Best portrait lens for Leica SL (with autofocus)?

This article covers some of the autofocus options when it comes to the best portrait lens for Leica SL series cameras (SL2, SL2S, SL3..) and other L mount cameras like my Lumix S9 and Lumix S5 (+ APS-C Leica CL).

As a YouTuber and model photographer I’m often testing lenses during my photoshoots. After 530+ YouTube videos I’ve reviewed a lot of lenses (mostly for Leica cameras). Below I share my finding when it comes to using autofocus Leica L mount lenses. Read to the end and I’ll include a few bonus Leica M mount lenses that you can enjoy via a M-L adapter.

Who makes autofocus lenses for Leica cameras?

Historically, when the L-mount alliance was first introduced we only had the choice of lenses from three brands –

• Leica (SL lenses for full frame)
• Sigma (DG DN lenses for full frame)
• Panasonic Lumix (S line + Pro lenses)

As the years passed more companies joined the L mount alliance. We can now buy autofocus L mount lenses from these additional brands too (and there are probably more coming) –

• TTArtisan
• 7Artisans
• Sirui
• Meike

Lenses to suit all budgets

Thanks to the wide choice of autofocus L mount lenses we have in 2025, you can buy Leica L mount portrait lenses from as little as £200 to over £6000 (new price). Let me try to break down some of the options with broad brush descriptions and include some example lenses that I’ve reviewed.

Best lenses for performance – Leica

If you want the maximum image quality at any price point, most people will agree that the Leica SL lenses are the number one choice. Leica SL lenses even exceed Leica M lens performance as the optics are not constrained to fit into a tiny lens barrel for M mount (and be limited to full mechanical + rangefinder coupled).

Leica L mount lenses are not cheap but are made to usual Leica standards so tend to feel solid and quite weighty.

Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f2 lens

One of the best autofocus portrait lenses I’ve used is the Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f2 lens. I was fortunate to borrow the lens from one of my students during a Leica workshop in London. The images really pop!

Most modern looking lenses – Sigma

If you like that sharp crisp modern rendering, with higher contrast (perhaps more commonly seen with other camera brands) then you will likely enjoy Sigma L mount lenses. Sigma lenses are sharp. For full frame cameras you can select from either Sigma DG DN lenses or Sigma Art lenses.

Sigma DG DN lenses for L mount

When I think of Sigma DG DN lenses for Leica I think of mostly compact lenses, metal lens barrel with aperture controls and often a maximum f. stop of f2. I’ve tested a number of these lenses for YouTube and the best lens for portraits would be the 90mm (which is actually f2.8 not f2).

Sigma 90mm f2.8 DG DN

This lens is perhaps the most compact autofocus 90mm lens for Leica L mount. It can’t quite match the impressive 90mm f2 Leica lens but for the small size it still packs a punch.

Sigma Art 85mm f1.4

Sigma also makes a range of faster maximum aperture L mount lenses called Sigma Art lenses. One lens that really impressed me (and made me buy the Leica SL2 unknowingly) is the Sigma Art 85mm f1.4. Here are a few sample photos –

Lightweight great value lenses for Leica – Lumix

When I think of the lightest best value lenses for Leica L mount it was always the Lumix S line lenses. These Lumix lenses have excellent optics yet come in a plastic barrel design which helps to reduce the weight.

As a testament to quite how good these lenses are, Leica rebadged the Lumix S 50mm and 35mm f1.8 lenses and started selling them as Leica Summicron-SL lenses. See this video –

Lumix S 85mm f1.8

One of my more recent lens purchases is the Lumix S 85mm f1.8 autofocus L mount lens. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know I love my manual focus lenses but occasionally it can be nice to just be lazy and use autofocus. Having an autofocus lens frees up one of my hands to handhold a flash or reflector too. I cover this lens as part of the 7Artisans 85mm f1.8 lens review linked below but here are a few sample images.

New kids on the block (for L mount)

The above mentioned lenses were our choices until recent times. People that could afford Leica bought Leica. Those that wanted the metal build but in a small size (and lower price) bought Sigma DG DN. People like me that prefer Leica M mount lenses but wanted an autofocus L mount lens for occasional use (and lightweight) picked Lumix.

Today we have an array of new affordable autofocus lenses hitting the market from Chinese brands like 7Artisans, TTArtisan, Sirui, Meike and others. The crazy part is these lenses are quite good despite the lower price tags. Almost worryingly good for the money. Let’s look at a few examples.

7Artisans 85mm f1.8 (vs Lumix 85mm f1.8)

In this video I test the new 7Artisans 85mm f1.8 lens against my Lumix 85mm f1.8. I was surprised at how well the Chinese lens performed considering the low price point, and with a proper metal lens barrel vs the plastic Lumix lens.

TTArtisan 75mm f2

TTArtisan just released their compact 75mm f2 lens in L mount. (It’s worth noting that these Chinese brands often make the same lenses available in multiple lens mounts). I was really impressed with the compact size of this lens, metal build and image quality. Check out the full review and here are some sample photos.

Sirui Aurora 85mm f1.4

As someone that enjoys using various Sirui L mount anamorphic lenses (see this video), I know the brand and they make great optics. For portraits you can get the Sirui Aurora 85mm f1.4 autofocus lens in L mount. It’s not a lens I’ve tested but if I get the opportunity I’ll be sure to embed the video below with sample photos.

Meike Pro Series Full Frame AF 85mm f1.8

Meike is another Chinese brand that offers an affordable autofocus 85mm L mount lens. I’ll be honest, I’ve had no dealing with this brand to date so I can’t say either way if they are good or bad. Again, if I test this lens in the future I can link a video below.

Is manual focus enough?

If you can cope with using proper manual focus lenses (metal and glass, no electronics) I recommend trying these M mount lenses for portraits. All you need is a L-M adapter to convert M glass to your L mount camera. My preference is the Light Lens Lab close focus helicoid adapter which allows me to focus all M lenses closer than their native MFD.

So many fantastic vintage lenses

If you dive into the Leica M ecosystem (and older with LTM mount lenses/ screw mount) there are endless hidden gems when it comes to fun lenses to shoot with. I often use 50mm lenses for my work even if we are covering longer focal lengths in today’s article. Below I’ll cover a few of the most popular M mount lenses for portraits between 75mm and 90mm.

Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f1.5 VM

The Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f1.5 VM lens is a popular choice for Leica M shooters. I find it especially good with film due to the great sharpness and relatively high contrast from wide open. If you live in the UK check out Robertwhite.co.uk for all Voigtlander lenses and make use of my discount code.

Thypoch Simera 75mm f1.4

In 2025 Thypoch released their new Thypoch Simera 75mm f1.4 lens for Leica M mount. This now offers a direct competitor to the mentioned Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f1.5 that has been around for some years. Both are great performers (even wide open on film as you can see below in these test photos).

Leica M lenses for portraits

When it comes to Leica M lenses for portraits we have a lot of choices. Perhaps the two lenses that always spring to mind first are the Leica Summilux 75mm f1.4 and Leica Summicron 90mm f2 Pre-ASPH. Both of these lenses offer a lower contrast look compared to the Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f1.5.

Leica Summilux 75mm f1.4

In the YouTube video I compare the Leica Summilux 75mm f1.4 to my Thypoch Simera 75mm f1.4 and Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f1.5. All 3 lenses are great for portraits with the Leica Summilux being slightly softer when all 3 lenses shot wide open. Soft can be great for portraits but for me I’m happy to use the smaller lighter Thypoch Simera for digital and Nokton 75mm on film. (The Nokton is the sharpest so I like that characteristic especially when pairing with a film lens).

Leica Summicron 90mm f2 Pre-ASPH (vs 90mm APO)

See my original video on the Leica Summicron 90mm f2 Pre-ASPH for more about this specific version of the lens. The video below compares a modern Leica Summicron 90mm f2 APO to the vintage lens I use.

It’s more than just the lens

Most photographers will tell you that it’s the lens that makes a great photo. Yes lenses are arguably more important than the camera body as most modern cameras nowadays are capable of taking great images. (I own both Leica and Lumix and the image quality can look very similar if using the same lens).

It’s actually the light (and of course your subject) that makes for a great image. I would put the lens third after subject and light, in terms of importance. I would summarise as:

• Great lens + Camera + Bad light = Bad photo
• Basic lens + Camera + Great light = Great photo

My portraits are the result of a 5 step approach

If you like the portraits shared in this article they are all based on my 5 step approach –

1. Find subjects that inspire you to shoot (see my eBooks)
2. Apply flattering lighting (see below*)
3. Use vintage lenses or a modern lens + mist filter
4. Shoot RAW + apply a MrLeica preset in Lightroom
5. Send all photos to all models via SwissTransfer

Most of the points mentioned above are self explanatory. I feel most portrait photographers struggle at the editing stage. If you learn to fix your lighting you can skip over the painful retouching part, just add a preset and send your images.

Portrait lighting 101

To see how I light my models you can view my BTS photoshoot videos on Patreon (over 100 videos shared). If you are short on time and prefer to fast track your learning join me for a workshop day and meet the models that I shoot.

Portrait lighting videos on YouTube

Here are a few portrait lighting videos showing how I shoot with various types of lighting –

Thanks

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