Missed our amazing vintage finds? Our latest is a rare Summilux lens that will look gorgeous on your Leica M camera– but also put a dent in your wallet.
It’s been a while since we shared some awesome stuff from the depths of ebay, but we’re sure our recent find is worth the wait. Of course, it has to be yet another Leica. This time, it’s a gorgeous and super rare 35mm Summilux-M f1.4 AA prototype lens that will also surely burn a hole through your wallet.
According to the listing by Canada-based ebay seller setadel_studios, this 35mm Summilux-M f1.4 AA is the only prototype still out there today. It comes in chrome instead of the regular black version; while the latter has a lighter anodized body that weighs 340 g, this prototype has a brass body and weighs a little heavier because of it at 400 g. The AA stands for the double hand-ground aspherical lens element. There’s also a concave lens element on both the front and rear element, and it’s reportedly the only Leica lens to have this feature. All these make it a highly collectible lens along with the likes of the 50mm f1.2 Noctilux.
Other details mentioned include the lens having 9 elements in 5 groups, a minimum aperture of f16, and perfect condition for cosmetics, mechanics, and optics.
If you’re curious about this lens, Steve Huff made a review of the rare Leica 35mm Summilux-M AA several years ago. There, we learned that Leica made this lens in 1990 to 1991, with only 1000 to 2000 made. Back then (2011 at the time of Huff’s writing), the regular black version was special and rare enough to go for $9,000 to $13,000. So, you can just imagine how much the one and only prototype could go for. Is the $750,000 price tag warranted and worth it? I guess it’s up to you to decide!
Go ahead and check out the ebay listing to find out more about this Leica 35mm Summilux-M F1.4 AA prototype and grab it if you’ve got that much cash to burn.
Photo from the ebay listing by setadel_studios
