A couple of weeks with the Light Lens Lab 28mm 9 Element - and making a few new friends - Chamonix, France

If you're a Leica M shooter, you know just how many lens options are out there today. From vintage classics to modern masterpieces, the choices seem endless. But one brand that has been making an impact in recent years is Light Lens Lab.

Renowned for their meticulous reproductions of rare and collectible lenses, Light Lens Lab has carved out a niche by offering high-quality craftsmanship with a strong nod to history. What makes them even more appealing is that their lenses come at a price that’s refreshingly reasonable compared to the often eye-watering cost of original vintage glass.

For photographers who appreciate the character of classic lenses but don’t want to break the bank, Light Lens Lab is proving to be an exciting alternative. Not only are they turning their focus to extremely hard to find and sought after lenses, they’re also going the extra mile by constructing their reproductions to the historic specifications of those legacy lenses. So, after two weeks of having the 28mm 9 element strapped to my M2/M4-2, what’s using one of these lenses like in real world use?

Leica M4-2 / Light Lens Lab 28mm 9 Element with lens hood

I wouldn’t consider myself known for product reviews—most of the gear I own is simply a tool for my day-to-day photography. However, the fact that I personally reached out to Mr. Zhou over at Light Lens Lab speaks to the intriguing impact the brand is having in the world of third-party lenses for the Leica M system.

Before getting my hands on this lens, I had already heard high praise for Light Lens Lab’s reputation for build quality. Upon unboxing, my first impression was just how well-built the lens truly is. Crafted from brass, it has a reassuring weight (around 300 grams)—on the heavier side for my personal preference with an M camera, but undeniably a high-quality piece of engineering. Despite its weight, it remains comfortable for all-day use and not something I noticed to be a hinderance in practice.

Focusing is exceptionally smooth—arguably the smoothest of any lens I’ve mounted on my cameras. The aperture ring is well-defined, with precise but slightly dampened clicks between stops, further reinforcing the premium feel of the lens and the high tolerance craftsmanship behind it.

The lens in real world use…..

With only a few weeks of experience with the lens and the unpredictable weather in Chamonix this spring, it’s challenging to draw a definitive conclusion and I look forward to spending a bit more time with it as we progress through spring into summer. However, I’ve managed to take it out on several occasions, shooting both black-and-white and colour film. Through these outings, I’ve developed a solid understanding of the lens’s performance.

As a homage to the 1960s Leica 28mm f/2.8 9-element lens, I initially expected a relatively low-contrast, slightly softer rendering. However, to my surprise, that wasn’t the case. After researching Light Lens Lab’s approach to its construction, I found that they’ve made several refinements to the original optical formula. This version benefits from improved modern coatings and enhancements to the dispersion elements, resulting in a lens that delivers a more contemporary rendering—offering good sharpness and contrast while still retaining a vintage character.

One aspect I was particularly mindful of was its ability to control unwanted lens flare. In my experience, this wasn’t an issue. That said, I exclusively used the lens with the supplied lens hood attached, as I do with all my lenses, given that I often shoot outdoors in environments with plenty of stray light.

Black and white film

So far, I’ve shot and developed two rolls of black and white film exclusively with the 28mm. As a small disclaimer, I’m not typically a 28mm shooter—I've been firmly attached to my 35mm and 50mm lenses for years. In fact, I had to deliberately leave those lenses at home and head out with just the 28mm mounted on my camera.

I primarily used the lens with my Leica M2, which doesn’t natively support 28mm frame lines. However, if you’ve ever used a Leica M camera with a 0.72x magnification viewfinder that supports 28mm frame lines you’ll know that the 28mm frame lines sit right at the edge of the viewfinder window. On a 0.72x magnification M camera, composing with a 28mm lens is straightforward—simply use the entire viewfinder window as your frame and it works without much of an issue, at least in my experience. If there were framing issues, I can strongly say that I was most likely to blame for that.

As another small ‘disclaimer’, one of the black and white rolls I shot was Fomapan 400. I have nothing against a good old roll of Foma—I’ve been shooting it for years. However, Fomapan 400 has some inherent characteristics that may not make it the ideal choice for reviewing a lens. The film is particularly prone to halation in high-contrast lighting and can exhibit noticeable glow and blooming in highlight areas.

So, why did I use it? Simple—I was at a vintage Ski Legends event, ran out of film, and happened to bump into a Dutch photographer who had 40 rolls of the stuff (as you do). He was kind enough to offer me a roll of 35mm, so I gladly took it. He’d heard of Light Lens Lab, and after chatting old cameras for some time, we got back to shooting. He wasn’t the first person to strike up a conversation about this lens. During the week, while out on lunch strolls through town, a couple of photographers shooting with digital M cameras approached me to ask about it. I imagine its distinct design and lens hood make it stand out, sparking curiosity. Whatever the reason, it’s always a pleasure to connect with like-minded photographers and make new friends along the way.

Below are a few black and white photographs from Ski Legends day. The first selection of images were shot on Kentmere 400 and developed in Ilford DD-X at box speed with standard development. I’ve placed the Fomapan images at the back of the gallery, this way there can be some distinction if some of the images exhibit those inherent characteristics mentioned earlier which are traits of the film rather than the lens itself.

Leica M2 - Kentmere Pan 400 / Fomopan 400

So far, my experience with the 28mm 9-element has shown that it is well-suited for black and white photography, delivering good contrast and a broad tonal range. When digitising film, it’s important to remember that the scanning and conversion process significantly influences the final image. However, a lens can still affect the amount of recorded detail on the negative, particularly in high-contrast situations—such as shooting on snow. In my experience, this lens handled those conditions well. The negatives had plenty of information in the shadows and also retained information in the high-light areas. I think they would have made great negatives for dark room printing and during the scanning process I could pretty much push them whichever way I wanted. Given that both of these film stocks are 400 speed and not necessarily the highest resolving films, I’d say there’s still plenty of detail without any post sharpening applied. In moments where I got a small chance for some subject separation, albeit with a 28mm lens with a relatively slow 2.8 aperture, I was still able to get some subject isolation as you’ll see in the ski and ski boots taken inside the tuning tent at the race event.

Colour film

A significant portion of my work—at least what you’ve likely seen—is in colour, so colour performance is something I pay close attention to. When I first got into the Leica M system, I received messages suggesting that Voigtländer lenses weren’t on par with Leica glass and that the difference would be obvious. To be honest, I don’t buy into that—especially with today’s modern film photography workflow. Since receiving those comments, I’ve shot with both brands and can confidently say that’s simply not the case.

Perhaps in the past, when we sent our film off for processing and received contact prints two weeks later, those differences were more apparent—particularly in traditional C-type printing, where filtration plays a role. But when scanning film, the process is largely an interpretation, and a significant part of that interpretation comes down to the scanner operator and in particular the scanner you choose.

For the colour film I shot (two rolls), I decided to send it to a lab I had only used once before, Carmencita FIlm Lab in Valencia. My regular lab already knows my scanning preferences, so I wanted to send it elsewhere and see what I’d get back without any adjustments tailored to my usual workflow. I even took it a step further by opting for an entirely different scanner.

I typically scan my work on a Fuji Frontier, but these colour examples were scanned on a Noritsu. From my understanding, the Noritsu is a popular choice, particularly in the U.S., and in my personal experience, its scans tend to lean more toward a neutral rendering. In contrast, the Frontier has a distinct look that can influence colour more noticeably than the Noritsu.

That said, scanning is an entire topic of its own. So, without further ado, here are some of the colour photographs made with the 28mm 2.8 on Portra 400.

Leica M4-2 - Kodak Portra 400 - Dev and scan at Carmencita, Valencia

Overall I was happy with the results and I feel that these look even cleaner than the home developed black and white (unsurprisingly). I wouldn’t say that the lens looked particularly low contrast at all and again I noticed no unwanted flaring despite being up a mountain in broad daylight. I do feel that the colours maybe don’t sing quite as much as some of my other lenses that boast modern optical formulas, but that might be down to the scanning. With some post processing I could probably make them look that way if I wanted to, but for sake of review I’ve kept them fairly neutral. I already have some more colour rolls to develop and for these I’ll be sending them off to my regular lab which means they will be scanned on a Frontier so I’m excited to see the outcome under this scenario.

In conclusion, if you’re a film shooter and are considering a 28mm 9 Element from Light Lens Lab it’s definitely got my approval. The resolving power of this lens is well suited for film and from what I’ve seen online, it’s no slouch at feeding high mega pixel digital sensors either. In summary, this lens gives you the opportunity to experience a legendary optic with some modern day refinements and if you’re particularly interest in pairing a lens with this lineage to your camera, you can’t go wrong.

The only thing to consider is the size and weight of the lens, personally one thing I really love about the M system is how compact, light weight and unobtrusive the cameras are. Pairing the 28mm with a Leica M body doesn’t make a large set up by any means, it’s still smaller than most SLRs paired with a 28mm lens, but on the large side for a range finder. One other down side to the size of this lens is viewfinder blockage. Without the lens hood attached blockage isn’t much of an issue but with the dedicated lens hood fitted you do loose a large portion of the frame within the viewfinder. Not something that really bothered me but for critical framing I think this could be a downside and there are smaller 28mms with faster apertures available that will give you no rangefinder blockage at all.

All in all, I don’t think you’re reading this review because you’re looking for the most compact, high performing lens for your M camera. Like me you’re probably intrigued by what they’re doing over at Light Lens Lab and the opportunity to shoot with a modern day recreation of legendary glass. In time I’ll update the gallery and continue to share the photos I make with this lens. One thing’s for sure, I absolutely love having it on my camera and it’s a pleasure to use. It looks pretty handsome too, and if we’re honest………that’s important!