hammam Posted November 30, 2006 Share #1 Posted November 30, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, Is there any difference in optical quality between an older Wetzlar-made Summicron 50 and a late model? What about the coating? This one has no focusing tab, and has a s/n in the 2 29x xxx range. Thank you for your help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 30, 2006 Posted November 30, 2006 Hi hammam, Take a look here Summicron 50 Wetzlar. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
robsteve Posted November 30, 2006 Share #2 Posted November 30, 2006 Olivier: The fourth optical generation of the Summicron, which is still the current optical formula dates from 1978. The first of the new design were made in Canada, with later versions being made in Germany. The fourth optical design started after serial number 2.915.800. The lens you are looking at is probably the third design, not as highly regarded as the 2nd or 4th designs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted November 30, 2006 Share #3 Posted November 30, 2006 There really is no such thing as a 'bad' Summicron 50. They're all very good and the difference between version 3 and the current is rather small and mostly visible below f5.6 when you make very big enlargements. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted November 30, 2006 Share #4 Posted November 30, 2006 There really is no such thing as a 'bad' Summicron 50. That pretty much sums it up. I would even go one step further and say there is no such thing as a 'bad' Summicron. They have always been at the very top performance wise, and while the current models are, of course, better than their predecessors, even the oldest ones if in good condition are still a pleasure to use today. Try yours out, I'd be surprised if you didn't like the quality of the results (labs and the prints they produce differ much, however, so do some slides to really appreciate what these lenses are capable of). Cheers, Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammam Posted December 2, 2006 Author Share #5 Posted December 2, 2006 Thank you, my friends. I'm off to get the first roll of Provia 100F from the lab. :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean LeBlanc Posted December 9, 2006 Share #6 Posted December 9, 2006 My 50mm Summicron is from 1970. I don't give a rat's @ss what the cognoscenti have to say about it. The lens is truly spectacular. It's razor sharp at all apertures, except for the diffraction effects at f:16, which is certainly not the fault of the optics. Some times I wonder what people have been imbibing when they write the things I read about various lenses. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted December 14, 2006 Share #7 Posted December 14, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Leica Pocket Book 7th Edition has performance data and MTF graphs for nearly all Leica lenses up to 2000 . Dunk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.