Anyone use an old 28mm summaron 5.6 on an M9 or other digitial?

[A miller]

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I would be interested in any comments in this regard. Thanks in advance. Adam

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[Ecar]

Tried it once on the M9. I liked the sharpness and "native" colors (Portra-like, but somewhat muted, IIRC) but the vignetting was very noticeable and found 5.6 too slow for my needs so I ended up passing.

[andym911]

I own this lens and use it occasionally on my M8...It has a very unique look and I enjoy it a great deal.

 

it can flare so you just need to bear that in mind and avoid such situations.

it is tiny and light and with the hood makes a great compact package.

 

I will post a couple of images

 

best

andy

[andym911]

here you go...

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[M9reno]

I just purchased an old Summaron 28 f/5.6 last week from a forum member, and by coincidence just today received it and tried it out on my M9. Here is a sample, shot this morning in my dark office at ISO 1250, 1/45 sec, f/5.6. I attach also a crop of the centre, where I focused on the box.

 

I am quite pleased with the results, especially considering this is a lens from 1957. The speed of the lens seems to me not a big deal, even indoors, if one compensates with high ISO or pushes a fast B&W film. At first glance, the vignetting is not terribly bad either, and can be easily corrected.

 

For me the top attraction of the lens is its minute size, wide DOF (permitting zone focusing), and the character it has from sample photos I have seen on this forum. I look forward to using it particularly with a contemporary If: meterless and rangefinderless, the ultimate pocketable Leica combo.

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[A miller]

Many thanks, Al and Andy, for sharing your experiences and photos.

I love the pictures, especially the colors, even in the very simple shot of Al's office.

 

In contrast with Andy, who seems to have been enjoying his lens for quite some time (based on the past (helpful) posts I've read, I'm in a similar position as Al. I have just purchased the lens and an awaiting its arrival. I will promptly send it for a CLA and confirm that its optical condition was accurately represented.

 

Assuming all goes well, I plan to use it on my IIIg primarily, but also as on my M3 and M9. I don't own a 28mm but do a lot of street photography and so look forward to the hyperfocal qualities of the lens.

 

It is a shame, though, that the hood and viewfinder are so pricey. I hope that I can be patient and at least land on ones that are in excellent condition.

 

Thanks again, and any other proud owners out there are most welcome to share their experiences. I am most interested!

 

Adam

[andym911]

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Adam

 

am sure you will love the lens....it is one of my 'never sell' items with the hood.

 

the smoothness of the lens on film is a joy..if I find a scan or two made with it I will post.

 

good luck with the hood search, I was fortunate enough to get a mint one in its original box !!!

 

best

andy

[henning]

I haven't used one on a digital body and I haven't had one in my hands for nearly 40 years, but I do remember it fondly. The resolution on fine grain film was phenomenal in the center, but the vignetting was quite a bother. I used it with High Contrast Copy film and HC Control developer which resulted in startling images which I printed up to 54"x80".

 

I used it mostly on my IIIg and Ig that I had early on, and then the M4 when it came out. Later I sold it when the second version of the Elmarit arrived. Quite a different lens.

 

Henning

[A miller]

Hi Henning; thanks for your post. It sounds like you have a wealth of experience, and am grateful that you have taken time to share some of it with me.

 

I find it really interesting that, with the advent of digital technology and the proliferation of technically sound lens manufacturing, the technical shortfalls of the old Leica lens have come roaring back into style and appreciation.

 

Certainly, there are people who will bypass a vintage lens such as the Summaron or Elmar in search of a more all-around technically sound lens. Makes a lot of sense if the person shoots people for a living and needs a perfectly clean and clear image.

 

Then there are those who take pleasure in seeking out the technical "flaws" and exploiting/accenting them.

 

You see so many pictures out there, whether on this forum or especially the more garden variety of Instagram and Facebook, in which people deliberately add vignetting, even pump it up in exaggeration. Same is true for high contrast.

 

It's awesome to be able to achieve these effects (albiet in a more subtle fashion) naturally from a lens and without all the post-processing.

[UliWer]

If you want to use the 38mm Summaron on an M9 etc, please remember that you need the right LTM to M-adapters.

 

Those which are marked for "90mm" show the right frames for 28mm, but there are two types around: often the 90mm-adapters have no spare-out in the lower region of the rim. With this type you can't focus the Summaron properly since the focussing knob collides with the adapter's rim. So you have to look for the version with the spared out part of the rim - be it the original one from Leitz or some Voigtlander-branded stuff.