LEICA ANNOUCES NEW LENS CLASS FOR M-SYSTEM
CAMERAS
August 3, 2007 (Allendale, NJ) -- Leica Camera
Incorporated will introduce a new collection of lenses for
analog and digital Leica rangefinder cameras: the Leica
Summarit-M® class.
The new lenses offer world class Leica optical and mechanical
excellence while being positioned at a new price level that
broaden its availability to new customer segments. The maximum
aperture of f 2.5 and combined with concentration on the
classic and proven spherical lens design, have led to the
production of a new series of lenses that now brings famous
Leica quality and a superb price/performance ratio to a
broader market.
The four lenses LEICA SUMMARIT-M 35mm f2.5, LEICA SUMMARIT-M
50mm f2.5, LEICA SUMMARIT-M 75mm f2.5 and LEICA SUMMARIT-M
90mm f2.5 cover the most popular focal lengths in the Leica
M system. All Summarit-M lenses were designed and are manufactured
in Germany and will bear the “Made in Germany”
quality stamp.
The launch of the Leica Summarit-M collection of lenses
marks the return of important Leica heritage elements. All
letter and number engravings are made with the traditional
“Leitz-Norm“ font as originally used by Leitz
Wetzlar during the 1960s, and the red button on the lens
mount is consistent with the original color used on Leitz
lenses produced since the introduction of the M mount through
the 1960s. Each Leica Summarit-M lens is supplied with a
metal lens front cap, a lens hood cap and a velours pouch
for storage. High-quality all-metal lens hoods are available
as accessories.
Customers can purchase the lenses individually or in sets
consisting of two, three or four lenses. Deliveries of Leica
Summarit-M lenses are scheduled to begin at the end of November
2007.
The launch of the new Leica Summarit-M lenses is the start
of a campaign in which Leica Camera AG is putting a greater
focus on its core competencies in optics manufacturing.
Leica’s high-performance optics, made by hand at Leica’s
main factory in Solms, Germany, are the fruit of many years
of experience in optics, precision mechanics, unique technologies,
high-quality materials and the commitment to craftsmanship
of the staff.
It is the lenses on which the legend of the Leica brand
was founded: finely crafted masterpieces – compact
and practical precision optics for analog and digital photography.
This superior optical performance makes it easy to capture
fascinating moments in the best possible quality. Pictures
taken with Leica lenses not only demonstrate technical imaging
quality (color fidelity, definition, contrast and resolution)
but also structure, richness and natural expression. The
variety of Leica products and their areas of application
are matched by the variety of measures taken to achieve
brilliant, high-contrast images with exact true-to-nature
color rendering. High-refraction optical glass types featuring
particularly good homogeneity and purity, special glass
with partial anomalous dispersion such as fluorophosphate
and heavy barium flint glass, aspherical elements, apochromatic
optics and modern multicoatings, ensure magnificent imaging
quality.
“Leica users are the most demanding customers in the
world of photography,” said Steven K. Lee, CEO of
Leica Camera AG. “To satisfy their high expectations
of quality, we put a tremendous amount of time and effort
into manufacturing Leica lenses. This starts with a bold
idea and continues with an ambitious optical design, a selection
of the best materials on the market and sophisticated production
processes. Meticulous quality assurance with 100% checks
is, of course, an integral part of the process. The aim
of all these efforts is to create high-class photographic
and phototechnical images. Corner-to-corner definition and
brilliance over the entire visual field, maximum imaging
performance already at full aperture and superior stray
light reduction – this is what photographers like
about their Leica lenses, plus a unique mechanical excellence
that is immediately felt when turning the focus ring or
adjusting the aperture. This gives Leica photographers decades
of pleasure – and enviable photographic results.”
Summarit-M lenses will be on sale at authorized Leica retailers
from November 2007.
