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35 Summicron F2 for M3


tonkee

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Can anyone kindly advise me:

 

1. Can 35 Summicron F2 (versions newer than Type 1) be used on M3?

 

2. Do any newer versions come with Leica goggles?

 

3. Any third party goggles for 35mm lens that can be used on M3.

 

Thanks in advance for advice.

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Not an expert, but what I could gather from common internet knowledge is that,

 

 

  • only the first version was manufactured explicitly for the M3 (comprising the goggles)
  • you should in theory be able to use ANY M lens on the M3, but for lenses wider than 50mm you will need an auxiliary viewfinder
  • there are no third-party goggles to my knowledge

Hope that helps!

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Any auxillary viewfinders avaialbe on market (eBay etc.) for 35mm lens suitable for M3? How do they call up? By Leica or third party?

 

Thanks in advance for further advice.

 

Lots e.g.

 

Voigtlander Viewfinders | Robert White Photographic Ltd

 

or the Zeiss multi finder as cloned in Kiev in the FSU, is cheap, but bulky

 

Noel

P.S. if I have a 35mm on a M3 I just use the whole viewfinder frame, beter than nothng

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Any auxillary viewfinders avaialbe on market (eBay etc.) for 35mm lens suitable for M3? How do they call up? By Leica or third party?

 

Thanks in advance for further advice.

 

Voigtlander ones are good and reasonable, I have the 35 one and the minifinder for 28 & 35. Best is the rather builky and expensive Leica SBLOO. I have many multifinders, some of which are good, some poor, none as good as the separate ones.

 

Gerry

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Lots e.g.

 

Voigtlander Viewfinders | Robert White Photographic Ltd

 

or the Zeiss multi finder as cloned in Kiev in the FSU, is cheap, but bulky

 

Noel

P.S. if I have a 35mm on a M3 I just use the whole viewfinder frame, beter than nothng

 

Thanks Xmas. :)

I like your idea of going w/o any viewfinder. Simple and beautiful (a matter of fact for Leica.)

In realty how much wider is the 35mm as compared with the whole M3 viewfinder frame.

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"In realty how much wider is the 35mm as compared with the whole M3 viewfinder frame. "

 

In reality, a lot wider.

Your best solution is to purchase the original 35mm Leica RF Summicron. RF indicates goggles. I had one of these on my M3 for many years until I got a 35mm ASPH Lux. It worked very well and was very sharp. The SBLOO finder is expensive and requires switching between the M3 for focusing and the finder for framing, a slow process at best.

Goggled lenses are getting up there in age and finding a good example is getting harder.

If you are bent on a 35mm lens, best to get an M2 or better yet an M6 Classic.-Dick

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Observe the distance between the 50 and 90 framelines using the preview lever.

Then imagine the same distance beyond the 50 framelines and you'll have an approximation of the imaginary 35.

If you shoot both eyes open you might be able to do this with the M3.

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Alas no, the googles increase the field of view of the 5cm frame to be the same as the 35mm frame, for the viewfinder and the rangefinder spot, but also have a prism to shift the rangefinder spot image. The heliciod for the googled 35mm lens was different from the heliciod of the ungoogled 35mm lens. The googled lens wont work (focus accurately) on a M2 without the googles, (it is ok with googles). The CV 35mm will have the same heliciod on an ungoggled 35mm lens. It would be a pig to mount the goggles on a CV lens.

 

Some people will say this is all wrong, tusk tusk

 

Noel

P.S. remove film door, sticky tape grease proof paper to the film gate and mount the camera on a tripod, close to a wall, stick paper markers on the wall correspoding to the field of view of the lens on the grease proofpaper, and look through the finder at the markers. This is only good for one range as the field of view changes (and shifts). This works perfectly, even if you dont like the sound of it, it is approximate...

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I've never seen a goggled lens in person, but I have noticed that sometimes the goggles appear without a lens on eBay. Would it be possible to affix orphaned goggles to something like a Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4 for use with the M3?

 

The only one with removable goggles (apart from dismantling!) was the early 3.5 Summaron, I have never seen these goggles for sale separatly, but you occasionally see the ones for the Dual Range Summicron 50, not the same at all

 

Gerry

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The 35mm goggle optics are available from time to time. But like I was asking, no idea if you could affix them to a new 35mm lens for the M3. It would be nice if you could.

 

# 8 LEITZ OPTICS FOR 35MM RANGEFINDER LENS - eBay (item 260767036301 end time Jun-09-11 10:15:14 PDT)

 

Well that is interesting, its not a detacheable one, seems to have been removed from 'permanent' mounting, you can see the screw holes. I doubt it would even be useful as a replacement on a Leica lerns unless you could discover which lens it was originally mounted on (Summaron, Summicron or Summilux) and actual focal length might be significant. Can't see any way it would be used on for instance a voigtlander lens and get accurate rangefinding

 

Gerry

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Alas no, the googles increase the field of view of the 5cm frame to be the same as the 35mm frame, for the viewfinder and the rangefinder spot, but also have a prism to shift the rangefinder spot image. The heliciod for the googled 35mm lens was different from the heliciod of the ungoogled 35mm lens. The googled lens wont work (focus accurately) on a M2 without the googles, (it is ok with googles). The CV 35mm will have the same heliciod on an ungoggled 35mm lens. It would be a pig to mount the goggles on a CV lens.

 

Some people will say this is all wrong, tusk tusk

...

 

Not all wrong (tusk, tusk ;)), but there is not any prism in the 35mm goggles... amyway, mounting (someway... :() a goggle unit on a CV 35 should result really a pig...

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I use a 35mm on my M3 regularly. I have a 3.5cm Leitz finder (SBLOO) that I use for framing. Works fine, no different from using a 24mm with a finder on an M6.

 

In addition to the v1 Summicron, there are the Sumaron (both the f3.5 and f2.8) and v1 Summilux 35s that came in goggled versions.

 

Carl

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Let me comment on four points:

 

1. The cams to couple the rangefinder roller on a goggled version and plain version of a particular 35mm Leica RF lens have different "heights" for corresponding distance settings. Meaning for example on a Summaron 35 and at 0.9m for instance, the height of the cam (brass cylinder rotating when you focus) is 3.36mm compared to the flange surface, whereas the one with goggles measures 4.64mm. This difference is to offset the effects of the lenses on the goggle windows on the rangefinder base distance. The same difference in respective cam heights is to be observed with the googled versions of Summicron 35 v.I as well as Summilux 35 pre-asph (both steel rim and later Canada).

 

2. Do not even consider to attach a goggle set belonging to the googled version of a specific lens to the plain version of the same lens due to the cam differences above. Further, I have no idea whether a goggle set belonging to say a 35mm Summaron would function perfectly on a goggled version of Summicron or Summilux, for I know that these lenses are based on rather different focal lengths around 35mm.

 

3. The early series of both Summarons and Summicron v.I would allow the M-mounts to be screwed out to reveal the original screw-mounts (i.e. the same mount on LTM cameras). This however does not mean that these lenses could be used on the LTM Leicas as they are, no way! They can be mounted however even for zone focusing, the set focus length is to correspond about 50% longer than where the lens actually focuses.

 

4. Having used all Summicron 35 versions, while shooting B&W film I prefer the ver.I (8-elements) over any other Summicron versions as I get the longest gradations but also the best corner sharpness except the aspherical. At full aperture it has a finely dosed glow not unlike the Summilux pre or Summaron 2.8 however very sharp details are also to observe. Distortion is next to nil. Shortly it is a very unique lens with a distinct character.

 

Hope these help...

 

Bob

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[otalert]

The V1 summicron, early SC lux and f/2.8 summaron are nice lenses for a M8 or M9, they will improve the graduation in the bright cloud skies, an Asph 35mm may burn away any graduation like a laser weapon, sorry if you have spent USD getting one.

[/otalert]

Noel

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