Leica has released a fresh round of firmware updates for a surprisingly wide selection of its M cameras, covering both the M10 and M11 generations, and while the update itself is fairly small, there is one very specific reason Leica owners may want to install it: support for the new new Leica Summicron-M 66 f/2.
For the current generation, firmware version 2.6.4 is available for the Leica M11, M11-P, M11-D and M11 Monochrom, as well as the Leica M EV1. Leica has also pushed new firmware to several cameras in the older M10 family, including the M10, M10 Monochrom, M10-P, M10-P ASC, M10-R and M10-D. Depending on the camera, the firmware version differs, but the important addition across the updates is the same: a lens profile for the Summicron-M 66 f/2.
Leica's own release notes for firmware 2.6.4 are refreshingly short. Under the rather optimistic heading of "NEW", there is essentially one addition: "Lens Profile: Summicron-M 66 f/2." There is also an advisory recommending the use of UHS-II SD cards with the M11-generation cameras, with Leica noting that UHS-I cards can cause technical issues in rare cases, but as far as actual new functionality goes, this update really is about that new 66mm lens.
And I have to admit, there is something wonderfully ambitious about releasing firmware support across this many cameras for a lens that only 660 people in the world will ever be able to buy new. The Leica Summicron-M 66 f/2 is not exactly destined to become the next 35mm Summicron that appears on the front of every other M camera you see. Leica is producing just 660 examples worldwide, making this one of the most exclusive modern M lenses the company has produced. Still, new firmware is new firmware, and if you happen to be one of those 660 owners, it is certainly nice to know that everything from an M10 to an M11-P is ready for it.
The Summicron-M 66 f/2 itself is one of Leica's more interesting releases of recent years. Announced earlier this month, it forms part of the company's Classic Line and is a modern reinterpretation of the incredibly rare Elcan 66mm f/2 developed by legendary optical designer Dr Walter Mandler at Ernst Leitz Canada during the late 1960s. The original lens was created for the US Navy for covert reconnaissance photography, and Leica says only around 200 examples were produced, making originals exceptionally rare today.
That rather unusual 66mm focal length also sits in an interesting position within the M system. It gives photographers something tighter than the traditional 50mm standard lens without pushing all the way into more conventional short-telephoto territory. Leica describes the new lens as combining soft bokeh with high contrast when used wide open, while stopping down reveals the high resolving power that was fundamental to the design of the original Elcan. There are some wonderfully eccentric historical details too, including an aperture ring that rotates in the opposite direction from standard M lenses.
There is also something quite pleasing about Leica extending support for the lens back to the M10 generation rather than restricting it to its newest cameras. The M11 family gets firmware 2.6.4, while the older bodies receive their respective firmware packages, meaning photographers who have held onto an M10, M10-R, or M10 Monochrom are not being left behind simply because they are using an earlier digital M. For a camera system built around lenses that can remain useful for decades, that feels appropriate.
Of course, for the overwhelming majority of Leica M owners, installing this firmware is unlikely to result in any noticeable change whatsoever. The chances of casually stumbling across a Summicron-M 66 f/2 are going to be fairly slim when the entire worldwide production run amounts to just 660 lenses. But that almost makes the update more entertaining.
Leica has gone to the trouble of updating two generations of digital M cameras to accommodate one of the rarest lenses in its current catalog, and there is something very Leica about that. You may never own the lens the firmware was designed for, but at least your camera is ready should one unexpectedly fall into your hands.
