Best Leica Lenses for Micro Four Thirds Cameras

Love Leica lens rendering but want a smaller setup? Get the LEICA LOOK using affordable MFT cameras. As a Leica specialist this article breaks down what I deem as some of the BEST Leica lenses for Micro Four Thirds cameras, based on size, weight and performance. Including YouTube links to mentioned lenses plus images of MFT cameras for scale.

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What do I know about Leica lenses?

If you’re a new reader I specialise in Leica, hence the MrLeica blog. I’ve reviewed perhaps 85-90% of the popular lenses for Leica M mount, both here and on YouTube. As someone that knows these lenses inside out I saw the opportunity to mount the smaller M lenses on smaller cameras.

Why Leica Lenses on Micro Four Thirds?

My goto small Leica camera for travel is the APS-C digital Leica CL. If I want something even smaller (and that accepts interchangeable lenses) I turn to Micro Four Thirds cameras (aka. “M43” or “MFT”). Can you get the famous Leica Look from a MFT camera paired with a Leica lens? You decide!

Leica Look Photos using Micro Four Thirds

For my recent cycling trip to France I wanted a compact setup so I packed a Micro Four Thirds camera paired with a few small Leica M/ LTM lenses. The following photos were shot with a Lumix G100 (RAW + MrLeica Preset applied). Lenses include the Thypoch Ksana 21mm f3.5, Mandler 35mm f2 and Nikkor H.C 50mm f2.

First impressions? I’m really impressed with the final images from this combo, especially printed.

My Experience with Micro Four Thirds Cameras

I’m known for Leica cameras and lenses but what about Micro Four Thirds?

Actually my first real camera was a MFT Panasonic Lumix G1 (back in 2010) and that was THE camera that taught me photography. Funnily enough, my lens choice back then was a Leica M mount lens – the Voigtländer Nokton Classic 40mm f1.4 MC. That in turn pushed me to discovering film with the Voigtlander Bessa R3A and finally to Leica with the digital Leica M9. The 40mm video below talks more about this –

My MFT Cameras: Lumix GX880, GX80 and G100

After selling the Lumix G1 (when moving to Nikon and later to Leica), I went back to my roots when I bought a Lumix GX80. Soon after I bought the smaller Lumix GX880 for the flip up LCD screen (originally for vlogging). Next I picked up a Lumix G100 for the additional video features (for YouTubing).

These are my mini video cameras for travel but they can take nice photos too. How do they compare?

Lumix GX880 vs Lumix GX80 vs Lumix G100

I use the Lumix G100 the most with Leica lenses but I could use the GX80 the same way. I like the look and size of the Lumix GX880 but I prefer a viewfinder to accurately focus manual focus lenses.

• Lumix GX880 – Smallest, lightest, flip-up LCD, no EVF, micro-SD, smaller battery
• Lumix GX80 – Offset VF like a Leica M camera and built in IBIS, SD, no audio imput
• Lumix G100 – No IBIS but lighter than GX80 (and has central VF), better AF, flip out screen

Leica M camera vs Micro Four Thirds (Size)

To appreciate the size difference lets compare a Leica M cameras next to Micro Four Thirds cameras –

Adapting Leica Lenses to Micro Four Thirds

OK so with the cameras covered, how do I adapt Leica M lenses to these MFT bodies? I use 3 types of adapters for my Leica rangefinder lenses. All can be found on the likes of eBay or Ali Express.

• Leica M – MFT (fixed adapter)
• Leica M – MFT (helicoid adapter for closer focus ability)(new)
• LTM/L39 – MFT (fixed adapter – vintage Leica screw mount lenses)

In reality you only need one adapter, the Leica M-MFT helicoid adapter. That will let you focus all your Leica M lenses to infinity and closer than the usual 0.7m minimum focus distance. For screw mount lenses use the same adapter but add an extra LTM-LM adapter. LTM lenses benefit from the close focus adapter rather than be limited to the often native 1m MFD.

Why Use Leica Lenses on Micro Four Thirds?

So with cameras and lens adapters covered, why do I use Leica M lenses on MFT cameras? I own MFT lenses and they are good but just too sharp and modern looking. No unique rendering or character, minimal imperfections, minimal interest. Leica M lenses, whether Leica branded or otherwise are known for their character and some are really compact.

I always appreciate a small camera kit as I regularly fly with only a small backpack. (See my Travel Guide eBook). It was only a matter of time before I tried my smallest Leica lenses on my small MFT cameras.

Best Leica Lenses for Micro Four Thirds Cameras?

What are the best Leica lenses for MFT cameras? “Best” will depend on your needs so let’s group some of the Leica lenses I use based on their features. By “Leica lenses” I’ll include modern lenses, vintage lenses, and non-Leica brand lenses made for M mount/ LTM mount. I use them all the same way.

Smallest Leica Lenses for M43 Cameras

If we look at the smallest Leica lenses first as these are the obvious pairing with small Micro Four Thirds cameras. These can be sub-divided into pancake lenses, lightweight lenses, vintage lenses and other categories. Let’s break them down with images of mentioned lenses on a MFT camera for scale. Most of the Leica lenses featured are “small” (unless stated otherwise) but some are really tiny.

Best Leica Lenses for Character on Micro Four Thirds

If you are searching for lenses with the most character and personality I would first look at vintage lenses (Leica lenses or others from the same period). The second option would be modern third party clones of classic Leica lenses such as those from Light Lens Lab, Mandler and Funleader. I’ll cover those further down.

Vintage Leica Lenses on Micro Four Thirds Cameras

My favourite approach to giving M43 cameras a less digital look is to use vintage Leica lenses. Any vintage lens will work but here are some I’ve been enjoying.

• Leica Elmar 5cm f3.5 LTM
• Leica Summar 5cm f2 LTM
• Leica Summarit 50mm f1.5
• Leica Summaron 35mm f3.5 LTM

Soviet Clone Leica Lenses on M43 Cameras

One drawback to Leica lenses is they can often be expensive. A cheap alternative to get you started is to look at vintage Soviet lenses that copied Leica lenses. Lenses like the Industar 50mm f3.5 LTM ticks multiple boxes – affordable, vintage look, small and lightweight. Also consider the Jupiter-8 50mm f2 as a budget option. These are perhaps some of THE best starter lenses if you want to experiment with Leica M/LTM lenses on M43 cameras.

Lightest Leica Lenses for MFT Cameras

Talking of lightweight, what are some of the lightest Leica M /LTM lenses to use on compact Micro Four Thirds cameras?

• Classic Voigtlander Skopar LTM lenses – 21mm, 25mm, 35mm etc
• Modern Voigtlander LTM lenses – 28mm Skopar + 40mm Heliar
• Soviet aluminium barrel lenses – Orion 15 28mm f6
• Leica Summaron 28mm f5.6 (or TTArtisan 28mm f5.6 clone)

TTArtisan 28mm f5.6 lens Leica

Voigtlander 28mm 2.8 Skopar | New Leica EDC Lens

Leica Pancake Lenses for Micro Four Thirds Cameras

If you want super slim profile lenses, aka. “Leica pancake lenses” consider the following optics –

• Brightin Star 28mm f2.8
• Thypoch Eureka 28mm f2.8
• Artralab 28mm f2.8
• Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm f3.5

What about Leica R Lenses for Micro Four Thirds?

I use Leica M lenses and Leica screw mount lenses on MFT cameras as they are the smallest lenses of the camera systems I’ve owned. You can adapt Leica R lenses but these are bigger lenses. The smallest Leica R lens I like to use is the Leica Summicron 50mm f2 (version 1). Amazing lens for both portraits and video on any camera.

Leica R Lenses Review (On Film & Digital)

Adapting Lenses to Micro Four Thirds for Video

As a YouTuber I enjoy adapting Leica lenses to Micro Four Thirds cameras for recording video too. Vintage lenses often have more character than newer lenses but companies are now making remakes of classic lenses and these are often cheaper than the originals.

One of my favourite lenses for character is the TTArtisan 75mm f1.5 Biotar clone. This is a big lens on MFT (and even bigger with filters added) but this is the lens I used to record the B-roll for the MFT YouTube video. To me the footage looks much better than what I might expect from MFT. More depth, more character, more organic.

Best Third-Party Lenses for Micro Four Thirds with Leica Look

Talking of third parties copying of legendary lenses, in the Leica ecosystem we now have multiple brands offering us modern lenses with that vintage Leica look. Some of the lenses I enjoy using on MFT include –

• Funleader Artizlab 35mm f1.4 (Leica Summilux 35mm f1.4 Pre-ASPH clone)
• Mandler 35mm f2 (Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v4 King of Bokeh clone)
• Light Lens Lab 35mm f2 8E (Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v1 clone)
• TTArtisan 28mm f5.6 (Leica Summaron 28mm f5.6 clone)

Mandler 35mm f2 – Back in Stock!

Funleader 35mm f1.4 for Leica (Artizlab)

Big Leica Lenses for M43 Cameras

Some lenses feel too big (or heavy) for tiny Micro Four Thirds cameras but the parings just works so well thanks to the fast maximum aperture of the lenses. A few examples –

• Light Lens Lab 50mm f1.2 “1966” (Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.2 clone)
• Thypoch Simera lenses like the 21mm f1.5 and 75mm f1.5

Compact Telephoto Leica Lenses for MFT

Micro Four Thirds cameras already give you a 2x crop factor to all lenses so 50mm = 100mm in full frame terms. What if you want more compression? 3 lenses I would consider based on their size and weight for telephoto lenses include –

• Leica Elmar 9cm f4 LTM
• Canon 100mm f3.5 LTM
• Leica Tele-Elmar 135mm f4

Best 90mm Lenses for Leica Cameras (LTM+M+R+L)

Here is me going even longer – Using a Nikkor 180mm f2.8 ED lens on MFT for portraits in Spain. They lack the Leica Look but I still like them.

Wide Angle Leica Lenses for Might Micro Four Thirds

Thanks to the 2x crop factor the biggest challenge is to find compact wide angle Leica lenses to use on Micro Four Thirds bodies. Lenses I can recommend from experience include –

• Voigtlander Super Wide Heliar 15mm f4.5
• Thypoch Ksana 21mm f3.5
• Voigtlander Color Skopar 21mm f4

Best Budget Leica M Lenses for Micro Four Thirds

If you’re on a budget definitely consider the Soviet lenses that I mentioned. Vintage LTM lenses probably offer the best low cost value options. Check eBay (US) https://ebay.to/2F0HoxY (UK) https://ebay.to/3ijzle2 for lenses like the –

• Jupiter-8 50mm f2 LTM
• Industar 50mm f3.5 LTM (any version)
• Canon 50mm f1.8 LTM
• Some 7Artisans + TTArtisan modern lenses (M mount)

Conclusion: Best Leica Lenses for Micro Four Thirds

As you can see, within the Leica lens ecosystem there are great lenses to suit almost every need. The limitation is more to do with using Leica lenses on MFT cameras. Let’s breakdown the pros and cons of using Leica lenses on Micro Four Thirds bodies.

Pros of Leica Lenses on MFT Cameras

As a portrait photographer I appreciate lenses with character over absolute perfection. Reasons why you might enjoy Leica lenses on M43 cameras include –

• More character and imperfections (vs. sterile digital looking images)
• Sharper edge-to-edge photos (only using the centre of the image circle)
• Less vignetting (only using the centre of the image circle)
• 2x reach (if you need telephoto)
• Solid metal and glass construction (built to last)
• Proper manual focus helicoid (not focus-by-wire)
• Better investment (Leica lenses are generally a safe investment)
• Leica M/LTM lenses can be adapted to most mirrorless cameras (+ on film)

Cons of Leica Lenses on MFT Cameras

What about potential drawbacks? It’s not all good news. Cons of using Leica lenses on Micro Four Thirds include –

• 2x crop factor (makes many lenses “too long” (35mm = 70mm etc)
• Less bokeh and swirl at the edges (cropped out)
• Less softness and imperfections at the edges (cropped out)
• Less vignetting (cropped out but can add back during editing)
• Minimum focus distance 0.7m-1m (on most lenses without helicoid adapter)
• No autofocus (Leica M/LTM lenses are not autofocus)

Why I still own some MFT Lenses

Despite loving Leica lenses on Micro Four Thirds cameras there are times when I need to grab a native MFT lens instead. Reasons to own a few Micro Four Thirds lenses include –

• Autofocus (for photo or video)
• Fast wide aperture lenses (low light indoor)
• Wide angle lenses (wider than 30mm equivalent)
• Compact zoom lenses
• Maximum optical performance

My Favourite MFT Lenses

If I had to name four native Micro Four Thirds lenses my favourites are the –

• Olympus Zuiko 45mm f1.8 (Small, light, fantastic for portraits)
• Leica Summilux 15mm f1.7 (Small, light, super sharp, EDC)
• Lumix 30mm f2.8 Macro (Amazing for product shots and details. Very sharp)
• Lumix 12-32 kit lens (24-64mm zoom equiv’)(Plastic but a great backup lens)

Portraits with Native MFT Lenses

Here is some model photography shot with various Panasonic Lumix MFT cameras + native MFT lenses. Shot in RAW + MrLeica Lumix G preset pack applied. (See all MrLeica Presets HERE). Note the more generic rendering vs Leica lens rendering such as perfectly round bokeh balls in the last image.

YouTube – Leica Lenses on MFT Cameras

APS-C: Is this the Sweet Spot?

Micro Four Thirds cameras are great but I find the real sweet spot for size-performance ratio is APS-C. The larger sensor means a 1.5x crop versus 2x so common focal lengths can be used easier.

• 21mm = ~30mm (not 42mm)
• 35mm = ~52mm (not 70mm)
• 50mm = 75mm (not 100mm)

Personally I tend to grab my APS-C Leica CL as my travel cameras and pair it with the same lenses mentioned in this article. Compact 21mm, 28mm, 35mm and 50mm gives me everything I need for a small setup. I can then focus my attention on my analogue cameras which always take priority.

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