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The Best Leica Lenses for Product Photography

Chris Gampat
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12/14/2022
6 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Leica 90mm f2 SL Review product images 41-200s400

Product photography? Really? Yes, Leica lenses are fantastic for product photography. Just ask the folks over at Hodinkee! And if you’re not into watching, just ask us! We’ve done tons of product photography using Leica cameras and lenses over the years. Combined with the right lighting, these lenses can bring a look that’s hard to obtain without a lot of post-production. Dive in with us, and let’s explore the best Leica lenses for product photography.

Understanding LEica LEns Nomenclature

Some things about Leica SL lenses might not be clear. Here are a few things worth a quick explaination:

  • Summicron: Leica’s designation for a lens being an f2 maximum aperture
  • SL: The lens is designed for full-frame L-mount cameras
  • ASPH: Aspherical lens elements
  • APO: Apochromatic design
  • M: Designed for full-frame M-mount cameras
  • Noctilux: Faster than f1.4
  • Summilux: F1.4 through f1.7
  • Summarit: F2.4 and f2.5
  • Elmarit: F2.8
  • Elmar: Around f3.4 to f4
  • Summaron: F5.6
  • Telyt: Long telephoto focal length

Understanding the Best Leica Lenses for Product Photography

Here’s what you need to know about the best Leica lenses for product photography:

  • You’re probably wondering why there are product images from other manufacturers in this article. Our Editor in Chief, Chris Gampat, uses the Leica SL2-S and the 28mm f2 SL Summicron to shoot lots of product images. A lot of the images in this roundup were shot with that combo unless the product image is under another section otherwise specified. So, yes, we’ve actually done product photography with Leica lenses. And we can attest that these are the best Leica lenses for product photography.
  • We’re specifically recommending Leica SL lenses in this roundup. Those lenses are for L Mount. They work with any Leica L-Mount camera and any Leica TL camera. 
  • Why are these the best Leica lenses for product photography? It’s a killer combination of color, bokeh, contrast, and the specific look of Leica lenses. You can’t deny what these lenses can do in the right situations and with the right lighting.
  • Profoto recently came out with a transmitter for Leica cameras. With that sort of lighting, these lenses will become so much better.
  • The best Leica lenses for product photography are weather-sealed. And they’ve done a great job with that too! Keep this in mind for location-based clients.
  • These lenses have a metal exterior durable enough to handle lots of abuse.
  • Leica SL lenses are autofocus. You can zone focus with them, but they’re not going to work the same as Leica M-mount lenses. There are some wonderful Leica M-mount lenses you’ll be happy to adapt to the SL system, but you’ll lose autofocus, the IP-rated durability, and the overall feel of the package.
  • On the Leica SL2, the Leica SL Prime Lenses will render their sharpest images because of the resolution of the sensor. Keep this in mind when doing things like printing photos of products for clients or retouching.
  • On the Leica SL2-S, the Leica SL Prime Lenses will focus faster and better help passionate photographers in low-light situations. Our Editor in Chief uses the Leica SL2-S as his main camera for most situations.

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f2.8 ASPH

  • Not much heavier than the Sigma lens
  • Better built than the Sigma variant
  • Faster focusing than the Sigma variant
  • Good colors
  • They did what Sigma should’ve done in the first place rather than focusing so hard on just the optics
  • Weather sealing
  • Very versatile

In our review, we state:

The Leica 24-70mm f2.8 SL is in this beautiful place between being pretty standard and pretty saturated regarding colors. It’s beneficial as a photographer. I like it, and when combined with the right sensor, it will mean your colors are that much better.

Essential Tech Specs

  • 19 elements (3 with ASPH surfaces on both sides) in 15 groups
  • Consistent f2.8 maximum aperture through full zoom range
  • Fast internal focusing with a single, lightweight lens element
  • Compact dimensions and lighter weight thanks to omission of OIS
  • Lens is stabilized by the SL2 and SL2-S IBIS systems
  • Excellent sharpness across all f-stops and focus distances with creamy bokeh and the Leica look
  • Metal body with weather sealing
  • Durable in any environment, making it suited for even the rigors of outdoor landscape and adventure photographers or the hustle and bustle of a pro wedding photographer

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Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f2.8-4 ASPH

  • Weather sealed
  • It’s built incredibly solid
  • Nice bokeh, especially because of the longer focal length vs. a 24-70mm
  • A genuine attempt at doing something different
  • Great image quality
  • Like all things Leica, it’s easy to use once you understand it

In our review, we state:

One of the reasons you pay for a Leica is that they don’t play around with build quality. Leica went ahead and IP rated their cameras, but not their lenses. However, the Leica SL 24-90mm f2.8-4 is very weather sealed. We’ve taken it out into the rain, snow, and other conditions and the lens kept working. This is a very reliable lens.

Essential Tech Specs

  • Ideal standard varifocal lens
  • High imaging performance from infinity to near range
  • Optical image stabilizer
  • Creative use of sharpness and blur for the plastic detachment of motif details
  • Fast and quiet focusing
  • Seal against dust and spray water
  • Leica Aqua-Dura ® coating effectively protects the outer glass surfaces from dirt and scratches
  • Elaborate coating of all lens surfaces effectively minimizes reflexes and stray light
  • L-mount bayonet

Buy Now

 Leica APO-Summicron-SL 28mm f2 ASPH

  • The fastest autofocusing Leica lens we’ve used to date
  • Great colors
  • Keeps distortion down
  • Beautiful bokeh
  • Does a nice job with portraiture

In our review, we state:

What’s to hate about the Leica 28mm f2 Summicron SL’s image quality? Honestly, nothing. Leica’s colors are always outstanding. The bokeh from this lens is beautiful and surely has a bit of character. On top of that, it’s an incredibly sharp lens.

Essential Tech Specs

  • Fast wide-angle lens with f2 aperture
  • Excellent optical performance
  • Extremely fast and reliable autofocus with Dual Synchro Drive
  • Close-focusing down to 0.24m
  • Same dimensions and filter size as all APO-Summicron-SL lenses
  • L-mount

Buy Now

 Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50mm f2 ASPH

  • Beautiful metal build
  • Excellent mix of quality and character
  • Nice contrast
  • Lovely bokeh
  • Simple design
  • About 25% lighter than the Leica 50mm f1.4 SL

In our review, we state:

While it’s not the brightest nifty fifty for L mount shooters, the Leica 50mm f2 SL delivers beautiful bokeh, solid contrast, and minimal distortion. The lens offers an ideal balance of the things modern photographers are looking for without eliminating the potential for a bit of character. It mixes minimal distortion and good sharpness with the potential for some flare.

Essential Tech Specs

  • High performance in a handy format
  • New dimension of visual aesthetics
  • Versatile standard focal length extends the lens portfolio of the Leica SL and other L-mount systems
  • Quick and quiet focusing thanks to precision autofocus system with Dual Syncro Drive TM
  • Precise production “Made in Germany” under the highest quality standards
  • Reflection and scattered light optimization through high quality coating and optimized frame geometry
  • AquaDura ® coating for dust and spray protection for use in everyday photography under extreme conditions

Buy Now

 Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f2 ASPH

  • Small size
  • Metal exterior
  • Build quality, it’s weather sealed!
  • Beautiful image quality
  • Fast focus and tracking with the Leica SL2s
  • Nice bokeh that you’re going to love!
  • Sharp, but not overly sharp! Leica has this wonderful balance

In our review, we state:

Optically speaking, there isn’t much to say about the Leica 90mm f2 SL besides the fact that it’s pretty perfect. It’s got colors you’re going to love. And that bokeh? Oh, man! You’ll almost feel like you’re shooting with a 135mm lens! It’s also sharp without being too sharp.

Essential Tech Specs

  • High performance in a handy format
  • Quick and quiet focusing thanks to precision autofocus system with Dual Syncro Drive TM
  • Precise production “Made in Germany” under the highest quality standards
  • Reflection and scattered light optimization through high quality coating and optimized frame geometry
  • AquaDura ® coating for dust and spray protection for use in everyday photography under extreme conditions
  • The eye detection enables sharp, pinpoint portraits, even with very shallow depth of field
  • The high detail contrast in combination with the maximum magnification of 1: 5 provides impressive images
  • L-mount bayonet

Buy Now

This piece is presented in partnership with Leica. We’ve independently and ethically reviewed all the lenses in this roundup already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key gems to you. 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.

best leica lenses Bokeh leica leica 24-70mm f2.8 Leica 28mm f2 leica 90mm f2 leica lenses Leica SL2 product photography review
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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.
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