The Leica M Lens: A history of the lenses that made the rangefinder (Camera Brand Story Book 14)

The Leica M LensA history of the lenses that made the rangefinderThe most comprehensive collector's guide to every Leica M lens ever produced — from 1954 to today.For seventy years, the Leica M bayonet has stood unchanged, and the lenses that mount on it have become the most collected, most studied, and most coveted in photography. The 1958 Summicron 35mm "Eight-Element." Walter Mandler's Canadian-built Noctilux 50mm f/1.0. The 1990 Aspherical "11873." Peter Karbe's APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH. The military Elcan KE-7A. The black-paint Steel Rim Summilux.The Leica M Lens Collector's Guide is the most comprehensive single-volume reference ever published on this system. Across approximately 70,000 words, fifteen chapters, and six detailed appendices, it covers every native M-bayonet lens produced from the M3 launch in 1954 to the latest releases of 2023 — eEvery M-Mount Lens, Every Version, Every YearAll 80 native Leitz and Leica M lenses, from the original 1954 Summicron to the 2023 APO-Summicron 35mmWide-angle history: the 15mm Hologon, the Schneider Super-Angulons, the Elmarit-M 21mm pre-ASPH and ASPH, Super-Elmar-M 18mm, Summilux-M 21mm and 24mm, and the Tri-Elmar-M WATEThe complete 35mm canon: Summaron, eight Summicron generations from the legendary 1958 8-Element to the 2023 APO, Summilux from Steel Rim through FLE II, plus the new 35mm Noctilux f/1.250mm hierarchy in full: six Summicron generations, Summilux pre-ASPH and ASPH, Noctilux at f/1.2, f/1.0, and f/0.95, the benchmark APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPHThe 75mm and 90mm portrait range — Mandler's Summilux 75mm, the APO-Summicron 75mm and 90mm, the Macro-Elmar-M, the 2017 Thambar reissueThe 135mm telephotos and the practical limits of Leica rangefinder couplingSpecial editions, military lenses, anniversary releases, and historical Leica raritiesThe Tools You Need to Identify and Value Any Leica M LensYear-by-year Leica serial number reference from 1923 through 2023 — the indispensable guide to dating any Leitz or Leica lens6-bit coding reference for digital M users: how the system works, how to read it, and how to retrofit vintage uncoded lensesDesigner biographies: Max Berek, Walter Mandler, Peter Karbe, and the supporting cast of Leitz/Leica optical engineersAuction records and Leica collector market values across eight categories, with approximate price ranges for the most-traded variantsResources directory: every major auction house (Leitz Photographica, WCA, Tamarkin), specialist dealer, independent repair technician, reference book, and online communityThe complete Leica M-Mount Lens Catalogue as a chronological reference tableThe Third-Party M-Mount UniverseThe complete Cosina Voigtländer Bessa-era and post-Bessa M-mount lens line: Heliar, Color-Skopar, Ultron, NoktonThe Zeiss ZM Biogon and Planar designs — the rangefinder world's parallel optical traditionThe new wave of Chinese M-mount makers: 7Artisans, TTArtisan, Thypoch, Light Lens Lab, The Light Lens Lab Elcan re-creation and the open question of what the Leica M-mount has becomePractical Collecting KnowledgeHow to read a Leica serial number and spot fakes, repaints, and misrepresented lensesWhere prices are set: Leitz Photographica Auction, WCA, Tamarkin Rare Camera Auctions, specialist dealersCondition grading conventions across the major Leica auction housesLeica CLA recommendations: when service is needed, when it isn't, who to send your lens toStorage methods, fungus prevention, and care of vintage Leica lenses across decades of ownership Read more