fbpx
Features

3 Lenses for the Leica M4 You’re Bound to Love!

Chris Gampat
No Comments
04/05/2022
4 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer 7Artisans 35mm f2 lens review product images 2

The Leica M4 is a camera with a cult-like following. Of the fully analog Leicas, it represents the pinnacle of things while also being very affordable. It’s outdone only by the Leica M6 in terms of accruing a following. But what are the best lenses for the Leica M4? Well, we’re rounding up a slew of options that we really like. And we’ve actually used all these lenses too.

View this article with minimal banner ads in our app for iOS, iPad, and Android. Get no banner ads for $24.99/year.

How We Chose the Best Lenses for the Leica M4

This list of lenses for the Leica M4 was put together with a lot of ethical values. Here’s what you should know.

  • We’ve not only reviewed the Leica M4, but we’ve also reviewed each of these lenses. The product images and sample images were all shot by our staff. And each section includes links to our full reviews. 
  • We’re creating this list of lenses for the Leica M4 based on value for the money. As such, not all the lenses are from Leica themselves. 
  • We’ve noticed a lot of issues with Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses having mount shake. So we’re not including any of those.
  • The Leica M4 doesn’t have a light meter. So you’ll have to use an external one or the Sunny 16 method. 
  • We no longer own the Leica M4; we’ve upgraded to the Leica M6. But still, the Leica M4 and all the variants are quite awesome.
  • Check out our full Leica M Mount lens guide right here at this link.

7Artisans 50mm f1.1

Pros

  • Very beautiful bokeh
  • Stop the lens down just a bit and it will be tack sharp
  • Nice feeling in the hand
  • Works beautifully on M mount cameras and when attached to a Sony a7r III
  • This gorgeous lens flare
  • Fun to use
  • You get a rubber focus tab that you can paste on for yourself
  • Very affordable at $369

Cons

  • There are these empty screw holes on the focusing ring. I’m afraid of stuff getting in there in the long run

How’s the Image Quality?

In our review, we state:

“Yup, there’s tons of bokeh here. The best bokeh from this lens obviously comes at f1.1 and when you’re focused closely to the subject. But given that this is a rangefinder lens, the closest focusing is around three feet. The bokeh is creamy, dreamy, gorgeous. There is so much to say about it that simply can’t be put into words. But in addition to that it’s also unlike any bokeh I’ve seen before. Some say this lens is a copy of a Voigtlander, but I’m not sure I see that. Portrait photographers will surely be pleased here.”

Is it Worth the Price?

This lens is an f1.1 with a vintage design for less than a dinner tab of 11 people (not including tip). It’s very worth the price point, and you can get one here.

7Artisans 35mm f2

Pros

  • Full aperture stops only
  • Sharp images
  • Beautiful bokeh
  • Small and lightweight
  • Metal body

Cons

  • Nothing really, except that it’s not Leica’s, Zeiss’s, or Voigtlander’s quality. But it’s still very good.

How’s the Image Quality?

In our review, we state:

“The bokeh from the 7Artisans 35mm f2 is very nice to my eyes. It’s not what the f1.4 lenses I’ve tested have, but it’s still very beautiful in its own way. This is partially due to the design and how subjects tend to bloom with light if they’re backlit. If you love bokeh, then you’re not going to really complain. Instead, you’re going to be more thrilled that you’ve got an affordable lens that can give you solid quality.”

Is It Worth the Price?

This lens can be had for under $200. The other day I spent more on new bed sheets, and this lens is bound to last me longer.

Leica 28mm f5.6

Pros

  • Very low profile build
  • A very classic look to the image quality that I seriously wish more manufacturers did
  • F5.6 is probably what I would use for street photography anyway.
  • Smooth operation

Cons

  • Full stops for aperture, though if you’ve shot film that shouldn’t be an issue at all
  • Weird zone focusing scale so it’s tough to figure out what you’ve got in focus

How’s the Image Quality?

In our review, we state:

“The color rendition for the Leica Summaron-M 28mm F5.6 is fairly muted. It’s classic and really nice on digital sensors. On a Sony sensor, it’s obviously going to be more saturated.”

Is It Worth the Price?

The Leica 28mm f5.6 has pretty unique image quality overall. Plus, the build quality is far better than any alternatives out there. We think it’s very much worth the price for this reason.

The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

7Artisans 7Artisans 35mm f2 7Artisans 50mm f1.1 leica Leica 28mm f5.6 Leica M4 Lenses for the Leica M4 review
Shares
Written by

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
You might also like
Screen Shot 2017-08-28 at 12.07.13 PM
Features

Opinion: Please Stop Wearing a Photo Vest if You Don’t Need to Be Wearing a Photo Vest

4 Mins read
07/09/2018

When I got into this industry years ago, one thing really confused me almost as much as how much certain older photographers tend to treat the younger generation of us: photo vests. I’m completely positive that you’ve all seen them: a photographer of a certain distinguishment (or trying to show off without having said distinguishment) wearing their vests that look a lot like safari vests. You know, almost as if they’re going to go out on an African safari at all times without being anywhere near something like a safari. Walking down the streets doing street photography? You’ll see a photo vest. In the studio? Photo vest! Hiking? Yup, A Photo vest!

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Canon RF 24-105mm f4 L IS USM review product images Canon EOS R
Features

Did Canon Miss the Memo That Says Mirrorless Lenses Are Meant to Be Smaller?

3 Mins read
12/26/2018

When Canon introduced their new Mirrorless cameras earlier on this year (The EOS R) one of the stand out features was that the lens mount was so huge. While other manufacturers like Sony have made all things Mirrorless smaller, the late comer to the Mirrorless party seems to have decided that bigger is better. In a recently released interview, Canon engineers seem to be having a sly dig at Sony by saying that lenses with smaller mounts are far less capable than those with larger mounts. Read on after the break to find out more about what the Canon engineers are wafting on about.