Leica Is Working On a 135mm Prime Lens for L-Mount

Jul 30, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A hand holds a camera lens with reflections visible on the glass. The white Leica logo is prominently overlaid across the center of the image.

The latest issue of The Camera from Wetzlar, an independent magazine for Leica fans, includes an interview with a Leica executive, where he dishes on a new apochromatic 135mm prime lens in the works for L-Mount.

As reported by Leica Rumors, Leica’s head of optics, Peter Karbe, went on the record saying that Leica is working on an SL 135mm APO-Elmarit lens.

“One last question, Peter: In the future, might we see a 135mm SL APO-Elmarit? I mean, the Vario-Elmarit-SL 70-200mm f/2,8 is sensational, but it’s a bit bulky and not exactly lightweight. Wouldn’t an apochromatic 135mm telephoto be a great addition to the SL lens catalog?” The Camera from Wetzlar asked Karbe.

“We’re already working on it,” Karbe responded.

This is a major scoop in and of itself, as companies rarely comment on products in active development, but it is also fascinating given the growth of Leica’s SL line in recent years.

A person in a suit writes in a notebook with a fountain pen on a desk covered with papers, next to a camera lens and technical diagrams. Only the person's hands and torso are visible.

As Leica explains, “APO” stands for “apochromatically corrected.”

“In normal lens designs, blue and green light converges on one focal plane, while the (longer) wavelength of red light is refracted to a slightly different plane of focus. This effect (known as ‘chromatic aberration’, or ‘color fringing’) is more pronounced in longer focal lengths — making it a particular problem in long telephoto lenses,” Leica writes. “With APO lenses, on the other hand, the construction of the lens elements and the use of low-dispersion glass enables all colors to converge at the same point of focus — resulting in a sharper image without color fringing.”

Leica’s SL line, which comprises 17 lenses and two teleconverters, features many Leica-branded lenses that are clearly based on existing designs from other L-Mount Alliance members, albeit none that are “APO” lenses.

Three black camera lenses are shown side by side on a white background, labeled as APO-SUMMICRON-SL 50 F/2 ASPH., APO-SUMMICRON-SL 75 F/2 ASPH., and APO-SUMMICRON-SL 90 F/2 ASPH. — These are Leica’s three longest SL primes as of July 2025.

Of the last four Leica SL lenses, only one was a wholly original creation, the Super-APO-Summicron-SL 21mm f/2 ASPH.

Leica came out of the gate strong with many excellent SL prime lenses, but the new 135mm prime will also fill a void, as the current longest prime lens in Leica’s SL family is the APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f/2 ASPH. released in 2018 alongside the APO-Summicron-SL 75mm f/2 ASPH.

Once the 135mm prime enters the fray, Leica will have 10 SL primes, including at 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 90mm, and 135mm focal lengths. That’s a very healthy mix. Considering photographers can attach any Leica SL lens to a Sigma or Panasonic L-Mount camera, or use other L-Mount glass on their Leica SL camera, L-Mount photographers have a wide range of prime lens options, but not many longer ones. It will be exciting to see how Leica’s lens compares to the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art lens, which is currently available for L-Mount for $1,349.

Image credits: Leica