Artizlab Recreates a Leica Classic 50mm Lens for Just $399

Artizlab has launched the Classic-M 1:1.4/50mm, a manual focus prime lens designed to recreate the character and appearance of the Leica Summilux 50mm F1.4 (E43). While a used copy of the Leica classic can fetch thousands of dollars depending on its condition, Artizlab’s alternative costs just $399.

The Artizlab Classic-M 50mm F1.4 follows the Leica lens’s compact, lightweight design. It weighs 189g and measures 51.8mm long, despite its aluminum and brass construction. The lens also accepts standard 43mm filters.

Its optical design consists of seven elements in five groups, similar to the original Leica lens. Artizlab says the Classic-M is tuned to reproduce the Summilux’s distinctive rendering, with natural color reproduction, gentle highlight roll-off, and smooth, creamy bokeh. Its 12-bladed aperture diaphragm is designed to help deliver that out-of-focus character.

“It’s not about being the sharpest lens in the test chart. It’s about the feeling in the photograph,” the company says.

Classic Leica Design With Closer Focusing

Like other Leica M-mount lenses, the Classic-M 50mm F1.4 uses manual focus. However, it offers a closer minimum focusing distance than the original Summilux E43, focusing down to 0.45m compared with the Leica lens’s 1m limit.

There is one caveat for rangefinder users. The lens’s rangefinder coupling works down to 0.7m. To focus closer than that, users must switch to live view.

Artizlab has also recreated several of the original lens’s physical design details, including its distinctive “pineapple” focus ring, hammer-tone lens hood, and all-metal barrel. The black version also features a scalloped-pattern focusing ring.

Artizlab Classic-M vs. Mandler 50mm F1.4

The Classic-M is not the only modern lens inspired by the Leica Summilux 50mm F1.4 (E43). The Mandler 50mm F1.4 Pre-A is another option, although the two lenses take different approaches.

Artizlab focuses on recreating the original Leica lens’s optical character and physical design. Mandler, meanwhile, uses modern optical materials and claims improved resolution, prioritizing a more contemporary optical approach.

Pricing and Availability

The Artizlab Classic-M 50mm F1.4 is priced at $399 and is available through the Funleader online store. The lens is currently sold out, but the retailer indicates that more stock should become available soon.