Summitar - 10 aperture blades, years

[pico]

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I've searched with no luck to find what years (or serial number range) the Summitar had 10 aperture blades (round compared to 6 hexagon shape).

 

I'm looking for one with 10 blades made in 1949 or later.

 

Thank you in advance.

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[luigi bertolotti]

I've searched with no luck to find what years (or serial number range) the Summitar had 10 aperture blades (round compared to 6 hexagon shape).

 

I'm looking for one with 10 blades made in 1949 or later.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

According to Laney and Van Hasbroek, the Summitar with six blades (and hexagonal iris) entered in 1951: so an item of 1949-50 should have the old blades which form a round iris.

[UliWer]

If the list of Thiele is right the hexagonal iris was introduced in 1950 with no. 810.001.

 

So if you look for slightly lower numbers you might find a coated postwar Summitar with round iris.

[pico]

Thank you, one and all for your help. I have set to purchase a 1949 Summitar that appears to be in reasonable condition. We shall see how it works out.

 

Best,

Pico

[towermax]

Excuse me for re-opening an old thread, but this info seems relevant to the discussion . . .

 

My Summitar --serial number 81211x--has 10 blades. I notice that the Summitar entry in the LeicaWiki states:

 

"Diaphragm setting /type - 10-blade / 6-blade after s/n 810001"

 

Perhaps there was some overlap during the transition from 10 blades to 6 blades? Number 810001 may have been the first to have 6 blades, but at least one Summitar with 10 blades was produced at a later time.

[250swb]

As an aside my Summitar is ten blades (and coated) from 1946, so if anybody is looking you don't have to limit yourself to 1949 onwards.

 

Steve

[luigi bertolotti]

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The batch of Summitars starting with s/n 810.001 was a very big one : 10.000 lenses !!! No strange that they made some with the old diaphragm... probably many semifinished parts, or replacements, were available in the factory.

 

And... Welcome to the Forum !!! If you'll continue to partecipate into this community, you will realize that "in the Leica world, exceptions are the rule"...

[jc_braconi]

Excuse me for re-opening an old thread, but this info seems relevant to the discussion . . .

 

My Summitar --serial number 81211x--has 10 blades. I notice that the Summitar entry in the LeicaWiki states:

 

"Diaphragm setting /type - 10-blade / 6-blade after s/n 810001"

 

Perhaps there was some overlap during the transition from 10 blades to 6 blades? Number 810001 may have been the first to have 6 blades, but at least one Summitar with 10 blades was produced at a later time.

 

I have one from 1949 (round blades) 682 4xx

and one from 1950 (flat blades) 799 1xx

 

on my web site : IIIb page

Edited April 19, 2011 by jc_braconi

[pico]

I prefer the round, 10-blade version. I lucked out finding a very clean, coated version, too.

 

Luigi - thanks for the insight. It makes a lot of sense.

[towermax]

The batch of Summitars starting with s/n 810.001 was a very big one : 10.000 lenses !!! No strange that they made some with the old diaphragm... probably many semifinished parts, or replacements, were available in the factory.

 

Yes, that's what I thought also--someone found an old bin full of 10-blade kits under a workbench--or something like that.

 

And... Welcome to the Forum !!! If you'll continue to partecipate into this community, you will realize that "in the Leica world, exceptions are the rule"...

 

Thank you for the welcome. I've been visiting here now and then for the last 18 months--since buying a IIIG and Summitar. You are all a great source of information.

[Baybers]

Mine is a 1950, no.784 xxx with ten blades. Lovely lens.

[Raid Amin]

On 12/8/2010 at 12:38 PM, luigi bertolotti said:

 

According to Laney and Van Hasbroek, the Summitar with six blades (and hexagonal iris) entered in 1951: so an item of 1949-50 should have the old blades which form a round iris.

My Summitar is from 1950 and it has 6 blades only.

[Pyrogallol]

I have two, 1941 and 46, both ten blades.

[bilbrown]

On 4/18/2011 at 10:30 AM, towermax said:

Excuse me for re-opening an old thread, but this info seems relevant to the discussion . . .

 

My Summitar --serial number 81211x--has 10 blades. I notice that the Summitar entry in the LeicaWiki states:

 

"Diaphragm setting /type - 10-blade / 6-blade after s/n 810001"

 

Perhaps there was some overlap during the transition from 10 blades to 6 blades? Number 810001 may have been the first to have 6 blades, but at least one Summitar with 10 blades was produced at a later time.

Mine is 1950 and after 8110xxx and has the round iris. Which I assume is 10 blade.

[thomas_schertel]

My Sommitar has the number 682096, has 10 blades and is from 1949.

yours sincerely
Thomas

[qqphot]

Mine is #722882 (1949,) has 10 blades, and is coated.

[romualdo]

I have a 1951 version, 6 blader #846113 - it came with an early iiif BD

Edited December 3, 2021 by romualdo

[hilm3]

I also have an 1951 version, 6 blade #912869.

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Hallo,

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[doctorlebel]

I have a 1950 Summitar 10 blade, round iris aperature lens s/n 811074

[scotjack]

     My immaculate filter-protected Summitar, serial number 810448, also has a 10-blade diaphragm, so is another example of a lens out of sequence, or as someone suggested above, may have been made with parts that were found after the main assembly line was installing the six-blade diaphragm.  
   My Leica III (267457) was modified by the Leitz shop in Shandwick Place, Edinburgh for flash and has a small co-ax flash socket on the top plate.  I suppose this affects the value for purists, but then again, since modified models are probably rare, it may not.  Even after I succumbed to the ease of SLRs, I still used my Leica as a back-up camera when I photographed weddings in Edinburgh back in the 60s and 70s, before moving to Africa. 
   It saved my bacon once when my self-loaded-from-bulk-stock cassette was not properly connected in my Dixon SLR (a piece of junk!) and which I did not notice for more than 30 shots!  I will never forget the sinking feeling I experienced when I realised that the film was not advancing. 
   Fortunately, I had taken about a dozen shots with the Leica and was able to salvage all the important groups from those negatives.  I did all my own processing back then.  Both families were very happy.