infinity, although the minimum focusing distance may of course vary slightly depending on the rangefinder camera being used.

The optical design consists of 11 elements in 6 groups, including four aspherical elements alongside multiple ultra-low dispersion and anomalous partial-dispersion elements to help minimise chromatic aberrations. Light Lens Lab has also developed a new multi-layer coating to reduce flare and colour fringing while maintaining contrast. The full-frame lens accepts E39 filters, measures approximately 40.9mm in length without the hood, extends to around 49.9mm with the included square hood attached, and has a maximum diameter of 53mm. You will be able to choose between two barrel designs, a minimalist smooth barrel version or a version with close-focus knurling for extra grip when focusing at shorter distances. Both versions use the same optics, with only the exterior design changing.

Light Lens Lab will also offer the lens in both aluminium and titanium versions. The Black Paint and Silver Chrome aluminium models weigh around 327g with the hood attached, while the limited-edition Titanium Grey version comes in at approximately 360g. Pre-orders open on August 10, with the smooth-barrel version scheduled to begin shipping on September 30. The version with close-focus knurling will also be available to order from August 10, although deliveries are not expected to begin until December. Pricing starts at $2,049 for the aluminium versions, while the Titanium Grey will cost $2,349.