This much sought after focal length – 40mm – brings the set to 14 total lenses ranging from 18mm to 135mm, continuing its initial goal: to bring Leica M photography optics with their rich colors, artful flares and rounded image field firmly into the world of professional cinematography. M lenses have been renowned for over a century as the photographer’s choice to capture the moment, interpreting the world in a way that tells a unique story in a single frame. HUGO lenses expand the magic to moving images.
Building on the popularity of the Leitz M 0.8 series, the HUGO lenses take their name from the engineer Hugo Wehrenfennig whose work for Leica Camera (then Ernst Leitz GmbH, Wetzlar) included creating the iconic Leica M bayonet mount still in use today along with many of the early M series lenses.
The Leitz HUGO series has caught the imagination of cinematographers around the world searching for a look that brings character and softness to modern digital sensors without the compromises found in older lenses. The glass in most HUGO lenses comes from Leica’s M rangefinder lenses and exhibits a similar gentle field curvature with a fall off toward the corners that brings the viewer toward the center of the image. While a 40mm does not exist in current Leica optics, it was created with support from Leica Camera’s designers to ensure on-brand performance.
The lenses in the HUGO series offer a few surprises for intrepid cinematographers, including the 66mm T2.1 and the 50mm T1.0. The 66mm uses the same design as the fabled Leica ELCAN “Spy Lens” from the 1960s/70s, one of the most rare lenses ever produced by Leica. The 50mm uses the glass of Leica’s 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M, an iconic lens in the Leica Camera pantheon of optics.
The Leitz HUGO 40mm lens is scheduled to be delivered in Q4 of 2025 with preorders open now.