Angénieux 90mm f2.5 Type Y1 in Leica L mount. This example has the early-style barrel. While the earliest Type Y1 lenses are known for fading to a brownish color, this one has developed a distinctive deep indigo-blue tone, a somewhat less common variation.
The coatings are predominantly a beautiful blue, with several elements showing amber coatings, matching the dark navy appearance of the barrel particularly well. 4 elements in 4 groups. Serial number 154xxx. Made in 1948. Distance scale in meters.
Like the Angénieux 75mm f3.5 Type Z3, many 90mm f2.5 examples suffer from excessive mechanical play that can no longer be properly corrected. This example, however, has been thoroughly serviced and is now in excellent working order, with precise rangefinder coupling and superb optical performance.
This is an item previously sold by our shop. It was carefully used by its previous owner and has now returned to us.
There is some paint loss along the edges of the knurled sections, but otherwise there are no noticeable scratches, dents, or other damage. Overall, the exterior is in quite good condition for an Angénieux 90mm f2.5. The barrel has faded to a beautiful indigo-blue tone.
A full overhaul, including focus adjustment, was carried out in 2026. Thanks to the thorough servicing, both the aperture ring and helicoid remain exceptionally smooth in operation. There is no looseness in the barrel, and rangefinder coupling is accurate from wide open and from the minimum focusing distance all the way to infinity.
The marked minimum focusing distance is 1.4m, but this particular example remains rangefinder-coupled all the way to the mechanical stop at around 1.2m, which is a very welcome feature.
There are some extremely faint cleaning marks on the front and middle elements, visible only under strong LED light. There is no haze or fungus, however, and the glass is clear and bright. For an Angénieux, the optical condition is very clean. You can fully enjoy the characteristic Y1 rendering, with excellent sharpness and rich color reproduction.
Incidentally, a genuine Leica E43 filter for the Summilux can be fitted. Some other 43mm filters will fit while others will not, so we recommend checking the actual fit before use.
The results of our test shooting were also excellent. Sample images from the previous time we sold this lens are available in our Test Shoot Gallery, and we hope you will take a look. All sample images were taken wide open.
