Seeing the World in 35mm

Intro
Wherever I go, I observe the world in 35mm. Even when I try to switch to another focal length, a contradiction—like an annoying but faithful friend—quickly reminds me that the connection and process of arriving at a photograph feels off.

Whenever I reach for either my 35mm film camera or the lens on my trusted Leica M10, I know I’m home. I stop overthinking—I simply begin making photographs, building connections, and instilling a little bit of myself within them. But this has been a process, and I hope I’m not there yet.

After all, what better motive than believing I haven’t taken my best photo yet? What I do know, though, is that it’ll be in a 35mm frame.

My 35mm Choices (and Why Not Leica)
The legacy of Leica’s 35mm lenses is huge—from the early (and now astronomically expensive) Summilux Steel Rim f/1.4 ASPH to the equally pricey but phenomenal f/2 APO Summicron, and everything in between. As a Leica photographer, you’re spoiled for choice, though often limited by the high price tag.

The good news is that third-party manufacturers today offer lenses at incredibly accessible entry points—it’s never been a better time to dive in if you’ve been holding off for that very reason.

Over the past five years with my Leica M10, I’ve tested a number of 35mm lenses. Before I share which I decided to keep and why, here are the Leica options I spent time with and ultimately excluded:

Leica 35mm Summilux f/1.4 ASPH II
Leica 35mm Summilux f/1.4 ASPH FLE
Leica 35mm Summicron f/2 V4 (sometimes referred to as the “King of Bokeh”)
Leica 35mm Summicron f/2 APO – the newest version

If money were no object, I’d love to roam with that last one. I had the lens on loan, but I must admit I was a bit too conscious that something might happen to it. I’m not a millionaire (yet 🙂), and having to think more about the lens than the photographs while traveling isn’t for me—so it’s a hard skip.

The V4 Summicron was good but didn’t quite sit right with me, even though people rave about it. The Summilux FLE was great, especially for its ability to close-focus, but it’s expensive and shows noticeable chromatic aberration in backlit scenes. The Summilux f/1.4 ASPH II is a beautiful lens—characterful, precise, and relatively affordable within the Leica range—but it too didn’t fully align with what I wanted.

Where I ended up is entirely, and admittedly, personal—some might even smirk at the choice. But hear me out.

For me, these two lenses became my favourites for their:

overall tone rendering
colour and monochrome performance
handling of backlit scenes and chromatic aberration
distinct character despite sharing a focal length
ergonomics and build

My favourite lenses are the Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZM and the Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/2 VM II.

Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZM
Zeiss optics need no introduction. The company’s legacy is nearly as storied as Leica’s, and for good reason. Their contributions to optics stretch across fields—from medical imaging to diamond cutting—and their craftsmanship shows.

I picked up the Distagon new as my second 35mm lens, and if I had to describe it briefly, it would be as a Japanese sword. There’s virtually nothing wrong that the Distagon does: it’s sharp corner-to-corner even at f/1.4, the bokeh is creamy, the colours are both true-to-life and cinematic, and fringing is non-existent.

To me, the Distagon is pure perfection in the 35mm M lineup offering a wide aperture of f/1.4. It’s not the cheapest third-party M-mount lens, but it sits comfortably in the middle.

Before buying it, I read countless reviews and found two common takeaways: it’s razor-sharp, and it’s big. While true, I actually find the extra size beneficial—it helps keep the camera stable. The Leica M system lacks IBIS, and that added weight works a bit like the downward pressure of a Singer sewing machine—steady and reliable.

The lens is built from solid metal, feeling more like a precision instrument than a consumer product. The focusing mechanism is beautifully dampened, which makes rangefinder focusing intuitive and precise. The aperture clicks are tactile and accurate, with solid detents every 1/3 stop—you’ll never accidentally shift it.

Some people miss the focusing tab. The Distagon uses a small ridge instead, and while that takes getting used to, it becomes second nature. My muscle memory is to cradle the lens from beneath and use my thumb and middle finger for focus—I’ve never missed a shot that way.

In terms of image quality, the Distagon continually astounds me. Whether shooting landscapes, portraits, street, or travel, it delivers every single time. I’ve never once wished for a different lens on my M10. It’s absolute perfection and easily holds its own against Leica’s best.

It’s the one lens I’ll never let go of.

Voigtlander 35mm f/2 Ultron VM II
So why keep the Ultron as well? On paper, it’s inferior to the Zeiss in most ways, save for one key factor—the size. It’s smaller, lighter, and makes the M10 easier to handle. But that’s not the real reason I love it.

The Ultron’s rendering has a painterly quality. It’s sharp, yes, but its textures and tonality—especially in monochrome—make images feel tactile. While the Zeiss feels cinematic, the Ultron feels like brushwork.

In colour, it’s equally compelling, though heavily backlit scenes can introduce fringing and chromatic aberration. These are easily fixed in post and don’t bother me, especially since I shoot black and white more often these days.

The Ultron was the very first lens I bought for my Leica M10. I sold it to fund the magnificent Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO, only to later decide I wanted it back. Having tried all the Leica lenses above, the Ultron still stands out for its character, value, and nostalgia—it was my first 35mm lens, after all.

In size and build, it’s compact yet reassuringly solid, which helps with stability. It now comes with a proper focusing tab (Version I used a screw-in knob), making it quick and intuitive to use for anyone familiar with rangefinder ergonomics.

Most of my love for it stems from how it renders monochrome. The textures and tones are sublime. When you first load the RAW files, they appear straightforward—but start adjusting Curves, Levels, Texture, and Clarity, and a whole new depth emerges.

This lens feels like a perfect partner for my monochrome work—and I couldn’t be happier making and printing images with it.

Outro
If I could summarise how I feel about these two lenses, it would be this:

With the Zeiss, I feel like I’m filming stories, intuitively predicting how it will render scenes in its cinematic way. With the Ultron, I feel like I’m painting.

The Zeiss is a swan song to what can be achieved in the digital era—rewarding, precise, and producing results that need little work. The Ultron, meanwhile, hums a quieter tune—interpreting light organically, with a character I truly love.

It’s fascinating that within the same 35mm focal length, we have so many choices that evoke such different emotions. For me, the search is over—but the photographs are just beginning.