First Look: Mandler 35mm f/2 for Leica M
Intro
These are my thoughts as a first impression from handling this lens. A full review will be coming in the near future.
A new Leica M-mount lens quietly emerged out of China: the Mandler 35mm f/2. It’s named after Dr. Walter Mandler, the legendary optical designer behind many classic Leica lenses. This lens isn’t made by Leica, but this new third-party company is obviously imitating Leica from design to function. More specifically, it’s a modern reimagining of the 7-element Leica Summicron 35mm f/2 Type IV, often praised for its compact size and character-rich rendering.
The Mandler 35mm hasn’t been released outside of China yet. I had to track one down second-hand from someone who was willing to purchase and ship it over. I received it in mid-June and immediately started testing it. I took some product shots and compared the lens side-by-side against other budget-friendly 35mm f/2 M-mount options.
The lens is supposedly launching in the U.S. sometime in June 2025, but the company has no official website, press release, or social media presence. It's a bit mysterious, and hopefully this lens actually launches for the public, unlike the identical Chinese Polar-Solaron company, which promised a similar Summicron F2 clone but failed to deliver.
The Mandler comes with a surprising amount of accessories right out of the box.
The lens comes with two lens hoods (one vented and one square), a 39mm UV filter, a push on lens cap, and it was supposed to come with a clear storage display case, but I figure the original owner kept it for another lens. Unlike most Chinese third-party lenses, the Mandler 35mm actually looks great. The typeface, proportions, and overall finish feel thoughtfully done. The issue? It’s a little too familiar. The branding, color palette, and even the engravings are near-identical to Leica’s, to the point where it feels legally problematic to imitate their design language.
Another issue I have with the branding is the use of Walter Mandler’s name. He was a legendary designer and engineer at Leica, and while he’s no longer with us, it’s hard to believe that either his family or Leica gave this unknown Chinese company permission to use his name and likeness as their brand. It feels more like appropriation than tribute.
Specs
Focal Length: 35mm
Mount: Leica M
Minimum Focus Distance: 70cm (0.7m)
Maximum Aperture: f/2
Minimum Aperture: f/16
Optical Construction: 7 Elements / 5 Groups; 10 Aperture Blades
Weight: 147.6g (Lens Only)
Dimensions (Diameter x Length): 50mm x 35mm (1.97" x 1.38")
Filter Size: 39mm
Weather Sealing: None
Price: Coming June 2025
Test Chart
The lens stops down from f/2 to f/16, with half-clicks throughout. I shot a full aperture series using a test chart to evaluate sharpness across the frame: center, mid-frame, and edges. The corners also reveal how much vignetting is present at each aperture.
Click into the images to see in detail!
My initial impression is that while the center of the image maintains sharpness throughout the f/2-f/16 range, the mid-frame and edge clarity of this lens are not great. If you’re shooting portraits with this lens, you’ll want to keep your subject near the center. Sharpness drops off quickly as you move toward the edges, so placing a face even slightly off-center can result in noticeable softness.
Click into the images to see in detail!
Center
Mid-Frame
Edge
My initial takeaway from the test images is that mid-frame and edge sharpness doesn’t noticeably improve until around f/8. Between f/2 and f/5.6, the differences are pretty minimal, so if you’re shooting in that range, you might as well stay wide open for the extra light and shallow depth of field. For noticeably sharper edges, you’ll need to stop down to f/8 or f/11.
Now onto to comparing the mandler to other popular and affordable 35mm f/2 lenses…
Versus Other 35mm Lenses
If you’re looking for a direct comparison to the original Summicron Type IV, I’d highly recommend watching Jimmy Cheng’s review.
I have several other popular 35mm f/2 Leica M lenses (and two 35mm f/1.4 lenses) that I thought would be comparable in terms of price and quality to the Mandler:
The Mandler and the Ultron are noticeably more compact than most competing 35mm f/2 lenses. The only lens that comes close in size is the Nokton 35mm f/1.4, which also prioritizes a small footprint. On the other end of the spectrum, the APO-Lanthar stands out as the largest and heaviest of the group, but it also delivers the most refined optical performance.
Most of these lenses offer half-stop aperture clicks, though the Zeiss Biogon and Thypoch Simera are exceptions. When it comes to close focusing, the Ultron, APO-Lanthar, and Simera all outperform the Mandler, which sticks to the classic 0.7m (70cm) minimum focus distance.
In terms of image performance, every competing lens outperforms the Mandler when it comes to mid-frame and edge sharpness. That said, the Mandler holds its own in the center. It’s surprisingly sharp across the entire aperture range when your subject is dead center. Another interesting note: the Mandler has a noticeably wider field of view than the other 35mm lenses I tested.
Click into the images to see in detail!
Center @ f/2
Mid-Frame @ f/2
Edge @ f/2
The APO Lanthar and Thypoch Simera are the standouts for edge-to-edge sharpness. Both lenses deliver exceptional clarity across the frame, even wide open. The Nokton has decent sharpness in the center but shows noticeable softness and a halo effect between f/1.4 and f/2.8, which limits its performance for critical detail work. The Mandler is best suited for compositions with centrally placed subjects. Sharpness falls off quickly outside the center, so it’s not ideal if you need consistent performance across the frame.
The Voigtlander Ultron strikes a strong balance. It’s sharp, compact, and performs reliably at every aperture. If I had to pick one lens in this group, excluding the Mandler, the Ultron would probably be the most well-rounded option.
Now onto bokeh for only the 35mm f/2 lenses…
Click into the images to see in detail!
Bokeh @ f/2
The Mandler’s bokeh balls are on the smaller side and a bit underwhelming, especially when compared to the Voigtlander options. Both the Ultron and APO-Lanthar render noticeably larger out-of-focus highlights, which gives their bokeh more presence and softness. The APO-Lanthar, in particular, produces striking bokeh balls, but they come with a visible onion ring pattern.
The Mandler, Voigtlander Ultron, and Voigtlander APO-Lanthar all show some swirl and cat’s eye bokeh toward the edges of the frame. It adds a bit of motion and character to out-of-focus areas, especially in busy backgrounds. Surprisingly, the Zeiss doesn’t have that same swirling effect, but its bokeh balls take on a strong soap bubble look, with bright edges and harder outlines. There’s also a strange distortion in the Zeiss’s bokeh balls, which you can see in the sample images below.
Click into the images to see in detail!
Edge @ f/2
Although the Mandler has smaller out-of-focus elements, the bokeh itself is surprisingly clean and pleasant. It doesn’t draw too much attention, and there’s a subtle smoothness to how it renders backgrounds. The Zeiss ZM Biogon, on the other hand, has a much harsher soap bubble effect. The bokeh balls take on a distorted oval shape rather than a clean circle or even a typical cat’s eye, which can be distracting. The APO-Lanthar would easily be the cleanest choice here if it weren’t for the noticeable onion ring pattern that shows up in the highlights.
I’d opt for the Mandler and Ultron if clean out-of-focus elements matter to you. Otherwise, the APO-Lanthar is also a decent choice if you aren’t inspecting the bokeh in detail.
Initial Impression
As for my first impression of the Mandler 35mm f/2 lens, I think it’s absolutely usable in terms of image performance. It has its quirks, but there’s a certain charm to the rendering that I want to explore more in real-world shooting. I’m planning to take it around New York on the Sony A1/A7Cr and Leica SL2-S for some street photography, where I think its compact size and classic look could really shine.
If I had to grade my initial test chart results against the other 35mm f/2 lenses I’ve tested, I’d break it down by category: image sharpness, handling, bokeh, and overall performance. Each of these lenses brings something different to the table, and a side-by-side helps show where the Mandler holds up and where it falls short.
Image Sharpness:
Handling:
Bokeh:
Overall Performance:
These rankings are, of course, completely subjective, and as you can probably tell, I’m not the biggest fan of the Zeiss ZM Biogon 35mm f/2. I love Zeiss’s 28mm f/2.8, but this particular Biogon lens just doesn’t bring enough character to stand out next to the Voigtlanders or even the Mandler. The Voigtlander APO-Lanthar is still the go-to if you want clinical sharpness and edge-to-edge consistency. But my expectations were higher, especially considering its cousin, the 50mm f/2 APO, is one of the best Leica M mount lenses out there, in my opinion.
If you’re considering the Voigtlander Ultron 35mm Type II, I can confidently say it’s one of the best all-around performers in this group. Great sharpness, compact size, pleasing rendering. It checks a lot of boxes and would be my top recommendation if you're looking for a dependable everyday 35mm lens.
The Mandler 35mm f/2 was clearly not designed to deliver perfect, modern images. It’s a recreation of a vintage Leica design known more for its character than its sharpness. And in that regard, it seems to succeed. If you’re chasing that classic look with lower contrast, some edge softness, and a bit of glow, the Mandler offers something genuinely different. It’s not going to win in a technical shootout, but for photographers who appreciate vintage rendering, it looks like a promising addition.
I’m hoping to get my hands on a Leica Summicron Type IV to create some definitive comparisons to the original lens, but a decent copy on eBay is going for above $2,000 USD. When it’s all said and done, the second-hand Mandler cost me $200 USD to purchase, $50 to ship, and $110 in tariffs due to the shipping from China into the United States. So all-in-all it cost about ~$360 USD, which is absolutely insignificant compared to a copy of the Leica Summicron.
I don’t have a definitive price point of a brand new Mandler once they start shipping globally, but I’ve seen rumors of a range from $300-$600 USD.
Keep an eye out on my blog and Youtube for when I publish my full review!
