The 35 Summilux Aspherical "first version"??

[philipus]

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Surfing idly around today I came across Schouten's stock list which includes a few 35 Summilux Aspherical. They're all described as "first version" which confused me. I know that the first batch was made in 1988 and that the remaining lenses were made in 1993.

 

Could it be that Schouten refers to the 1988 lenses as the "first version" (the ones he is selling are all from 1988) or are there different versions of this lens - if so, how do they differ?

 

I've looked at the threads in the Wiki but they don't discuss this.

 

Philip

[colorflow]

These are the "Double Aspherical" or AA version. They have two aspherical elements, and the word "Aspherical" is fully spelled out on the front rim. They are the first aspherical 35mm M lens Leica made, therefore sometimes referred to as Version 1 aspherical. All later versions have only one aspherical element and "ASPH" is written on the rim. The Aspherical version is now a collectible and generally priced at over $10K.

[colorflow]

BTW, since most of the AA were made in 1988 SN 34xxxxx, the ones produced in 1993 SN 36xxxxx would be more rare. I believe the later ones also came with a different hood similar to the ones used for the non-FLE ASPH version.

[philipus]

Thanks Alan. Yes I know this was the first 35mm Summilux with aspherical glass but was wondering why Schouten calls their copies "first version". To me, this implied that there were more versions of this very lens. But you might be right that they just wanted to point out that this is the first of the aspherical 35mm Summiluxes.

 

Cheers

Philip

[colorflow]

Hi Philip:

I apologize for misunderstanding your question. Yes, I have seen many referred to it as the first version aspherical. I have never seen the 93 production ones but liked its smaller hood. After checking with Leica NJ that it would fit my 88 sample, I did manage to find a new old stock. But no dice ... Leica made some small change on the filter rim that NJ isn't even aware of.

[philipus]

No problems Alan, I realised my question was a bit unclear, too.

 

I wasn't aware that the hood differed in the 1993 versions. That is quite interesting actually. One wonders why they would have changed it.

[colorflow]

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The 88 hood is large and bulky. Doesn't really go well with the lens. The later 35 ASPH hood is a big improvement IMHO.

[jpattison]

Alan, could you post a picture comparing the hoods, I assume that you still have both.

I do know the pre-FLE ASPH version, but it would be nice to see the original.

 

Thanks,

John

[colorflow]

No I don't have the hood (12588) for the 93 Aspherical anymore. It was very expensive and I was able to return it for refund. It is same as the one for the pre-FLE version (12589) except it does not have the locking ring.