Gentle Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 ASPH ‘11873’ Overview: All of the Pleasure for Manner Much less Cash

Among the plethora of various variations of the Leica M 35mm f/1.4 Summilux lenses, the “11873” style has garnered particular consideration. This double-aspherical design is legendary for its lens personality and basic glow at wider apertures. In fact, lens aficionados have pushed the cost of this authentic lens to astronomical values, which is the place Gentle Lens Lab has stepped in.

Gentle Lens Lab will pay homage to basic lens designs whilst hanging their very own spin at the optical formulation to house fashionable cameras. At $1,400, the Gentle Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 “11873” lens is a fragment of the cost of the unique, but it surely doesn’t search to be precisely the similar.

I took the lens for a spin on a contemporary commute to Japan, and I quickly learned there’s a lot to discuss. For the sake of brevity, I will be able to discuss with this lens during because the 11873.

A black camera lens with white and yellow aperture and focus markings stands upright on an orange surface, against a matching orange background. — I really like how carefully the scrollwork and paint is to a basic Leica lens.

Gentle Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 ‘11873’ Overview: How It Feels

The construct of the 11873 is sort of precisely the similar as the unique Leica. If it weren’t for the Chinese language characters at the backside of the barrel and the writing within the entrance of the lens, you might assume it was once made in Wetzlar, Germany. The device paintings and paint are best, and the aperture ring and focusing barrel really feel ideally suited within the hand. The lens didn’t difficult to understand the viewfinder considerably, and the controls had been all really easy to make use of. This lens brings an intuitive enjoy to a photograph consultation, a lot the similar manner that Leica lenses do.

A black camera lens with white and yellow markings is standing upright on an orange surface, with a matching orange background. — The Gentle Lens Lab 35mm 11873 appears and feels virtually precisely like the unique.

A black camera lens with Chinese characters on it is standing upright against a solid orange background. — Small clues such because the Chinese language characters at the again are the one giveaways.

The lens most effective weighs about 9.5 oz (270 grams) and could be very compact at the Leica M11P that I examined it with. There may be a relatively heavier and much more prestigious titanium model to be had. The aperture ring is listed to half-stop increments and is a fantastically made 10-blade design. It’s essential to notice that the 11873 isn’t listed for 6-bit coding, so no EXIF knowledge will probably be transmitted.

A camera lens lying on its side with the rear glass element and metal mount facing forward, next to a detached lens cap, all on an orange background. — The lens won’t transmit any focal duration information to a Leica digital camera.

A close-up of a camera lens labeled — The glass within the 11873 is lanthanide-infused identical to the unique.

Gentle Lens Lab has long gone a unique course past simply mimicking the unique system. Even supposing the 11873 makes use of lanthanide-infused glass, a double-aspherical lens design, and the similar selection of optical parts and teams, the lens is made to house fashionable digital camera sensors and reinforce some optical traits discovered missing within the authentic.

A black camera lens with the words — As same old, the device paintings and a spotlight to element is very good.

Gentle Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 ‘11873’ Overview: How It Shoots

Colourful flare is among the first issues that I realized at the 11873 lens, with distinction nicely maintained, however with obtrusive ghosting and rainbow patterns within the pictures. That is much less pronounced than the unique however nonetheless very obtrusive, and in some ways, somewhat fascinating. There’s a propensity for the lens to turn massive swathes of crimson flare when the lens is stopped down. I additionally in reality like the delicate rainbow patterns that may shape, and the flare traits are one thing you’ll wish to experiment with, moderately than keep away from.

Two side-by-side photos of a city park show sunlight streaming through trees with a tall building in the background. The left image is labeled f/1.4, and the right is labeled f/16, showing differences in lighting and lens flare. — This lens flares on the drop of a hat. Both have a laugh with it, or keep away from it altogether.

A man cooks skewers over an open grill in a dimly lit food stall, with smoke rising around him. He wears glasses and a black T-shirt with yellow writing, focusing intently on grilling the food. — There’s a cool rainbow flare development that some angles will give off.

Sharpness reveals noticeably low distinction at f/1.4 within the heart of the picture, with heavy vignetting provide within the corners. Preventing the lens down is helping in a large manner, bringing about superb element and lowering the sunshine loss within the corners. The sharpness within the corners of the picture continues to be somewhat deficient at f/1.4, and even though vignetting will get higher, the corners nonetheless have a blurred have a look at f/2.8.

Side-by-side comparison of two camera test charts labeled f/1.4 (left) and f/2.8 (right), with measurement patterns, color bars, and images of a woman's face and currency. — The LLL 11873 glows with low distinction at f/1.4. Distinction boosts slightly with tighter apertures.

Two test charts with geometric shapes and text are compared side by side. A Canadian one dollar bill is placed at the top of the left chart. The left side is labeled — Corners by no means somewhat get sharp, and the vignetting is robust at f/1.4.

Solar stars are fascinating in this lens. At f/9, the aperture blades shape a definite superstar form, however I didn’t all the time get spectacular stars out of it. With massive gentle assets, I used to be unimpressed with the rendering. On the other hand, with very small pinpoints of sunshine, the sunstars will also be dramatic and what’s much more fascinating is that it provides solar stars even at wider apertures. It is a lens that wishes for use at night time at the streets of a significant town with site visitors and side road lighting all making a box of stars.

A black and white night view of a busy city street in Japan, illuminated by bright signs and headlights, with Japanese characters painted on the road and tall buildings lining both sides. — The tiny headlights and side road lighting could make dramatic sunstars at wider apertures. Better gentle assets generally tend to appear obscure even though.

Bokeh goes to be stuffed with personality with the 11873, with specular highlights appearing a whole lot of onion rings and a powerful cleaning soap bubble impact. At f/1.4, be expecting to peer a large number of optical vignetting on the corners, developing a pleasing cat’s-eye glance. This additionally has a tendency to create swirly-looking corners that may draw the attention into the middle of the body. On the other hand, the bokeh does generally tend to have a definite glance which may no longer attraction to everybody. Backgrounds can continuously tackle a double-image blurred impact, which could be very noticeable.

There’s a particular harshness to the full glance, too, however this is a part of the attraction of this lens. The unique was once well-known for a strong-rounded glance to background highlights, and also you’ll understand a identical glance with the 11873 lens too. It’s going to no longer appear to be many different optics in the marketplace, and it’s crowd pleasing.

Side-by-side images show four out-of-focus lights. The left (labeled f/1.4) has more oval and softer bokeh, while the right (labeled f/4) displays more round and defined shapes. Both have a black background. — Bokeh is slightly messy and slightly harsh, however that is a part of the joys.

The 11873 has a classic-looking glow to the pictures on the widest apertures and is well-corrected in opposition to lateral chromatic aberrations, particularly in comparison to the unique optic. What it does have is LoCA, or longitudinal chromatic aberration, and this colour fringing is somewhat noticeable. Sadly, it is a little tough to take away in publish. I shot a large number of black and white imagery, which does mitigate this factor, however I favored that my colour pictures had been freed from errant colour casts in contrasty spaces, and {that a} relatively stopped-down aperture may just scale back the LoCA when wanted.

Close-up of several bicycles parked together, focusing on the handlebars and basket of one bike in the foreground. The background is blurred, showing more overlapping bikes, creating a busy, urban scene. — LoCA is robust at wider apertures. You’ll be able to see an excessively stable impact right here.

The Gentle Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 ‘11873’ Feels Like an Outdated Optic

Gentle Lens Lab has accomplished a super process of recreating the joys and faults of the unique Leica double aspherical design, whilst including sharpness and chromatic aberration correction for contemporary sensors. I additionally like that you simply get to have the enjoy of dealing with a Leica lens with out paying the additional price. The wealthy personality preserved on this design won’t attraction to everybody, however I discovered it quirky and a laugh to shoot with, all the time questioning how issues may prove.

I remember that some will really feel that copying an current design is slightly irreverent, however taking into account that Gentle Lens Lab is providing an enjoy that successfully no photographer will be capable to in finding or have the funds for, I believe the act is justified. With the extra enhancements that take this lens past what the unique Leica 11873 delivered, I believe that the Gentle Lens Lab model is value a glance. If you are feeling that mimicry is the sincerest type of flattery, you will have to give it a take a look at.

Are There Choices?

In fact, discovering the unique Leica lens would offer a identical enjoy, however the price and rarity are extraordinarily prohibitive. Even supposing no longer a 35mm lens, the Omnar Bertele 5cm lens would offer a identical more or less characterful enjoy. The Voigtlander Nokton Vintage 35mm f/1.4 SC II, can be an reasonably priced selection with its personal distinctive glance.