KevinL

Mine is exactly the same. Youxin told me that the E46 Summiluxes are infamous for this. I've heard (on RFF) that a few people have sent lenses that need re-cementing to Kanto Camera in Japan. Not cheap, but they've reported very good results. I haven't (yet) followed up on those reports but plan to sometime soon. Have you checked with them?

I've posted this elsewhere, but as it's from the first roll through my recently CLA'd 35 Summilux-M pre-asph v2 (Germany) I thought I'd post it here. It was hazy and my local tech couldn't get the rear retaining ring off to clean the rear elements; thankfully a more competent repairer did the job and this lens went from unacceptably glowy at all apertures wider than f4 to exactly how I wanted it to be (glowy wide open, but sharp and clean stopped down). I had been thinking of selling it on if the CLA didn't improve it noticeably, but now it's so good, I'm considering keeping it. (A real bummer as I'm photographically happiest when I don't have to choose which lens of a given focal length to put on the front of the camera -- and my other 35 is the Nikkor 35/1.8 LTM which I'm truly loath to part with -- I guess I'm doomed to unhappiness?) M6, 35 Summilux-M pre-asph v.2, HP5 (box speed), in HC-110 (dil b). CNY 2024 in Chinatown NYC.

CNY Celebration 2024, Chinatown NYC M4, Elmarit 28/2.8 v4, Portra 800 (home developed), scanned with Negative Lab Pro.

Finally got my 35 Summilux pre-asph CLA'd for haze after my local tech said he couldn't get the rear retaining ring off to clean it. Red Dot Repair did the job brilliantly (required drilling out a stripped screw, removing the loctite the previous "servicer" had slapped in there, retapping for a new screw, etc.); the lens is now pristine. These three shots are from the first test roll through it. Gone is the ultra-glow around everything brighter than midtone. It's a keeper now. M4, 35 Summilux (pre-asph), wide open torture test shot of a local church and tree at night, HP5+ (box speed), souped in HC-110 (dil b). M6, 35 Summilux (pre-asph), HP5+ (box speed), souped in HC-110 (dil b). 2024 Chinese New Year celebration in Chinatown M6, 35 Summilux (pre-asph), HP5+ (box speed), souped in HC-110 (dil b). 2024 Chinese New Year celebration in Chinatown

Indeed, the Thambar worked perfectly here. I always dismissed it as being a silly lens (why not just use an old coke bottle?), but you're showing that, in the right hands, it is a powerful tool.

Like some sort of woodland spirit about to rise out of the soil! Magical image!

Ciqikou in Chongqing, 2014 M6, Summicron 35/2 ASPH v1, Tri-X.

2023 - Christmas Day, Chinatown NYC M4, Elmarit 28mm 2.8 v4, HP5+ (box speed), HC-110 (dil b)

Epic grain! 🙂

Neighborhood tree (outside a church); October 2023. M6, Nikkor 35/1.8 LTM, Tri-X (expired), in Diafine.

Meditations on Broadway, New York November 2023 M6, Nikkor 35/1.8 LTM, Tri-X (expired), Diafine.

Laughter? or Tears? M6, Nikkor 85/2 LTM, Tri-X (expired), Diafine. IIRC this was at 1/15th of a second and wide open. Surprised it's not even softer than it is!

I think you understood what I was trying to say, Klaus, but to make sure: the Whites slider actually controls the Blacks; Highlights controls Shadows; Shadows controls Highlights; and Blacks controls Whites. Every label controls it's opposite part of the tone curve. I think I read the tif file solution somewhere else (maybe the NLP forums?), but my understanding (perhaps mistaken!) was that then NLP made a tif file that took up more HD space. I don't really find the reversed labels that troubling so I didn't bother. Perhaps this was an old(er) version of NLP though.

Thank you, John. Experimentation is always good so do give HC-110 a try. But I should be honest and say that appearances might be deceiving in this case. I'm using Negative Lab Pro to convert my digital camera scans (BEOON + Focotar II + Sony A7II) and while NLP does a fantastic job (much, much better than I was able to achieve with Camera Raw), it still takes some playing around with the sliders in LR to get results I think are acceptable. Usually the exposure and various mixtures of the Whites/Blacks/Highlights/Shadows (which are reversed from their labels since the file starts as a negative). So, after reading your post, I might just do my own experiment with DD-X to see if I prefer that with pushed HP5+.

Holiday Joy in NYC Dec. 2023 (Union Square, Bryant Park, and Herald Square) All on M6, with the Elmarit 28mm/2.8 v4, on HP5+ with HC-110 (dil b). The first was box speed, the last three all at EI800.