One year ago, in October 2024 I was looking for Leica M lenses for the Leica M2 I bought earlier in the year. A lot of the information was scattered and I had to visit many websites and reviews to discover lenses. And that’s when I remembered why Leica lens research is such a pain.
The information is all out there, but it’s spread across forums, half-abandoned blogs, old review sites, and comment threads where someone casually mentions an important detail three replies deep. You end up with a pile of tabs open, comparing lens versions, checking filter sizes, wondering if two lenses with the same name are actually the same lens, and still not really knowing what to pick.
I also really enjoyed the Leica M system and decided I wanted to build a website to solve this pain point. This website is called
Leica Lens List. 35mmc has lots of readers that shoot Leica M and LTM, judging by the blog posts that are being written, so I wanted to share this with you.
What is it?
At its core, it’s just a big, practical database of Leica M and LTM lenses. Not just Leica-branded ones either, but also the alternatives people actually consider and shoot: Zeiss, Voigtländer, and various other options.
Right now it covers 400+ lenses. Each lens has the boring but useful stuff in one place: production years, size, weight, filter size, minimum focus distance, optical construction, and links to related lenses so you can go sideways when you inevitably start second-guessing yourself.
The main thing I wanted was better filtering. Not just by focal length and aperture, but by things that actually matter on a rangefinder. If you want to see all the compact 35mm lenses. Or compare small 50s that don’t stick out forever. Or find something lightweight because you actually carry the camera every day. You can do that without turning it into a research project.
There are also focal-length overview pages (21/28/35/50/75/90), camera body pages, a small blog where I post lens reviews, accesory reviews and film/scanning thoughts, and a Lounge area where people can post and talk gear without pretending everything is a masterpiece.
Focal length overview pages
On those focal length overview pages (50mm list here, for example) you can have a quick overview of all lenses of that specific focal length. It’s possible to filter on manufacturer, aperture, weight. You can add those lenses to the comparison tool which helps you in making a good buying decision.
Comparison Tool
In the Leica Lens List’s Comparison Tool you can add lenses, set benchmarks and compare the features of each lens. Those features include focal length, aperture, release year, diameter, length, weight, minimum focus distance, elements in groups, filter diameter and the mount. I feel for rangefinder cameras it is important that lenses have specific features, such as low weight. This makes it easier for you!
Stolen Gear Registry
One new feature I’ve recently added is the
stolen-gear registry. You can report stolen items, search serial numbers, and see reports on a map. Not a fun feature, but felt like something the Leica community could actually use. At least – I often saw stolen gear posts on the internet, perhaps it would make sense to consolidate them into one place. Buyers could also check those posts before buying a camera or lens.
Camera pages with search filters
Looking for a new Leica M or LTM mount body? Soon we will cover all Leica M / LTM cameras for you to browse through. The
cameras can also be linked in your lounge posts, which helps users find gear posts or discussions about a specific camera model.
Lounge
I’ve also decided to build the Lounge. There you can post all Leica related gear photos, discussions or images shot with your Leica. There’s lens and camera filters as well as tags that help you find posts that interest you. You can reply on threads, and you will get notifications if you get a reply.
The site is still very much alive and growing. Next on the list are body comparisons and, eventually, pages for buying and selling lenses and for camera stores, with the idea being to turn it into a proper one-stop place.
Features (at the moment of writing!):
– Leica lens lookup / filtering with advanced filters (weight, length, diameter, filter size, elements/groups, and so on!)
– 21 / 28 / 35 / 50 / 75 / 90 mm lens collection pages for you to discover lenses for your Leica camera
– Camera body searches (comparisons of bodies will come later!)
– Find deals on new gear with discount codes
– Stolen Leica gear can be reported on the website, with tip system as well as a map.
– Lounge with Reddit-style posts, with links to camera bodies and lenses.
I hope that you will like the website and feel free to share your thoughts in the Lounge!
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Comments
John Bennett on Leica Lens List – The One-Stop Place for Leica rangefinder shooters
Comment posted: 11/02/2026
I have (also) found ChatGPT (run by the evil AI) to be a good resource for lens comparison. Example: Voigtlander 28mm f/2.0 Ultron Vintage Aspherical VM Lens Type II vs Voigtlander 28mm f/2.0 Ultron Vintage Aspherical VM Lens Type I.
Thanks, again!
Comment posted: 11/02/2026