Leica revives the Navy's secretive lens design in a 660-unit limited edition
Leica Camera AG has unveiled the Summicron-M 66 f/2, inspired by the classified 1960s Elcan 66mm f/2, capping worldwide production at 660 units, with the first-numbered lens heading to a Wetzlar auction in November 2026.
Leica Camera AG unveiled the new Summicron-M 66 f/2 lens in an official announcement on September 3, 2026. The company states that the lens is being released as a limited edition, with only 660 units produced worldwide.
The design traces back to the late 1960s, when Dr. Walter Mandler developed the original Elcan 66mm f/2 at Ernst Leitz Canada for a US Navy commission. Leica's press materials describe this earlier lens as built for the Navy, with only around 200 units ever produced — a figure and history that comes solely from the company's own account. The company also shared a quote attributed to Dr. Mandler, recalling that the Naval Intelligence Service wanted a lens that looked ordinary yet delivered unmatched resolution.
The new Summicron-M 66 f/2 carries forward several traits from that military lineage. Per Leica's description, its aperture ring turns in the opposite direction to standard M-Lenses, a detail inherited directly from the original Elcan, and it features a distance scale built to military specification.
Among the 660 units in the limited run, the copy bearing serial number 001 holds particular significance. Leica confirmed that this first-numbered lens will be auctioned at the Leitz Photographica Auction in Wetzlar, Germany, in November 2026.
By reviving a lens originally built for covert naval use, Leica appears to be courting both collectors and photographers interested in the technical lineage of its M-mount optics.
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- Leica Camera AG - Basın Açıklaması · 3 September 2026
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