A Photographer’s Dream, Now Made Real

The Noctilux-M 35 f/1.2 ASPH. provides the peak optical performance of a Noctilux in a new, compact design that perfectly aligns with the precise nature of the M-System. The result is unparalleled versatility, giving subjects the chance to tell their own stories, even in the weakest light. Alongside the innovative, handcrafted precision, extremely shallow depth of field and the particularly aesthetic bokeh for this focal length, it is the significantly reduced close focus distance that ensures greater proximity to all the action, the subject and the world around us. Thanks to its compact design, the Noctilux-M 35 offers complete freedom to realise your photographic ambitions – anytime, anywhere. Inspired by light itself, which weighs nothing yet means everything.

Sample Images by Cam Mackey

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Portrait of Cameron Mackey with camera in hands

In a world of clinical perfection, this is the first time a modern lens has moved me and excited me to the point of creating work I can be proud of.

Cam Mackey

Portrait of Peter Karbe

This lens is the result of Leica’s relentless pursuit of the next level of performance, achieved through the use of the latest precision technology without compromising on compactness or imaging performance.

Peter Karbe

Where Space and Subject Meet Anew

This is a lens that creates closeness without forcing it. Its 35 mm fixed focal length produces the velvety soft bokeh typical of Noctilux lenses, while also establishing a signature style – atmospheric, vivid and unmistakable. The slightly wide-angle lens strikes a new balance between context and subject. There are enough surroundings to frame stories and people against the particularly vivid Noctilux background at a wide aperture. This makes subjects stand out in three dimensions even from a distance. At close range, another strength becomes apparent: the combination of a small close focus distance and extremely high lens speed creates a depth that immerses you in the soul of a moment rather than just seeing it.

Making the Very Best Out of Very Little

The Noctilux-M 35 f/1.2 offers maximum freedom: it yields maximum light, even in conditions characterised by barely perceptible ambient illumination. Its extremely high lens speed with the aperture fully open enables you to take photos using only available light, even in challenging environment where the human eye barely sees at all. At parties, concerts or with late-night street scenes, it captures authentic moods without altering the scene with a flash or any other artificial intervention. The wide aperture creates a distinctive cinematic aesthetic with natural colour rendering, exceptional contrast and atmospheric depth, giving you creative control over light, shadow and composition, even in minimal residual light.

Sample Images by Huw John

Portrait of Huw John

When you have the right story or situation that allows you to use the lens wide open, your composition is transformed into an image that simply screams of unique beauty.

Huw John, Member of the British Press Photographers Association

Closing in on the Technically Impossible

Pure precision, condensed into a 415 gram, 5.02 centimetre package: the Noctilux-M 35 comprises ten lenses in five groups, including three aspherical elements manufactured using the PGM process, as well as a patented focusing mechanism that ensures consistently high imaging performance throughout the entire focusing range. The large focusing angle enables exceptionally precise manual focusing, with a close focus distance of just 0.5 metres. This is supported by a mechanism that is handcrafted in Wetzlar with meticulous attention to detail that can be perceived in every millimetre. A true statement on precision optics – and the timeless expression of genuine pioneering spirit.

Cross-section of the Noctilux-M 35 f/1.2 ASPH structure

Form Perfected – Made in Germany

PGM (Precision Glass Moulding) makes it possible to produce highly complex aspherical lenses with special geometries. Such lenses were previously almost impossible to produce, but they allow the 35 mm Noctilux to deliver unparalleled performance in an extremely compact design. At the heart of this technology are mould inserts made of high-purity tungsten carbide, which are produced specially in Wetzlar. With tolerances set at a maximum of three nanometres per millimetre of diameter, these aspherical tools are produced to an unrivalled standard of quality. Experienced specialists in toolmaking and precision optics perfect each tool through careful hand polishing before applying a diamond-like coating that transfers this perfection precisely to the highly refractive glass at temperatures of up to 700 °C. As part of this process, Leica harnesses its decades of experience and its own calculation models to accurately predict mould behaviour during the cooling phase. The result is a process unique in Europe, whereby the Noctilux-M 35 f/1.2 ASPH. delivers the highest degree of performance in the most compact design to date.

The Noctilux-M 35 is a lens that not only brings the highest optical excellence into the smallest possible form, but also embodies the pride of Leica employees.

Peter Karbe