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

Pick the 35mm f/1.4 if you want rounder highlights when stopped down, pick the 35mm f/1.4 ASPH if you want closer focus. 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 Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 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) 58% (-1.3 EV) 76% (-0.7 EV) Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (76% vs. 58% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 35.4 mm (+1.2%) 35.4 mm (+1.1%) At 1.4 m, Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 frames like a 35.4 mm lens while Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. frames like a 35.4 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 1 m 0.7 m Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. focuses 30 cm closer (1 m vs. 0.7 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 or Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 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 at f/1.4 has a 25.0 mm entrance pupil, while Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 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 and Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH.?

For an upper-body portrait, Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 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 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 and Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. compare?

Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 uses 7 elements in 5 groups (US2975673A, effective focal length 35.4 mm at portrait distance). Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. uses 9 elements in 5 groups (US5161060A, effective focal length 35.4 mm).

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