Lecia release two super fast primes

Leica today along with its latest announcments, launched three lens, two of these are the super fast prime lenses - the SUMMILUX-M 21 mm f / 1.4 ASPH and the SUMMILUX-M 24 mm f / 1.4 ASP. Both of these new lenses are specifically designed to keep Vignetting and distortion to a minimum.

Press Release:

New Super Fast Leica F / 1.4 Prime lenses at 24 mm AND 21 mm!

Super fast, compact, with sensational performance even at full aperture, these lenses will enable users to redefine wide angle low light photography. The 21 mm is in fact a world first for 35 mm digital and film photography.

Great care has been taken in the optical designs of the lenses. Despite their pronounced wide–angle characteristics, these lenses can feature extremely shallow field depth. This allows for creative and expressive photography not usually available when shooting wide. Stopped down to medium f values the depth of field can be so great that an entire landscape can be depicted in sharp focus.

Vignetting and distortion, the parameters traditionally difficult to control in fast wide angle lenses, have been corrected to such a high degree in these new Summilux-M lenses that they are hardly noticeable in practice.

The combination of lens speed and width has now become possible by using leading edge lens blank-pressing techniques for aspherical elements. Hand assembled in Solms Germany, the lenses also combine meticulous craftsmanship ensuring life long reliability even in challenging user conditions.Two new metal body view finders (21 mm and 24 mm) will be available as accessories. These new viewfinders will have markings to enable use on Leica M digital and film bodies.

Available from December 2008, the LEICA SUMMILUX-M 21 mm f / 1.4 ASPH and the LEICA
SUMMILUX-M 24 mm f / 1.4 ASPH are £3990 each (inc VAT) SRP.