Guest JoanMarianne Posted March 28, 2010 Share #1 Posted March 28, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have obtained a 1956-made Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens from a dealer who said it was priced to take account of the fact that it needed cleaning and servicing. The dealer is indeed an expert but I think he may have been over-cautious in this instance. The body is almost pristine, the focusing and aperture actions are smooth and positive and the glass seems very clean, with no haze when one does the torch test. There are some very tiny marks on the front element but these seem negligible. So far as the in-action test is concerned, it takes very good pictures! I wonder if the effect of slight wear actually adds to the individuality of the results. Or should I get it cleaned just to make sure? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 28, 2010 Posted March 28, 2010 Hi Guest JoanMarianne, Take a look here Summarit - when to clean and service?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
tobey bilek Posted March 28, 2010 Share #2 Posted March 28, 2010 If you can not see haze inside with a small light against a dark background and mechanics are fine, LEAVE IT ALONE. Check from both sides with the light. It needs to be crystal clear. Not haze, smut or fog on hte inner elements. I would question your inspection because dealers know what they see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanMarianne Posted March 28, 2010 Share #3 Posted March 28, 2010 Logical advice. I have looked again and there does seem to be haze. I did not notice it before because it is evenly distributed over the full diameter of whatever element(s) it is on, rather than in patches. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandro Posted March 28, 2010 Share #4 Posted March 28, 2010 I had a lot my gear CLA'd recently but my Summarit 1.5/50 was a clean one, so my repairman advised me to use it is as it is. Usually a strong light (blue light helps but I use a great LED torch) shows anything that shouldn't be there inside the lens. Move the light and the lens in different angles, so you may pick up anything that is inside. You will probably notice a difference once the lens is cleaned, even though the Summarit isn't sharp as a Summicron. Lex Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted March 29, 2010 Share #5 Posted March 29, 2010 If you want to scare yourself, shine a strong light into almost any lens that is more than 20 years old... you could end up having everything you own cleaned! If the results please you, let well alone. I have only had two lenses cleaned in the past 20 years, and one of those (a 90mm Collapsible Elmar) I did myself, having bought it with haze, but knowing how to deal with it. If you do go down the cleaning route, I strongly recommend Malcolm Taylor for the job. A thoroughly nice guy, and reasonable to boot, he does a superb job. Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanMarianne Posted March 29, 2010 Share #6 Posted March 29, 2010 Thanks, Bill - more sound advice. I'll try a few more rolls of film and then decide whether it really does need the attention of your expert. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted March 29, 2010 Share #7 Posted March 29, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'd second Bill's recommendation of Malcolm Taylor. He's ex-Leica and is very good to deal with. He reconditioned a 85mm Summarex for me and did an excellent job. Also you get the impression that if you're not entirely satisfied with the ends result - for example refurbished lens focus on a camera body - he'll do his best to make it right. Malcolm Taylor, Upper Lye Farm, Aymestrey, Hereford, HR6 9SZ. Tel : 01568 770 542 Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanMarianne Posted March 31, 2010 Share #8 Posted March 31, 2010 A couple of test shots for comparison both frames given identical scanning and cropping. Bothal-1 is with a 1958 50mm Summ:icron-M that has just been cleaned and serviced. Bothal-2 with the 1956 50mm f1.5 Summarit, which may or may not need servicing. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/116677-summarit-when-to-clean-and-service/?do=findComment&comment=1279754'>More sharing options...
Xmas Posted April 1, 2010 Share #9 Posted April 1, 2010 Hi Joan Fog will only detectably degrade performance contra jour. The arit f/1.5 will only be detectably worse than the cron f/2 at f/4 or wider, for resolution - you will need to use your tripod and slow film. Some of the early lenses Canon and Leitz will etch if left fogged, I only know about the Canon ones... Noel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanMarianne Posted April 1, 2010 Share #10 Posted April 1, 2010 Thanks, Noel. I think my test shots were too casual and probably underdeveloped. I will get the Summarit serviced anyway, since I think I might sell it; (although I may change my mind after I get it back and put a film through it! There is a very seductive, jewel-like feel to it which says "Don't sell me"!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iShutterbug Posted April 1, 2010 Share #11 Posted April 1, 2010 Hi, Joan, Fifty years ago my Summarit was my only lens so I had nothing to compare it with. Now I see that newer lenses are sharper and better for color. I had it cleaned two years ago and here are some snapshots I took with it. These are drugstore develop and low-quality scan but the might give you an idea. Budweiser Clydesdales Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanMarianne Posted April 1, 2010 Share #12 Posted April 1, 2010 Thanks, Shutterbug; your pictures have an attractive retro-feel in the style of the more subtle examples of Technicolor cine film, neither understated nor too bright. I'll run a transparency film past mine when I get it back since that seems the best material for testing in this way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanMarianne Posted April 1, 2010 Share #13 Posted April 1, 2010 PS: Shutterbug...misread your Agfacolor for Agfachrome. I think the nearest thing available to that now would be Ektar 100. Agfacolor had nice clean, neutral tones and was sharp. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yogibear Posted April 2, 2010 Share #14 Posted April 2, 2010 Fog will only detectably degrade performance contra jour. Hi! I have two Summarits 1.5/50 of the 1950s, one has been CLAd by Will van Manen in Zoetermeer (Holland), the other has a minor fog veil which is not recognizable when I'm looking through, but is well discernable when I use the penlight method. The CLAd one is, even in not-'contra jour' situations, detectably more contrasty and clearer than the fogged one. Which doesn't mean that the latter is unusable. The effect is an overall decrease of contrast and the idea of a slightly longer exposure. Nice for a romantic portraits and scenery. But because the Summarit is in itself already very sensitive to flare, 'contra jour' shots, shots with contrasty subjects or with light sources within the field of the lens will be a lot more flared with the fogged one. Below a comparison of the two Summarits on an M8, both f5.6, 1/180s, ISO160, no filter, no postprocessing - just jpeg-compressed. A bigger version can be found here, because it's rather difficult to see a big difference on this small scale: http://images.fotopic.net/?id=64016503&noresize=1 I leave it to you to determine which is which . If you would like to receive the original files, contact me. Happy shooting! Johan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanMarianne Posted April 2, 2010 Share #15 Posted April 2, 2010 Johan, I think the lower example is with the CLA'd lens; but the difference is less noticeable when viewing the larger presentation. I decided to send my Summarit off for a service yesterday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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