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Mandler 35mm f/2.0 Review | Tiny, Imperfect and Brilliant

Jonas Persson

2,490 views

After one month and thousands of photos, here is my review of Mandler 35mm f/2.0.

I brought it with me to the Copenhell Festival, photographed an entire wedding with it, and carried it as my only lens during two weeks in Portugal.

This isn't a laboratory review. It's simply my experience after thousands of photos.

The Mandler is an homage to the legendary Leica Summicron 35mm f/2 Version IV, but does it deserve a place in your camera bag? Let's find out.

If you enjoy manual focus photography, Leica M lenses, street photography, or simply character over perfection, I hope you'll enjoy this review.

Disclosure: Mandler sent me this lens for review. They had no input on this video, and all opinions are entirely my own.

Buy the lens (non-affiliate link):
https://mandler.shop/products/mandler...

Website:
www.jonaspersson.nu
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/jonasphoto_

#Mandler
#Mandler20
#Leica
#LensReview
#StreetPhotography
#FestivalPhotography
#Copenhell

4 Comments

@Flying4Film 4 weeks ago

I got lucky with my copy. The focusing scale seems to be accurate. I compared it with my Zeiss 35mm f2.8 at different distances and it shows the same distance. I was able to get good results with zone/range focusing with no issues. I like it a lot for bw film.

@paulj355 3 weeks ago

I sold mine. Hated the field curvature effect. Was worth a shot for the cheap price though. The build felt quality felt flimsy too. I bought a Voigtlander 35mm Ultron instead, which is what I always really wanted.

@jhill5659 1 month ago (edited)

I don’t understand why people get so upset and in a bunch about these things it’s just a lens I’m sure Leica knows about this lens and if it was of any concern to them they would have clearly brought the hammer down a long time ago. However it’s good that Leica can be made a bit more accessible to those who want to shoot and get into the system I welcome the innovation at the end of the day these companies like LLL are making lenses that people really want. And there quality from what I hear is outstanding. So the classic that the majority will never be able to use get the chance to actually try it out in some form. I came from your your Reddit post and your images are great I have subscribed!