Leica 50 2.5 Summarit

[h_A_Z]

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Hey guys. Ive been lurking around and finally got myself a M6 TTL 0.85. Researching about the body so much that I realise that I didnt have any lens to go with it! Since Summarit 50mm is the only Leica lens I can afford right now, I was wondering if any of you can give your comments or reviews on it. There is not much tobe found onlineabout this lens. Thanks giuy

[bill]

Giuy, first of all, welcome.

 

Secondly, you are doing yourself a disservice by focussing - pardon the pun - on a single new lens for your first foray into the world of M. For the price of a new lens you could easily pick up a 35mm and 50mm secondhand; this would help you to assess what focal lengths you are comfortable with on the M6 and if you have bought Leica (as opposed to CV) then you should have no problem getting back pretty well what you paid for the lenses if you choose to resell.

 

The "holy trinity" is 35-50-90, but I would suggest you start with 35 and 50 combination to get you going. If you have already chosen the .85 viewfinder magnification and are thinking in terms of a 50, then I suspect that you are not a wideangle person, so you may also like to look at the 35/75 combination, although it is a lot harder to find reasonably priced Leica 75mm lenses secondhand!

 

I suggest you look out for a secondhand 50mm Summicron or Elmar-M and maybe a 35mm Summaron or Summicron. If you are going to look at CV lenses then the 50mm 2.5 and the 35mm 2.5 "pancake" are well worth the money. I traded in my 35mm Summicron (v4) for the CV 35mm because I preferred the rendition.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[h_A_Z]

Thanks for the reply Mr Palmer. Im leaning towards 50mm because I already have a 5Dmk2 with a 35L so a different focal length of 50mm is what I would like to have. Sorry if this is a silly question, what is CV? About getting a second hand 50cron, it did occur to me but im finding it a little hard to find a good deal on ebay at the moment.

[bill]

...the last time I was called "Mr Palmer" I was offering up my driving licence

 

"CV" is the acronym for Cosina Voigtlander. They make a number of lenses in LTM (Leica Thread Mount) and M mount. Any LTM lens can be converted to M with a suitable adaptor - there are different ones depending on the lens/frameline combination, so you need to make sure you get the right one for your lens (28/90, 35/135, 50/75). They used to be made by Leica, and are currently made by CV and by third parties; the third party ones are often cheap'n'nasty and not made to adequate tolerances.

 

If you are struggling to find a Summicron, do look out for the Elmar-M. Although a bit slower, this recently discontinued lens not only offers Summicron-like performance it also makes for a very compact and easily carried package with the M6.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[earleygallery]

Be wary of buying lenses via e bay unless you know the seller is reputable, or you may end up with something less than satisfactory.

 

A click on Red Dot cameras banner at the top of this page (when I viewed it) shows they have a large stock of s/h 50mm lenses including the late model 2.8 Elmar which Bill refers to.

 

If you go for the older model, the 3.5 is actually a better lens than the (old) 2.8, which is a little softer at the wider apertures (but still an excellent lens).

[ezc203]

I have the 50/2.5 and it's my only 50mm. I would recommend it. Not quite as good as the others (Cron/Lux) but for it's price the lens is excellent.

 

Good bokehs, good color and good clarity.

[01af]

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The Summarit-M 50 mm 1:2.5 is a marvellous little gem. Sharpness, contrast, subtle discrimination of tone and colour, and out-of-focus rendition don't leave anything to be desired. Okay, the lens is not the fastest ... but it's only half an f-stop short of the Summicron-M 50 mm, and it's very small, light, and unobtrusive. Affordable, too—I got mine LNIB at half the retail price from eBay. The more I use it the more I'm loving it. Highly recommended.

 

By the way, the same holds for the Summarit-M 35 mm 1:2.5. I never came across a lens that is as resistant to flare and ghosting as this one.

 

The only reason to avoid the Summarit-M line of lenses is when you desperately need a faster speed.

[holmes]

I had been without a 50mm for several years. Relying on my 35 f 2 asph. At the other end I had my 75 F 1.4. That is a great combination, although I would substitute my 28 f 2 asph for the 35. The problem was I knew I was missing the 50 focal length. I did not want to go for a 50 f2 and no reason for the 50 f 1.4. Then Leica came out with their nice little line of not quiet so fast lenses. Their design is different in that the 50 is circular as I understand it. I am happy and delighted with that little marvel. I've dedicated it on to an M6TTL. A nice combination. Speed, well the little 50 is so small and light weight hand holding is no problem. Weight no problem. I'll take it and the M6TTL and produce beautiful transparencies. If this is your first Leica lens, start with a new one and experiment.

[h_A_Z]

Thanks for the reply guys. I might wanna consider it but will definatelykeep a lookout for a cron in eBay

[keithdunlop]

I actually like the idea of working with one single lens when exploring the possibilities of a rangefinder for the first time. It gives you an opportunity to really get to know the camera and focus on seeing without the added complication of different focal lengths. Add lenses as you get more comfortable with the camera.

 

That being said, don't overlook the Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 ZM. It is a really stellar lens and can be had for 1/2 the cost of the Summarit. There are some high-brow opinions about putting anything other than a Leica lens on a Leica body, but image quality is image quality in my opinion.

[Xmas]

Hi

 

Leica Camera AG - Photography - Summarit-M Lenses

 

Noel

[Jeff S]

I actually like the idea of working with one single lens when exploring the possibilities of a rangefinder for the first time.

 

+1 And, remember you have a nice little preview lever to let you see alternate fields of view.

 

Regarding the Summarits...highly underrated...Summarit range

 

Jeff

[h_A_Z]

Great article Jeff! I think im down with 50 summarit. Cheapest brand new Leica I can afford

[normclarke]

Hi,

You might try an old Canon 50mm f1.8 for cheapness I picked up a pristeen item for £60 a couple of years ago and have not found any good reason to change. I have also had the Elmar-M and found it to be better than the early models but would'nt change it for the Canon.

 

Best,

 

normclarke.

[h_A_Z]

I caved in... bought myself the 50 Summarit! I have no other Leica lens to compare it to but it sure feels well built. Cant wait to try it out over the weekend. Btw is there any adapter to allow Canon lens to be used in Leica? I know there is if it is the other way around ie Leica lens on Canon camera

[normclarke]

Hi,

Yes there is the Leica LTM-M adapter which means any Canon screw mount lens can be used on the M cameras. This also applies to Nikon and Russian LTM lenses.

 

Best,

 

normclarke.

[01af]

I caved in ... bought myself the 50 Summarit!

Congratulations! I'm sure you won't regret this.

 

 

Btw is there any adapter to allow Canon lens to be used in Leica?

Don't know about old Canon rangefinder lenses ... but if you're talking about Canon FD lenses and Canon EF lenses—adapters exist to mount these to Leica M bodies but they don't couple with the range meter. Thus you won't be able to focus accurately, and even framing is difficult because with an uncoupled lens, the frame lines are set to compensate the parallax at 0.7 m distance. So this is useful only with lenses with a focal length of 24 mm and shorter where you can get away with just estimating the distance and where you would use an accessory finder anyway. Generally not recommended.

[Xmas]

Hi

 

The 'old' Canon LTM lenses, and old Leitz LTM lenses, for early Leicas have 1mm larger register than a M so the adapter is 1mm thick and the rangefinder coupling and infinity focus are both ok.

 

You can get new adapters from a Cosina dealers or a 2nd hand Leica one.

 

But your f/2.5 will spoil you for other lenses unless you like low contrast.

 

Noel