Leica certainly has their share of both rabid fans and harsh critics, but no matter what side of the fence you may fall on, there are two undeniable facts tied to the red dot. The first is that they are priced into the stratosphere. The second is that their lenses are almost universally the best in the world. To help illustrate why, Leica has put together a short video highlighting step-by-step what sets their glass apart from the rest of the pack.
Almost no one will deny that portion of that almost $5,000 for one of Leica's Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lenses (also available in silver) is a luxury tax, but when you put one in your hands and you start taking pictures, you know most of your hard-earned money has the finest engineering Germany has to offer to back it up. A few years ago the now-defunct website Humans Invent interviewed Stefan Daniel from Leica about the R&D and production of their lenses. When asked why it is so important that Leica hand-finshes lenses, he said:
First of all, we do our production in batches, not in serial production. So, we do batches of 50 or 100 lenses and that requires a lot of work by hand. You cannot automate production of a single lens element, or the lacquering of the rim of a lens for only 50 lenses.
It doesn’t make any sense. So we use hand work because it’s more efficient. Also, in doing it by hand, our skilled people know exactly what they’re doing and they can assure perfect quality. Doing it by machine, you have to do control checks afterwards and maybe that’s not getting the result that everybody wants.
The entire interview has been archived by La Vida Leica! and is definitely worth the read for some insight on how the "Rolls-Royce of cameras" thinks when building optical perfection. Even though almost all of their lenses are prime, manual focus only, and have absolutely no frills like vibration reduction, they still have over 100 parts. If the interview and video haven't satisfied your lust for Leica "lens porn," here's an extended video showing how Leica makes and assembles binoculars and rifle scopes:
Feeling saucy and want to buy a Noctilux as shown being assembled in the video? Buy it at the lowest price around from B&H. As with most Leica lenses, it's also available in silver.
Amazing process and amazing lens, here are some sample shots: http://www.overgaard.dk/leica-50mm-Noctilux-M-ASPH-f-095.html
I do a lot of my work on leica R series lenses, absolutely love their look and feel.
I'm like in that place where there is no fence. I wish i had them, i don't feel i would need them. By the end of the day, my way less expensive Canon L glass will deliver and even the Sigma ART will do so. Nice video though, the process of building something mesmerizes me all the time.
Most brands build good glass, and some of it is even great. But you can definitely "feel" the difference between a Leica and 'Canikony' lenses. It's the difference between a Ferrari and a Corvette. Both delivery comparable performance, but the precision and attention to detail in the Ferrari shows in every single door panel, leather stitch, and gear change. But you certainly pay for it, along with its world-class engineering and heritage.
And while there is certainly a tangible difference in quality, you're also paying for economies of scale. One of the reasons 'Canikony' can sell their lenses for so much less is because they make so many more of them. A great example of the deviation is Nikon's 58mm f/1.4G lens. It was a pet-project by a senior lens designer. They don't make many of them (compared to other lenses) so you're left with an $1800 50mm f/1.4 lens from a major camera maker. It is an outlier in the pricing scheme, all because of production numbers. If it were made in the same quantities as the regular 50mm f/1.4, It would probably be $600 less.
They go through all the trouble with excellent craftsmanship only to assemble the final product without protective finger covers at the end!
I think the Fuji lens film even had more protection (clean rooms and suites) only to do the same thing also.
And yet, that doesn't seem to be a detriment, does it?
In my research for the post, I found a few people who had visited the factory and confirmed it's all done in clean rooms. Gloves are used where needed, but in actual assembly they slow you down and hinder the ability to work with tiny screws and tight fitting precision parts. While I'm sure they clean their hands regularly anyway, any part they touch is either totally hidden out of view or wiped down during inspection.
I've never seen anyone complain about visible fingerprints on their new Leica glass, so I have to assume they're doing something right.
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Amazing process indeed, fantastic engeneering and planning too. I just not very fond on the aparent general appeal of people shouting Sigma as a caption for people who dont use Leica's system. Do you even eard of Samyang?
As a musical person, I find it amusing (or sad, really) that a super prestigeous brand spends like 5 dollars on the soundtrack. I am impressed, if anyone can watch the whole clip without feeling some kind of annoyance.
I see the price tag, which is a lot for a still lens. Then I realize I work a lot in the cinema world now, where lenses like the Leica Summilux-C Primes go for $33,000 to $39,000 each & where an Angenieux Optimo 24-290mm t2.8 can go for almost $90,000!
http://www.ducloslenses.com/collections/summilux
https://www.abelcine.com/store/Angenieux-Optimo-24-290mm-T2.8-Zoom/
Apples and oranges, of course =)