Leica has introduced the Summicron-M 66 f/2, a new M-System lens that joins the company’s Classic Line. The release draws directly from the rare Elcan 66 mm f/2, an optic created for the US Navy in the late 1960s by optical designer Dr Walter Mandler at Ernst Leitz Canada. While only around 200 units of the original military design were ever manufactured, this new release marks the first time Leica has made the distinctive focal length available to photography enthusiasts more widely.
Production will be strictly limited to 660 units across the globe. The modern edition preserves the unusual 66 mm focal length of its historic predecessor, whilst refreshing both optical design and physical construction for contemporary use.
Leica retains details from the original Elcan
The Summicron-M 66 f/2 employs an optical design based on the original Elcan, adapted to current standards, while maintaining several mechanical characteristics that distinguished the earlier lens. Among these distinctive details, the aperture ring rotates in the opposite direction to standard Leica M-Lenses, and the distance scale follows the military specifications established for the original model. Exterior engravings also reference the Elcan heritage, displaying a noticeably finer typeface for the 66 mm focal-length marking. Optically, the f/2 maximum aperture lens is described by Leica as combining high contrast with soft bokeh, referring to the out-of-focus areas within an image, whereas stopping down the aperture is intended to increase resolution and reproduce fine details more clearly.
At 66 mm, the optic occupies an unusual middle ground between a traditional 50 mm lens and the longer focal lengths commonly associated with portrait photography. Leica describes the resulting perspective as natural, providing subtle image compression.
Production limited to 660 units
Leica will produce 660 examples of the Summicron-M 66 f/2 worldwide. The first-numbered lens, serial number 001, is scheduled to be auctioned at the Leitz Photographica Auction in Wetzlar in November 2026. Available globally from 3 September through Leica Stores and authorised dealers, the lens carries a recommended retail price of S$14,580 including GST.
