Overview of Leica-R Lenses

The high quality of the R-lenses has arguably been at the center of the stellar reputation of Leica's SLR-system. While the Leicaflex and R-cameras were very solid premium offerings, they never quite achieved technological leadership. In contrast, the companies R-lenses were almost without exception highly regarded and consistently received praise from reviewers. They combined solid physical build based on an all-metal lens barrel and tight manufacturing tolerances with highly corrected optics that often used special elements to reduce aberrations. For example, tests carried out by Lars Kjellberg at Photodo during the 1990s and early 2000s show that Leica R lenses often topped the rankings for MTF resolution in their respective focal length categories.

The first R-lenses were released in 1964, when the Leicaflex was introduced with the new R bayonet mount. The lens catalog expanded continuously over time to eventually cover a vast range of focal lengths from the ultra-wide angle to the super telephoto lens, along with specialty optics for fisheye, perspective control, and macro photography. Leica thereby focused on high quality prime lenses, so that the system features relatively few zooms, even as the latter became more and more popular among professionals and enthusiasts. Also, Leica continued to rely on manual focus for its SLR system much longer than the competition. Eventually, a Leica R10 with autofocus capability was developed, but management decided in March 2009 not to bring that camera to market and, indeed, to discontinue the entire R-system.