Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH Pre-FLE (11874) – Is it still worth buying? The Focus Shift Wasn’t My Biggest Problem
Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH Pre-FLE (11874) - Is it still worth buying? The Focus Shift Wasn’t My Biggest Problem
Lens Review
Yes, Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH Pre-FLE is still a good choice especially if you value rendering and atmosphere over technical perfection. The focus shift is real, but in my experience, it was not the biggest issue. What mattered more was handling, hood design, copy variation, and whether I actually preferred its rendering over the later FLE versions.
I almost never bought the 11874. Like most people who have looked into this lens, I got halfway down a forum thread about focus shift, read through old Hong Kong Leica Fans Club discussions before they disappeared, and quietly talked myself out of it. That is how most people’s relationship with this lens begins and ends.
In my case, it made even less sense because I already owned the Summilux 35mm f/1.4 FLE (11663). Logically, I did not need another Summilux. But here is why I still pulled the trigger and gave it a try.
Then a Leica-calibrated copy came up, complete with a certificate, and at least in my use, it showed no significant focus shift. So I bought it from Fotopia. I shot with it across enough trips to genuinely understand what I had. And now it is gone.
Not because of the focus shift, though. That is the part worth explaining.
Leica Summilux 35mm Pre-FLE (11874) vs FLE (11663): How they’re actually different
Both the Summilux 35mm Pre-FLE (11874) and the FLE (11663) use the same 46mm filter thread and come with a square hood, but they are not the same in design or in use. The FLE improved things with a metal hood, which is simply better. My friend Charlie had his Pre-FLE hood smashed by a door, and that says a lot about the older plastic hood.
That experience is partly why I started paying more attention to practical hood options for these lenses. I’ve been using a simple round aluminum hood lately for the 11874, slimmer, filter-friendly, and honestly a bit less stressful to live with during travel and daily shooting. The barrels are also slightly different, and they definitely do not feel the same in hand. The Pre-FLE is slimmer, while the FLE is a little wider.
Wide open, the 11874 gives you onion rings in the bokeh. I know that sounds like a dealbreaker, and for some people it is, but I would push back on that. The out-of-focus rendering has an organic, slightly restless quality that the 11663 just does not have. The 11663 is cleaner, a little harder-edged in the bokeh, and more well-behaved. It is also, to me, a bit less interesting wide open. It really depends on what you are after.
Sharpness is the 11663’s game. It is more corrected, the corners are better, and the edges behave more predictably. The 11874 is noticeably softer by comparison. On digital, those rendering differences are easier to inspect and the technical weaknesses are harder to ignore, especially if you shoot high-resolution bodies and review files closely. On film, some of those differences become less clinical and more interpretive but so do the strengths. The 11874’s softer, more atmospheric rendering can feel very natural on film, while the 11663 gives more consistency across the frame if that matters to your work.
Build-wise, the 11874 has that longer, chunkier Leica barrel, the kind of industrial design language Leica used before it started modernising everything. It takes a 46mm filter, which I ended up using constantly on trips. The 11663 is sleeker, metal-bodied, and has a better integrated hood. One feels like history. The other feels like the direction Leica decided to go in.
What I love about the Leica 11874 Pre-FLE
What the 11874 does especially well is transitions. It does not snap from sharp to blur in the clinical way the 11663 can. Instead, subjects separate more gently, with a softer roll-off that gives images a more dimensional, less corrected look. That quality matters more to me than corner sharpness, especially for environmental portraits and street work.
The 11874 has a slightly less corrected rendering that makes scenes feel more alive. It is not magic, and it is not automatically better. It just gives the lens a different rhythm from the 11663.
Backlit scenes are where the biggest rendering difference shows up. The 11874 can bloom and lose contrast in a way that feels painterly rather than broken, while the 11663 keeps things more controlled. If you enjoy shooting into late afternoon light, the Pre-FLE gives you more atmosphere, but also less predictability.
Color from the 11874 feels slightly warmer and less clinical to me, with lower native contrast wide open. The 11663 gives a more neutral, cleaner file with stronger local contrast. On digital, that makes the FLE easier to work with if you want something immediately polished. The Pre-FLE rewards a bit more patience.
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The Summilux 35mm line-up
- Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 Version 1 Pre-ASPH (Steel Rim)
- Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 Version 2 Pre-ASPH (Infinity Lock)
- Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 Version 2 Pre-ASPH (including Canada, Germany, and Titanium versions)
- Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 Double Aspherical (11873)
- Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH Pre-FLE (11874)
- Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH FLE (11663)
- Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH FLE II (11726) – current version
Does the Leica 11874 Really Have Focus Shift? Honestly…
Yes, it is real. At close focus, if you change the aperture to f/2.8 while staying at the same distance, you can see it. But in practice, especially on film, and especially at street distances, it is manageable. A calibrated copy helps a lot. I shot with mine trip after trip without it costing me anything I truly cared about.
Was I lucky with a good copy? Probably a little. But I also think the fear around this lens is slightly outsized compared to what most people are actually shooting. That is why I mentioned in my last post that late serial copies are worth looking out for.
If you are doing precise documentary or portrait work at f/2.8, at close focus, on digital, then yes, the 11663 is the correct answer. If you are walking around cities shooting at f/2.8 on film, the 11874 is genuinely fine.
Why I sold it
Here is the thing. The 11663 is the lens I could not afford when I first got into Leica. For a long time, it was the one I wanted but could not justify. When I finally got it, I knew I was not letting it go. Having both lenses started to feel like a redundancy I could not really defend.
The 11874 left because the 11663 is simply easier for me when switching filters, while removing the hood on the 11874 takes a bit more effort than I would like. On top of that, the 11663 carries too much sentimental weight for me to ever part with it.
Pros & Cons of the Leica 11874
The 11874 makes a lot of sense for people who like older Leica rendering without going all the way into vintage glow.
One practical advantage is the aperture ring. The Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH FLE (11663) can have a relatively loose aperture ring, which means the aperture may shift without notice when shooting film. By comparison, the Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH Pre-FLE (11874) has a firmer aperture ring that holds its selected f-stop more confidently.
That said, while the hood looks better than the one on the FLE, I really wish it were not plastic. Every time I unlock it, I feel like I am about to break the flimsy side releases.
I also would not buy this lens blind unless I could test it first or buy from a seller who understands Leica calibration. The reputation around the 11874 is made worse by the fact that copy variation seems to matter more here than with the 11663. A good copy and a bad copy can lead to completely different opinions of the same lens.
So which Leica Summilux 35mm should you buy?
If you do not want classic Leica glow, but still want something with real character, and you are not afraid to do a little research on serial numbers, the 11874 at around USD 2,500 is a genuinely good entry into the Summilux 35mm world. It is also a lens that rewards people who care about rendering more than technical perfection.
If you want the technically superior version, with no focus shift, better corners, and longer-term peace of mind, get the 11663. It is the more complete product. If you stretch a bit further, you can also look at the FLE II (11726), which adds close-focus capability. I did not go that route simply because I do not like the square hood as much.
They are very similar lenses with small but distinct differences. Which differences matter is something only you can figure out for yourself. But the 11874 deserves much more credit than the focus shift reputation gives it.
Would I buy the 11874 again? Yes, if I did not already own the 11663 and found a known good copy at the right price. But I would buy it as a deliberate choice for its rendering, not as a cheaper substitute for the FLE. That distinction matters.
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I eagerly await your reviews because they combine the geekery of someone who really knows how to judge the performance and fingerprint of a lens in the context of other alternative lenses (e.g. here, 11874 v 11663), but also the perspective of a very active photography working in both digital and film. I count here 2 sensor types and 6 films types in the example photos alone – so we can see a broad range, and you’ve taken this lens to place you can’t really baby the lens – it’s practical shortcomings become more obvious. I really appreciate this review, as always.
Long term lurker. Have to comment because how beautiful these photos are. 11874 is my first leica lens and I feel the emotional weight like you do with your Summilux. Great write up as always!
Thanks Charles. Do you still own your first copy?
Yes, it will be a family heirloom.
What does FLE stand for?
It stands for Floating Elements. When you focus at certain distances, a specific group of elements moves accordingly.
Hope this helps.
Could you please share a video showing the installment of hood for preFLE. I have a preFLE 35mm Summilux. But I can not attach the plastic hood properly and I fear to break the hood.