These 2 Leica M lenses are rated for infrared photography from real-world tests by IR photographers. Ratings are Good (2 lenses), Maybe (0 lenses), Bad (0 lenses), and Unknown (0 lenses) for hot spots, the bright spot some lenses leave in the center of an infrared image, and follow the thresholds below.

IR Focal
Length		 Minimum
Aperture		 Lens Filter Weight Notes Images
Good 135mm ƒ/2.8 Leica Elmarit-M 135mm ƒ/2.8
 ⌀55mm 780 g No hotspot. Specs are for the later (III) version with the standard E55 filter thread; earlier versions used a Series VII filter adapter instead.  
Good 135mm ƒ/4 Leica 135mm ƒ/4 (Leitz Wetzlar Elmar 1960-1965)
KEH Adorama B&H		 ⌀39mm   Reported by Michael Piantedosi  

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What the ratings mean. Hot spots usually appear as you increase the lens ƒ-number, so each rating depends on the lowest ƒ-stop where a hot spot shows and how severe it is, and the thresholds differ by sensor format.

  • Good: No hot spots, or one that starts at ƒ/11 or higher where diffraction impacts image sharpness.
  • Maybe: Contains a mild hot spot that starts at ƒ/5.6 or ƒ/8 and is correctable in editing.
  • Bad: A hot spot that starts at ƒ/4 or lower, or is hard to correct in editing.
  • Unknown: No data reported.

How reports are checked and rated

Leica M Lens Mount Adapters

Use an adapter to mount these lenses to many mirrorless cameras.

B&H - Leica M lens mount adapters

Adorama - Leica M lens mount adapters