Is this lens a new street photography classic?
Following the success of its first lens, fledgling manufacturer Thypoch has started shipping its eagerly anticipated second: the Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4.
Thypoch is a lens company that hit the scene last year at Photopia Hamburg, Germany, and Salon de la Photo in Paris, France, teasing two Leica M lenses – the Simera 35mm f/1.4 Asph and the Simera 28mm f/1.4 Asph. The 35mm f/1.4 was released in November 2023, and received positive reviews for its design quality and lightweight form factor. Now Thypoch has announced that the shipping of its sibling, the 28mm f/1.4, has begun.
The 28mm focal length has a soft spot among the top lenses for street photographers, offering a wide angle of view to incorporate more of the scene. It is a particularly significant focal length for Leica users, too, as it's the length of choice for the Leica Q2 and Leica Q3.
The Simera 28mm f/1.4 has features comparable to the best Leica M lenses at a more affordable price point, which has generated much interest in the red dot community. The f/1.4 aperture will also perk the ears of Leica users, as it offers a more affordable variant to the native lens.
The 14-blade aperture and 11 elements produce smooth bokeh and background fall-off, and the lens also offers "dual aperture switching modes" that enable the user to switch between clicked and de-clicked adjustments – an ease-of-use feature designed for the increasing demand of video creation.
The design of the Thypoch 28mm f/1.4 Asph is very much aligned with the Leica M11 aesthetic, offering a great combination of vintage with a pop of modernity with contrasting red dots.
The dots aren't just for aesthetics, however, as they are depth of field scales to the manual focus lens. Designed with street photographers in mind, they enable quicker focusing when in fast-paced environments and with hyperfocal distancing.
The lens body is lightweight and compact and is comprised of three HRI elements, one extra-low dispersion element, one aspherical element, and a floating group that combats spherical and chromatic aberrations. Thypoch states that the lens configuration enables sharp and accurate capture from edge to edge, even when shot wide open.
The Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 Asph looks, on paper, to be a great Leica M mount alternative to the native Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 Asph – and is considerably more wallet-friendly. The lens is available now at the price of $699 / £582 (Australian pricing TBC).
For more information on Leica products see our guides to the best Leica SL lenses and the best Leica L-mount lenses. If Leica is a little out of budget see our guide to the best Leica alternatives.
