Leica Summarit-M® to be released November 2007

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.