Introduction

We have seen many new lens manufacturers from China and there are still more coming. This new manufacturer gave itself the name of a famous Leica designer: “Mandler”. And as their first lens they fittingly decided to bring us this Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e, which from the outside looks exactly like a Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV. Will it also perform like the vintage Leica lens? Let’s find out in this review. 
This lens will be reviewed on the 24mp Leica M10.

Sample Images

Most of the sample images in this review can be found in full resolution here.

Specifications

This Mandler 35mm 2.0 7-element (short: 7e) has the following specifications:

• • Diameter: 53 mm
  • Length: 28 mm
  • Weight: 137g (no hood, no caps)
  • Filter Diameter: E39
  • Number of Aperture Blades: 10 (inwardly curved)
  • Elements/Groups: 7/5
  • Close Focusing Distance: 0.7 m
  • Maximum Magnification: 1:18 (measured)
  • Released: February 2025
  • Mount: Leica-M

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Disclosure

The Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e was kindly provided free of charge for a few weeks by my friend Vincent from Kamerakraft. 

Handling / Build Quality

As already said before, this Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e looks almost exactly like a Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV and the similarities don’t end there.

Also this lens seems to be made from only metal and glass and sadly some of Leica’s questionable design choices have been copied as well.

The focus ring has a pleasant resistance and turns 120° from the minimum focus distance of 0.7 m to infinity. The focus ring is also equipped with a focus tab at the bottom.

The aperture ring has equidistantly spaced half-stop click-stops, but as was the case for the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV (and many other of Leica’s M lenses) also here it can be moved a bit past the f/2.0 mark. Contrary to the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV, here the diaphragm does not open further though. 

The lens brings up the correct 35/135mm frameline set and because it is so small there is hardly any rangefinder blockage when using the lens without a hood.

In the official shop a square plastic hood (see picture above) as well as a round vented hood made from metal are available. These hoods clamp to a small rim at the front, which is a means of attachment I am not a big fan of: the hoods sit wobbly and the spring loaded teeth can easily scratch the lens. The hoods are actually interchangeable with the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV, so if you need a new affordable hood for that lens, “Mandler” has you covered.

You can find various similarly sized 35mm M-mount lenses. As said before this Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e looks exactly the same as the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV from the outside, the Mr. Ding 35mm 1.8 Pactcron and the Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana are also similarly sized but feature slightly different casing designs.

When using Sony E or Nikon Z mount cameras you can pair this lens with w.g. the TTArtisan 6-bit adapter to get EXIF data or with the Techart LM-EA9/TZM-02 adapter to even get autofocus.

Vignetting

light falloff

If until now you thought this is simply a copy of the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV, the results in this category show that is actually not the case, as this Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e shows significantly less vignetting at wider apertures. Stopped down to f/4.0 or further they are very similar.

The Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana, the Mr. Ding 35mm 1.8 Pactcron and the Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar showed a similar amount of light falloff, so this is a rather typical performance for a compact 35mm 2.0 M-mount lens.

It is recommended to have a look at this article first to get an idea how this brightness graph works.

optical vignetting

In the following comparison we move from the center (left) to the extreme corner (right) and see how the shape of the light circle changes.

Now here there are a few things to talk about. I shot the Leica and this Mandler at the exact same distance ensured by a test target. The circles in the frame at f/2.0 should therefore have the same size, but that is clearly not the case. As we will see in several places throughout this review: this Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e is not really an f/2.0 lens but more like f/2.5.

This Mandler does show less optical vignetting than the Leica though and the light circles also look cleaner to me with less outlining. 

I couldn’t find an optical diagram for this lens, but as I don’t see any onion ring structures here, I do not think aspherical elements have been used.

If you are looking for a compact 35mm 2.0 M-mount lens with a lower amount of optical vignetting (and an actual f/Stop of f/2.0), be sure to check out the Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana.

Sharpness

Focus shift

Many of the compact 35mm M-mount lenses have some issues with focus shift, examples are the Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV, the Light Lens Lab 35mm 2.0 8e or the Mr. Ding 35mm 1.8 Pactcron (to only name a few). Here I do not see any field relevant focus shift though, good news for rangefinder users and a significant advantage over the Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV.

infinity (24mp Leica M10)

The performance at infinity holds some surprises for us. Compared to the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV this lens is definitely less soft at f/2.0. What really surprised me is how good the corners actually look from f/2.0. Sadly there seems to be a price to be paid for that: the midzone shows a significant dip in performance and that is still visible at f/8.0

Personally – if I have to choose – I prefer lenses that perform better in the midframe over those that perform better in the corners, as for me there is a higher likelihood to have important elements in the midframe than the corners.

If you care about good performance at infinity at wider apertures, check out the Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana or the much bigger Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar.

portrait distance 1.1 m (24mp Leica M10)

For portraiture it isn’t so important how flat the field is, it is more interesting to see what the sharpness is like when focused at different parts of the frame to take field curvature out of the equation.

We will be looking at 100% crops from the 24mp Leica M10.

f/2.0 <—> f/2.8

At portrait distances the performance is very good in the center of the frame from f/2.0 and the inner midframe also looks good, but the outer midframe looks really awful and stopping down to f/2.8 doesn’t exactly change that.

Actually, this is one of the worst performances among the compact 35mm 2.0 M-mount lenses I have reviewed yet with the Mr. Ding 35mm 1.8 being similarly bad. The Leica 35mm 2.0 IV also performs similar at f/2.0, but looks way better at f/2.8. 

close (0.70 m, 1:18, 24mp Leica M10)

At close distances this lens’ performance is pretty good, but then a minimum focus distance of 0.7 m also isn’t exactly impressive for an M-mount lens which was released in 2025. 

Still, a better performance than the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV or the Light Lens Lab 35mm 2.0 8e.

Flare resistance

From the marketing material I don’t really know what to expect here, as a lot of emphasize has been put on the color of the coating but not so much on its effectiveness. So we have to find out for ourselves.

The performance in this category is extremely similar to the Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV. I shot both lenses side by side under the same exact conditions and I would hardly be able to tell them apart.

At the maximum aperture we see all kinds of artefacts: huge ghosts of various shapes, ring flares and massive veiling flare that has a huge impact on contrast and colors.

Stopped down the situation is even worse, as the artefacts are more obvious here. With the sun outside the frame this lens creates a ghost that looks exactly like that from the Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV.

We can conclude that this Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e performs like a vintage lens in this category, so it is more for those that embrace having such huge artefacts in their pictures.

Coma

Now this result is interesting. While I am pretty sure this lens does not make use of aspherical elements, the Coma artefacts are actually not that obnoxious. We also need to take into acccount that this is actually an f/2.5 lens and when comparing it to the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV with both lenses set to f/2.8, the difference is not that massive anymore. Still this Mandler definitely looks better.

Modern lenses with aspherical elements still perform much better in this category. So if you are looking for a better performance in this category, check out the Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana or the Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar. 

Distortion

This 35mm 2.0 lens hardly shows any distortion. Good news in case you also want to use it on a film M camera.

Bokeh

With its all-spherical design this lens creates a busy/vintage bokeh similar to actual vintage lenses like the Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV, the Light Lens Lab 35mm 2.0 8e or modern lenses with vintage rendering like the Mr. Ding 35mm 1.8 Pactcron.

At close distances we can see rather busy bokeh with complex backgrounds, but I still consider it mostly well behaved.

This also holds true at mid distances. Here it doesn’t look as funky as the the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV or the Mr. Ding 35mm 1.8.

At longer focus distances you can see field curvature and optical vignetting having a negative impact on the bokeh towards the edges and corners. I have seen some lenses where this is even more of a problem but also many modern lenses that do not have these issues.

To make it easier for you to decide what you like, we will compare this Mandler lens to two other M-mount lenses with the same focal length and maximum aperture and very similar size and weight. One true vintage lens and a modern lens with aspherical element.

Compared to: Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV and Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana

Leica is the widest of these three lenses and its pictures have been cropped slightly to match the field of view of the two other lenses.

Scene 1: Forest 0.9 m

Scene 2: Forest 1.1 m

Scene 3: Forest 1.4 m

Scene 4: Forest 1.9 m

Scene 5: Forest 2.0 m

Observations

The Thypoch – due to being a modern design with aspherical element – creates the cleanest and least distracting out of focus areas.

The Leica has – like many of Leica’s M-mount wide angle lenses – some problems with the combination of optical vignetting and field curvature. At longer focus distances the corners are pulled into the focal plane even though they should not be. The bokeh is also generally very nervous and has a lot of potential to distract from the actual subject. The Leica also had more issues with loss of contrast in backlit scenarios.

This Mandler is not really an f/2.0 lens (more like f/2.5) as we have seen several times throughout this review. It creates smaller out of focus highlights in the center of the frame and it also needs slower shutter speeds to match the exposure of the others. Off center it is a little less funky than the Leica though.

If you are looking for a lens that creates a smooth out of focus rendering the Thypoch is your lens. If you are looking for busy vintage bokeh the Leica might be what you are looking for (mind you: a lot of cheaper options that do the same thing are readily available) and this Mandler sits somewhere inbetween.

Sunstars

With its ten aperture blades this Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e creates distinct sunstars from f/5.6 to f/16. Another notable difference compared to the Leica 35mm 2.0 IV here: while the Leica has a perfectly round opening at f/16 creating rather whacky sunstars, here you also get very nice ones at that aperture setting.
If you want to know more about sunstar rendering of different lenses have a look at this article.

Chromatic aberration

lateral

Lateral CA are well corrected, I didn’t see any in my tests.

longitudinal

Bokeh fringing is actually not much of a problem as we can only see a low amount of outlining. Also here we should take into account the worse-than-advertised f/Stop though.

Purple fringing is almost non existent, this is of course welcome.

Conclusion

This Mandler 35mm 2.0 7e sure is a weird lens. And not exactly in a positive way.

Let’s first talk about the most obvious issue: it is not an f/2.0 lens. Neither in terms of light gathering nor when it comes to its actual geometric entrance pupil size. That also makes reviewing this lens more complicated, because comparing it directly to other f/2.0 lenses isn’t exactly fair.

I do think the manufacturer wanted to create a slightly improved version of the Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV (which actually was designed by Walter Mandler), but I don’t think they fully succeeded.

Coma and vignetting figures look slightly better and some people may even consider the bad flare resistance to be a feature, but the strong midzone dip can really be annoying, not only at infinity but also at portrait distances.

This is not an awful lens, but for $700 you can surely find something better (see Alternatives section).

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Alternatives

There are countless 35mm options for M-mount available and I already reviewed a lot of them. You can find all my reviews of 35mm M-mount lenses here.

Generally we can separate them in two groups: lenses with vintage rendering (usually no aspherical elements) and lenses with modern rendering (usually with aspherical elements).

Vintage Rendering

Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M IV
As we have seen throughout this review there are many similarities but also some differences between these two lenses. The Leica is totally overpriced and its performance is nothing special.
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Light Lens Lab 35mm 2.0 8e
I found the LLL lens to perform very similar to the aforementiond Leica lens, so if I was looking for a 35mm 2.0 M-mount lens with vintage rendering I would rather buy that one new for one grand instead of a 45 years old Leica lens for two grand. In many categories I also prefer the performance of the LLL lens to this Mandler lens. If they were priced the same it would be a very easy decision.
buy from the official homepage or ebay.com (advertisement/affiliate links) starting at $1049

Mr. Ding 35mm 1.8 Pactcron
Slightly faster on paper, almost a stop faster in reality and in many categories it shows a similar performance. If you embrace that vintage reindering this is an interesting option.
buy from the official homepage (advertisement/affiliate link) for $699 

Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 Nokton MC
If you want a lens with a bit of a vintage rendering but you don’t want to spend crazy amounts of money this lens might be for you. I found it to be a bit better behaved than the fast 35mm 1.4 vintage lenses but it is similarly small and noticeably cheaper.
buy from amazon.com | ebay.com | ebay.de | B&H (advertisement/affiliate links) starting at $300

Modern Rendering

Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana
If you are looking for a compact 35mm 2.0 M-mount lens with modern rendering this is actually my recommendation at the moment. It is a well behaved lens without any fatal flaws that won’t get in the way of your shooting. 
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Most of the current Voigtländer lenses also offer a modern rendering, the Voigtländer VM 35mm 1.2 Nokton III/IV, the Voigtländer VM 35mm 1.5 Nokton and the discontinued Voigtländer VM 35mm 1.7 Ultron are all lenses I can recommend. These are not as small as the aforementioned lenses, but the 35mm 1.5 is still very small for its specifications and not much bigger than the lens being reviewed here.

If you don’t care so much about bokeh or pleasing rendering, the Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar offers very high contrast and resolution from its maximum aperture everywhere in the frame.

Sample Images

Most of the sample images in this review can be found in full resolution here.

Further Reading

• M-mount lens reviews
• Review: MS-Optics 17mm 4.5 Perar
• Review: Voigtländer VM 35mm 1.5 Nokton
• Thypoch 75mm 1.4 Simera
• Analogue Adventures

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BastianK

My name is Bastian and I am your expert here when it comes to ultra wide angle lenses, super fast portrait lenses (ranging from a 50mm f/0.95 to a 200mm f/1.8) and I also have reviewed way too many 35mm lenses. Don't ask me anything about macro or wildlife shooting though.

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