Okay, this isn’t actually news, as we already new this lens was coming and had already seen pictures of it. But when something is officially announced – well, then it’s official! So Leica have now officially announced the new Summilux-M 1:1.4/35mm lens which has been completely redesigned for improved performance. The new lens features 9 lenses in 5 groups, including floating elements to keep focusing precise at all times.

The previous Summilux 35 was already a great performer (or so people say), but allegedly suffered from focus-shift when stopping down. Yes, not every Leica lens is perfect! So with this new version, there should be no more focusing problems when using with a digital body.

Here’s some links to more detailed news posts about the lens:
http://leicarumors.com/2010/05/16/the-leica-summilux-m-35-mm-f1-4-asph-press-release.aspx
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1005/10051701leicam35mm14.asp

And of course Leica’s official product site:
http://de.leica-camera.com/photography/m_system/lenses/7257.html (The English Leica website doesn’t seem to have been updated, yet.)