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Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. vs. Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH

Pick the 35mm f/1.4 ASPH if you want closer focus, pick the 35mm f/1.4 pre-ASPH if you want rounder highlights when stopped down. Compare both side by side.

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Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 1.42 m 1.42 m Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot.
Background Field of View (Compression) 54° 54° Identical 54° horizontal background view behind the subject.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 25.0 mm (f/1.4) 25.0 mm (f/1.4) Nearly identical distant background blur size at equal framing.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 76% (-0.7 EV) 51% (-1.4 EV) Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (76% vs. 51% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 35.4 mm (+1.1%) 35.5 mm (+1.6%) At 1.4 m, Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. frames like a 35.4 mm lens while Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH frames like a 35.5 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 20 cm (1.33 m – 1.53 m) 20 cm (1.33 m – 1.53 m) Both lenses deliver the exact same 20 cm sharp focus zone.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.7 m 1 m Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. focuses 30 cm closer (0.7 m vs. 1 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. or Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. at f/1.4 has a 25.0 mm entrance pupil, while Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH at f/1.4 has a 25.0 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. and Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH?

For an upper-body portrait, Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. stands 1.42 m from the subject (sharp zone 20 cm, from 1.33 m to 1.53 m), whereas Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH stands 1.42 m away (sharp zone 20 cm, from 1.33 m to 1.53 m).

How do the optical designs of Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. and Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH compare?

Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. uses 9 elements in 5 groups (US5161060A, effective focal length 35.4 mm at portrait distance). Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Pre-ASPH uses 7 elements in 5 groups (FR1233449A, effective focal length 35.5 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.