Chinese manufacturer Lailens has announced a pair of new lenses, including a fast and affordable 50mm f/1.1 for Leica M-mount and L39 cameras, as well as a compact 35mm f/1.8 for L39 mount, both of which are scheduled to arrive later this year. The 50mm f/1.1 lens resembles one of Leica’s primes, albeit at a significantly lower price. Most brazenly, the company’s website is none other than www.leicalens.com, a move sure to raise Leica’s hackles.
Leica Rumors reports that Lailens is a new brand, forming last year. Like many other Chinese lens makers, the company relies on optics from DJ Optical. The 50mm f/1.1 M-mount lens, also reported by The Phoblographer, features a fast aperture range of f/1.1 to f/16, a 13-bladed aperture diaphragm, and relatively short close-focusing distance of 0.7 meters (2.3 feet). The lens is relatively compact, weighing just 386 grams (13.6 ounces) and featuring a 52mm front filter thread.
Despite offering the lens for preorder now for $800, the official Lailens 50mm f/1.1 product page is devoid of details. The company has not disclosed the number of elements in its lens or made any specific claims regarding image quality. However, the company has shared alleged sample images on its blog, and they look fine.
While photographers may want to hold off on giving the new company $800 until more details are available, the price is undoubtedly appealing. Leica’s 50mm f/1.4 lens starts at an eye-watering $4,170, while its much slower 50mm f/2 is still $3,205. The company’s 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens is even pricier at $5,025 for the black version and $5,240 for the silver one. If photographers want to get closer to the Lailens 50mm f/1.1’s promised speed, the Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.2 ASPH is a staggering $8,555. An even faster Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH. is $14,225.
It is precisely these premium prices that have given rise to a massive market of Chinese Leica-like M-mount lenses. There’s the impressive and affordable Thypoch Simera 50mm f/1.4 for $749, the Thypoch Eureka 50mm f/2 for $579, the Astra Lab Lunaelumen-M 50mm f/1.1 for $600, the Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 for $449, the TTArtisan 50mm f/0.95 for $755, and TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. for $369, to name just a handful. Some Chinese companies target a luxury market, too, including Light Lens Lab with its 50mm f/1.2 ‘1966’ lens that starts at a relatively pricey $2,149 for the aluminum version and very faithfully recreates a Leica classic.
There are also excellent non-Leica M-mount lenses made outside of China, such as the excellent Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1 and 50mm f/1.2 aspherical lenses.
There are many more lenses than just these, but the point is that given how adaptable M-mount lenses are and how much new Leica ones cost, it is of little surprise that so many alternatives have popped up in China. Granted, Lailens is the first PetaPixel knows of that has incorporated Leica into its website name — a bold choice.
Lailens has another lens coming, the 35mm f/1.9 in screw-mount L39. There are far fewer details concerning this lens, which is really saying something, but Lailens has shared a CAD drawing of its design. The lens is expected to release later this year.
Image credits: Lailens
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