Since its official release in September 2023, the Thypoch Simera full-frame 28mm f/1.4 lens has sparked intense discussions among vintage lens enthusiasts, as it uniquely combines a 28mm focal length and an f/1.4 large aperture in this market. Its sibling lens, the Simera 35mm, began shipping at the end of November 2023, and the manufacturer has also increased production of the 28mm. Finally, the backorder queue for the Simera 28mm has reached its shipping phase.

But why has the Simera 28mm become a highly anticipated lens for Leica M Mount users following its release? Let's take a closer look at what has made it a bit successful.

Design Concept

As Thypoch's first series, Simera has become the best emblem, embodying the essence of this brand. Simera Series means "today" in Greek, implying a modern imaging style, providing users with an authentic entry point to record and explore their ordinary yet fleeting moments. This aligns with Thypoch's poetic appeal—seeing the eternal. Transforming profound fleetingness into eternity.  

Optical Performance

Notably, the Simera 28mm consists of one group of floating elements, three HRI elements, one ED glass element, and one aspherical element. Its optical performance delivers clear and sharp images from center to edge, even when fully open at f/1.4, with chromatic aberration and spherical aberration well controlled.

The Simera 28mm is equipped with 14 aperture blades in 7 groups and 11 elements, capable of creating a soft and round bokeh effect, emphasizing the subject and presenting a dreamy blurred background.

The Simera 28mm also promises a minimum focusing distance of 0.4 meters, giving photographers more space to capture impressively detailed close-up objects.

Overall, the image quality presented by the Simera 28mm is generally comfortably sharp and modern. 

Build and Appearance

The Simera 28mm is made entirely of metal, with a length of 55cm, excluding the lens hood, and weighs approximately 330g. At first glance, most photographers may be attracted by the red dot on the lens barrel. These are depth of field scales for visualizing the focus range, very interesting for street photographers obsessed with hyperfocal distance photography.

 Another design that cannot be ignored is the dual aperture switching mode that allows click or clickless aperture adjustments, represented by sun and moon icons. This user-friendly feature is ideal for users who frequently shoot videos.

To @ulysses_aoki

To help photographers not miss decisive moments, the focus ring has slight resistance at 0.7m to remind users to use an electronic viewfinder (EVF) to ensure focusing accuracy.

Price and Shipping

The Simera 28mm in black and silver is priced at $699 (€639), equipped with a square lens hood, and currently ships from the factory. It can be ordered from thypoch.store, B&H, Adorama, Cinegearpro, TRM, Videodata.de, Calumet, Riceball, and other locations. 

To find a dealer in your area, look for more information here.