leitz summaron 35 f3.5

[tiep]

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Anyone have ever used this lens? please help to advice & comments? i am about to use it for M6. is it ok.

thanks

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[jaapv]

Yes it is a good lens, look in the Historical section and you will find quite a number of posts on it. There are basically two versions. With and without goggles. The goggled one must be used with the goggles attached, otherwise it will bring up the wrong framelines and misfocus (if you manage to get it off infinity lock at all)

[tiep]

Thanks mate. how to identify the len which do not use goggles. can you show me the way to know series of it.

tks

[jaapv]

The goggled lenses either have the goggles attached (obvious) or have a flat top to attach the goggles to. Such a lens is useless without the goggles. The goggle-less lenses have a normal cylindrical lens barrel.

[Guest umshausumzu]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=210506&stc=1&d=1278430990

 

It is a very nice lens. But most of them have foggy lenses. This one has been repaired.

Claus

[menos I M6]

Don't nail me on it, but mine looks different - so there should be at least 3 different LTM versions of this lens!?

 

When I bought mine, I have been offered a pre war 35 f3.5 Summaron, which had the aperture selector within the front bezel - very compact design and the one, I decided on - a 1959 35 f3.5 Summaron with the aperture ring as pictured above (but different lens barrel + infinity lock, which I happen to like).

 

I suppose, the one above is a younger LTM version of the same lens ?

 

The pre war model really was very nice (especially the compact built), but unfortunately, it had foggy glass ;-( - i did not feel like doing an experiment and find after CLA a not repairable damage.

 

I am very happy with mine.

It has a very low contrast, is plenty sharp in the center wide open and does an interesting "tunnel like" aberation, drawing more and more soft towards the edges.

 

This gives the actually rather slow lens a unique dimension normally only faster lenses can achieve.

 

It cannot match resolution of todays Leica glass though - don't expect this (while it is fully usable next to the 35 Cron ASPH, 35 Lux ASPH with its special look).

 

Maggie here on LUF actually pushed my nose on this little gem - I will keep mine, the 35 Cron ASPH goes likely soon.

[luigi bertolotti]

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Don't nail me on it, but mine looks different - so there should be at least 3 different LTM versions of this lens!?

 

When I bought mine, I have been offered a pre war 35 f3.5 Summaron, which had the aperture selector within the front bezel - very compact design and the one, I decided on - a 1959 35 f3.5 Summaron with the aperture ring as pictured above (but different lens barrel + infinity lock, which I happen to like).

 

I suppose, the one above is a younger LTM version of the same lens ?

....

.

 

Summaron simply doesn't exist in a "pre-war" version : the 35 f 3,5 lens with front aperture ring is the Elmar 35, quite a different design, which indeed was made also postwar, and superseded by Summaron in 1949-50.

(It's sometime reported of 600 Summaron 35 built in 1946... around 601.000 to 633.000, but they are a "mistery"... no one has been shown ever)

[menos I M6]

Thanks for the history lesson Luigi ;-)

[stephen.w]

I was lucky enough to find one of these in A condition for only €200 (mine is the 'goggle-less' model designed for the M2). I found a nice Flickr album with photos taken exclusively with this lens. Leitz Summaron 35mm F3.5 (1953) - a set on Flickr

[Michael Hiles]

I have one. It is fine, and is at its best at about 5.6. At 3.5 it is a little soft. It has been improved upon in terms of sharpness by modern lenses, but it is still a fine lens.