Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.5 Z21 Review: A Parisian Delight

Jul 05, 2025

Chris Niccolls

Light Lens Lab is all about recreating classic — and hard-to-acquire — lenses from the past. Its latest revelation is a faithful homage to the P. Angenieux S21 50mm f/1.5 lens. Originally designed in the 1950s with an M42 thread mount for the Exacta SLR, the S21 delivered that Silver Screen look, with soft corners and a gentle glow to the frame when shooting wide open.

Buy the Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.5 Z21 new on Amazon.com Buy the Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.5 Z21 used on KEH.com

Now, Light Lens Lab, or LLL as I’ll refer to it as going forward, offers its Z21, which copies the lens almost exactly, right down to the lanthanide-infused glass elements and chrome-on-paint look of the original. However, the recreation does have some notable changes, including aluminum construction and a redesigned Leica M-mount coupling instead. You can acquire the new S21 for only $1100, which is a good thing considering that the rare S21 lenses can push upwards of $15,000, if you can even find one.

A person’s hands attach a silver camera lens to a black Leica camera body, with part of their green shirt and a wristband visible in the background. — For this review I wanted to go classic. I shot Lucky SHD 400 film on a Leica M6.

Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.5 Z21 Review: How It Feels

The LLL Z21 is certainly striking from a distance with its bright chrome control rings and rich gloss black paint. It doesn’t quite match the more refined aesthetic of the original, but the manual focusing ring and aperture controls turn smoothly, and the controls are easy to find without looking at the lens. The Z21 takes 52mm filters up front, and LLL provides a handsomely engraved lens cap and back cap. Due to the aluminum construction, the Z21 is much lighter than the original lens at only 11 ounces (313 grams).

A camera lens with metallic rings stands on a grid-patterned surface. In front of it, a silver lens cap with the word "LIGHT LENS LAB" engraved is propped upright. The background is dark and plain. — The Z21 is quite compact, and comes with some stylish custom front and back caps.

The finish is classic-looking but comes across ever so slightly garish.

A camera lens lies on its side on a black grid-patterned surface, with a dark, out-of-focus background. The lens is detailed and reflective, with visible glass elements and engraved markings. — The glass elements have been infused with Lanthanum to mimic the classic formula of the original.

As mentioned before, the LLL Z21 is being released for Leica M-mount, and I have to say that it just makes sense on the M-series bodies. LLL has redesigned the mount to work with Leica rangefinders, and I found the coupling to focus accurately. For my testing, I shot the Z21 on a Leica M6 film camera with mostly black and white film to capture the spirit of the original design. I had plenty of opportunities to test the f/1.5 aperture in the lower light levels of the Wetzlar Cathedral in Germany. All lens functions worked as expected, and the experience on the Leica M6 was very satisfying.

Close-up of a camera lens showing silver focus and aperture rings, with numbers and markings in white on a black background. The focus is on the aperture scale, featuring values from 1.5 to 8. — The aperture ring is indexed interestingly, with more spacing in between the wider apertures.

A camera lens lies on its side on a black grid-patterned surface, with its metallic lens cap placed nearby. The background is dark and out of focus, highlighting the lens as the main subject. — The M42 thread mount has been replaced with an updated Leica M-mount coupling.

A close-up of a shiny, black and silver camera lens labeled "Light Lens Lab," standing upright on a grid-patterned surface with a dark, blurred background. — Regardless of the aluminum construction and more modern finish, the Z21 is a head-turner.

Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.5 Z21 Review: How It Shoots

If you are looking for a sharp and modern look, this is not the place to find it. The Z21 very accurately captures the classic look of the original S21 lens, with all its blurry corners and soft contrast intact. There is very heavy field curvature, which means that if the center is in focus, the corners will be way out. This creates a charming effect which draws the viewer’s eye to the center of the frame, and I really enjoyed this look for portraits.

A man with short, gray hair and a beard wears round sunglasses and a patterned floral coat over a patterned shirt, standing outdoors in front of a stone building. The image is black and white. — Gajan is a fellow Canadian and a style guru. This photo looks like it could have been taken in the 50s with the original S21.

Black and white portrait of a person with short, dark hair and glasses, holding a camera close to their face with both hands, looking directly at the camera. The background is softly blurred. — Pat Domingo is one of my favorites. Notice how the fall-off of sharpness draws the eye to his face.

An older man wearing sunglasses, a dark shirt, and pants stands casually against a sunlit wall with shadows of leaves. He holds something in his hand and smiles, appearing relaxed and content.

Another characteristic that you’ll notice is the overall soft contrast and ethereal glow that this lens exhibits at its widest apertures. This is a really nice look for classic portraits and works especially well for backlit subjects. Now, if you place your subject in the center of the frame, the sharpness of the lens is quite good. As a subject moves to the edges of the frame, the sharpness falls off dramatically, even when properly focused. The lens exhibits an overall “swirly” effect around the center of the frame, so either be careful with subject composition or use much tighter apertures, which serve to reduce some of the more characterful aspects of the Z21.

A woman with light hair in a ponytail holds a camera up to her face, appearing to take a photo. She wears hoop earrings, layered necklaces, and a sleeveless top. The image is black and white. — The Z21 lens creates this gorgeous soft glow with backlit subjects.

A black and white photo of a young woman with light hair resting her chin on her crossed arms, looking thoughtfully into the distance. She has tattoos on her forearm and wears a chain necklace. — Tabea is listening to a cathedral choir while I grab a simple composition.

A man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a light shirt, and a vest, smiles while looking at the camera. The background is blurred with a stone or brick wall pattern. The image is in black and white.

Longitudinal chromatic aberrations were very well controlled. I expected to see a lot more color fringing, but the lens does a decent job of correcting for this hard-to-remove issue. If you are going to shoot this lens towards light sources, I would say that the flare is pretty well controlled. There is definitely some ghosting within the frame, but it is not as abrasive as expected. Contrast does drop, however, this is a purposeful characteristic of this lens. There is a soft glow at f/1.5 that permeates the scene and causes brighter areas to flare a bit. Overall, I found this to be a desirable trait and really liked the results for portrait work.

Side-by-side comparison of two camera test charts, labeled f/1.5 and f/2.8. Each has color blocks, grayscale bars, resolution patterns, and parts of a Canadian banknote, used to test image sharpness and color. — You can see the dramatic change in contrast as you stop the lens down farther.

Side-by-side comparison of two camera images showing a Canadian one dollar bill, test charts, and black triangles. The left image is labeled f/1.5; the right is labeled f/2.8. The right image appears sharper. — The corners will never give sharp results, so you must compose images carefully.

A grayscale photo of an older man with glasses, a beard, and short hair, wearing a suit jacket over an open-collared shirt, smiling slightly while looking off camera.

Bokeh is also quite dramatic with the LLL Z21, and the specular highlights have a distinct border surrounding them. This does cause the backgrounds to render in a frenetic way, and highlights will definitely stand out starkly. However, there is also a beautiful swirl to the background with a very strong cat’s eye effect at f/1.5. Stopping the lens down quite a few stops will largely reduce this look, but I found myself charmed by the uniqueness of this Angeniuex clone. If you are looking for a lens that has a distinct look rarely seen, the Z21 does a brilliant job of providing images with a unique vibe.

Close-up of tall, thin grass with delicate seed heads against a softly blurred background of earth and sunlight, creating a dreamy, natural scene. — You can see the harsh outline that surrounds each highlight.

A young girl wearing a blue cap, pink long-sleeve shirt, and pink leggings walks outdoors on a grassy, sunlit field with trees in the background. — This image really shows off the stark central sharpness and soft look to the edges.

A young girl in a pink shirt and gray cap looks at something small resting on her open palm while standing outdoors in sunlight.

Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.5 Z21 Review: Character Aplenty

Light Lens Lab has accomplished its task of faithfully recreating a look that is out of the range of most photographers. The Z21 delivers a charming look that I never found gimmicky or overdone. Naturally, this classic style won’t be to everyone’s liking, but there is no denying that the Z21 recreates the look and feel of an incredibly rare and desirable optic at an $1100 price that is much more tolerable. If you find the soft glow and distinct central focus of the original S21 lens appealing, Light Lens Lab has an optic to bring you the same joy in a more practical package.

Black-and-white photo of an older man with short hair and a serious expression, wearing a light-colored shirt and a textured jacket, sitting and looking directly at the camera. — Ralph Gibson is a huge photographic influence of mine. I was honored to take a picture of him.

Four young women sit on a stone bench outdoors, smiling and talking while eating ice cream. They are casually dressed, wearing light tops and dark pants, and appear relaxed and happy in the sun.

Black and white photo of a cozy, dimly lit room with two chairs, a round table, a potted plant, floor lamps, sheer curtains, and a wall-mounted light. The atmosphere is calm and intimate.

Are There Alternatives?

Obviously, the only option on the table is the original P. Angenieux S21, and that lens is impractical to own or shoot with. The LLL Z21 50mm f/1.5 is an excellent alternative to the real thing, and charming in its own right on a Leica M-mount camera.

Should You Buy It?

Yes. This comes with the caveat that you have to be enamored by the look of the original lens. If you want a healthy dose of beautiful character and you value a unique look to portraits and street shots, the Z21 is a great option.

Buy the Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.5 Z21 new on Amazon.com Buy the Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.5 Z21 used on KEH.com