Mandler 35mm ƒ2 Lens Review: The Affordable Bokeh King

Introduction

For many Leica enthusiasts, the two names “Mandler” and “King of Bokeh” are excellent conversation starters. These two terms brings to mind: Dr. Walter Mandler (1922 – 2005), the legendary optical designer behind close to fifty classic Leica lenses and the “King of Bokeh” a title bestowed to the Summicron 35mm Type IV designed by him and made by Leica from 1979 to 1999.

In fact, an ironic twist is Leica had to brand the Summilux 35mm Steel Rim (re-issue) the “True King of Bokeh” in their bid to draw attention to it.

The Mandler 35mm ƒ2 is a review set loaned from Riceball Photography, and also avail at Mandler’s online store.

Based in China, the brand Mandler is behind the Mandler 35mm ƒ2 we will touch on today. Mandler has shared that their 35mm ƒ2 features an optical formula identical to the classic Leica 35mm King of Bokeh lens.

At SGD980 (USD760) for the chrome brassed version and SGD680 (USD530) for the black non-brassed version, how does the Mandler 35mm ƒ2 perform? Let’s take a deeper look.

tl:dr

The Mandler 35 mm ƒ2 is a lens that brought me mixed feelings, the positives include how much ‘lens’ one actually gets for the excellent price point of this lens. The build and handling leave little for one to complaint about (except for the 12504 inspired hood which you will read more later) and from an user perspective, this lens is very worth considering.

In fact, at this price point I cannot think of any other 35mm ƒ2 M-mount lens that matches the Mandler in terms of build and optical performance.

It also makes me a tad uneasy seeing how closely this lens resembles the Leica Summicron 35mm Type IV, though Mandler was honest in stating clearly their 35mm ƒ2 is a copy of. Optically wise, the Mandler does not produce the exact output as the Leica equivalent but is itself capable of producing pleasing and characterful output inspired by the King of Bokeh.

If keen for further reading, my review of the Leica Summicron 35mm Type IV is here.

Technicalities

• Focal Length: 35 mm for Leica M mount
• Aperture range: ƒ2 to ƒ16 with half clicks
• 7 elements in 5 groups with 10 aperture blades optical design
• Optical Design: Classic double-Gauss, a reproduction of the Leica 35mm Summicron Type IV
• Minimum focusing distance: 0.7 meters.
• Dimensions: 53mm x 34.5mm, with a filter thread of 39mm and front diameter of Ø34mm

Handling and design

The very first impression was that the Mandler 35mm ƒ2 (especially in chrome) looks really beautiful with the finishing, typeface and proportions but I couldn’t stop feeling curious or a tad uneasy at how close this is to the original Leica Summicron 35mm ƒ2 Type IV.

It simply does not seem logical that Leica or Mandler’s estate would actually provide the permissions but then, I am just a noob reviewer and don’t have the full picture.

The Mandler 35mm ƒ2 comes with a generous amount of accessories including an inspired 12504 metal round lens hood, 12526 plastic square lens hood, UV filter, a metal lens cap, and a lens storage case. Basically all you will ever need is included in the box and this is a move I applaud.

IYKYK, the inspired 12504 hood is also screw-apart and allows the use of a drop in filter (like the good old Serie VII filter) if this fits up your alley.

The chrome brass version feels significantly ‘heftier’ than the black non-brassed version.

In the hand, the Mandler 35mm ƒ2 give a very good balance on the Leica M body. The overall build quality is pretty decent, with well-pronounced aperture clicks (though the Leica version is clearer). The focus ring of this review set can be smoother in my opinion but my take is that with more usage, it will ‘break in’ very nicely.

All in all, given the price point of this lens where the Leica Summicron 35mm Type IV in chrome can cost 500% more, the build of the Mandler 35mm ƒ2 is very respectable with accurate rangefinder calibration out of the box.

My only complaint will be that the attaching and detaching of the inspired 12504 hood will need some practice as like a camera’s shutter button, one needs to fulfil a two-stage press on the attachment buttons to fully release the hood’s clasp mechanism.

Image Quality

Though it seems that the Mandler brand lacks much social-media and online presence, a bit of mention has been made of the coating on the Mandler 35mm ƒ2, and it is supposedly a faithful reconstruction of the original purple-gold coating.

Though said to be the exact optical formula as the Leica Summicron 35mm Type IV, the Mandler 35mm ƒ2 seems to have a clear focus on maintaining sharpness at the center across the full aperture range, with output sharpness dropping off significantly once one move towards the edges/corners.

Shots at smaller apertures give me the impression that mid-frame and specifically corner sharpness are only noticeably improved when one goes to ƒ5.6 and smaller apertures.

The Mandler 35mm ƒ2 is probably a lens which one will use mostly wide open for its shallower depth of field and character in portraits, and not a lens I will consider for landscape.

At ƒ5.6, what really impressed me is the excellent sharpness at the frame’s center, and this is a lens I will be glad to use for portraits, street photography or daily life moments.

The Mandler 35mm ƒ2’s bokeh follows a quieter, less intrusive character, with a subtle swirl effect and cat eye’s bokeh at the edges. The bokeh is clean and pleasant in its own way and yes, the lens does flare or produce decent nice sun-stars if you know how to push the lens, and the sum of these can give a pleasant character output.

Conclusions

Going directly to the point, the Mandler 35mm ƒ2 lens is overall a very usable lens, and capable of producing charming images. This lens is not designed for those who demand modern, clinically corrected lenses and more of a re-creation (or copy) of an classic Leica design that has stood the test of time.

Competitor wise, I cannot think of another 35mm ƒ2 lens for M-mount which can perform similarly for the price of the Mandler and this is pretty impressive given how much the prices of photography equipment has only kept rising.

If you are into the look that the classical Leica lenses give, where character is more prized and you appreciate the bit of glow wide open and the edge softness, the Mandler 35mm ƒ2 is a new offering very worth considering without breaking the bank.

Thank you for reading.

The Mandler 35mm ƒ2 is available at Riceball Photography in very small quantities.

Disclaimers:

1. All product photos and samples here were photographed by me. I believe any reviewer with pride should produce their own product photos. 

2. All images were shot with my personal set of the Leica M10-R black paint with the Mandler 35mm ƒ2, and the lens returned at the end of the review.

3. This review is not sponsored.

4. I write as a passion and a hobby, and I appreciate that photography brands are kind enough to respect and work with me.

5. The best way to support me is to share the review, or you can always help support me by contributing to my fees to WordPress for the domain using the Paypal button at the bottom of the page.