Should my old 35mm Summaron lens select the 35mm frame lines on an M2

[MikeMyers]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I forgot where I posted this thread - just searched for it, and found it.    (Is there some way on this forum where I can find all the threads that I started?)

M3 is back, and M2 will go off to Don when he has a bit more free time.  M3 looks brand new, like I just unboxed it!  Awesome.  It looks more new than new, and feels sooooo smooth.

M2 is ready to go off to Don when he tells me.  I've been working with it with the 35mm f/3.5 Summaron, and while I did find a stand-alone 35mm finder, I think I can manage with just seeing almost the entire viewfinder.  Unless I decide to shoot slides, this will be fine.

About the lens - I watched ten or so YouTube videos, and read  quite a few articles.  This last article I found is the most useful for me:

https://vintage-camera-lenses.com/leica-summaron-35mm-f3-5/

Now I feel quite anxious to try out the lens, but I'll do so on my M10 before doing film.  Looking at it again, the front and the rear of the lens look clean, but looking through the lens something looks "hazy".  I'll include it with the M2, and let Don check it out.  After reading that article, I'm anxious to see the images it can create.  Hopefully tomorrow is bright and sunny, and I can try it.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[PFM]

32 minutes ago, MikeMyers said:

I forgot where I posted this thread - just searched for it, and found it.    (Is there some way on this forum where I can find all the threads that I started?)

M3 is back, and M2 will go off to Don when he has a bit more free time.  M3 looks brand new, like I just unboxed it!  Awesome.  It looks more new than new, and feels sooooo smooth.

M2 is ready to go off to Don when he tells me.  I've been working with it with the 35mm f/3.5 Summaron, and while I did find a stand-alone 35mm finder, I think I can manage with just seeing almost the entire viewfinder.  Unless I decide to shoot slides, this will be fine.

About the lens - I watched ten or so YouTube videos, and read  quite a few articles.  This last article I found is the most useful for me:

https://vintage-camera-lenses.com/leica-summaron-35mm-f3-5/

Now I feel quite anxious to try out the lens, but I'll do so on my M10 before doing film.  Looking at it again, the front and the rear of the lens look clean, but looking through the lens something looks "hazy".  I'll include it with the M2, and let Don check it out.  After reading that article, I'm anxious to see the images it can create.  Hopefully tomorrow is bright and sunny, and I can try it.

I've got the LTM version which as I understand it when they made the early M mount ones they basically just installed an adapter on the thread mount.  Anyhow, it's a nice lens, though I get a little frustrated with aperture changes as you have to do the focus as the last thing before taking a shot because the whole front of the lens rotates when setting the aperture unless you've got the infinity lock engaged.  I got used to it, but wouldn't mind getting the 2.8 version in M mount.

Voigtlander Bessa, Leitz 35/3.5 Summaron LTM, Kodak T-Max 200

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

PF

Edited November 20, 2021 by PFM
Adding photo

[MikeMyers]

4 minutes ago, PFM said:

the whole front of the lens rotates when setting the aperture unless you've got the infinity lock engaged.

Mine is very different - the aperture ring turns very freely, and the focus turns smoothly, but takes more pressure to move it.  I'm not sure how freely the focus is supposed to turn, but being so old, I can't complain.  

Your link didn't post properly, or I'm not sure how to get it into my browser????

[PFM]

I found out I can't post photos here the way I do everywhere else, so I had to resort to the drag-and-drop directly from my computer.

10 minutes ago, MikeMyers said:

Mine is very different - the aperture ring turns very freely, and the focus turns smoothly, but takes more pressure to move it.  I'm not sure how freely the focus is supposed to turn, but being so old, I can't complain.  

Your link didn't post properly, or I'm not sure how to get it into my browser????

You should be able to see the photo now.

 

PF

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited November 20, 2021 by PFM

[Topsy]

7 hours ago, MikeMyers said:

I forgot where I posted this thread - just searched for it, and found it.    (Is there some way on this forum where I can find all the threads that I started?)

M3 is back, and M2 will go off to Don when he has a bit more free time.  M3 looks brand new, like I just unboxed it!  Awesome.  It looks more new than new, and feels sooooo smooth.

M2 is ready to go off to Don when he tells me.  I've been working with it with the 35mm f/3.5 Summaron, and while I did find a stand-alone 35mm finder, I think I can manage with just seeing almost the entire viewfinder.  Unless I decide to shoot slides, this will be fine.

About the lens - I watched ten or so YouTube videos, and read  quite a few articles.  This last article I found is the most useful for me:

https://vintage-camera-lenses.com/leica-summaron-35mm-f3-5/

Now I feel quite anxious to try out the lens, but I'll do so on my M10 before doing film.  Looking at it again, the front and the rear of the lens look clean, but looking through the lens something looks "hazy".  I'll include it with the M2, and let Don check it out.  After reading that article, I'm anxious to see the images it can create.  Hopefully tomorrow is bright and sunny, and I can try it.

Just read the article, very good, thanks for linking it. FWIW mine does activate the 35mm frame lines on both my M2 and MP, I have the screw mount with Leica OEM adapter.

[MikeMyers]

52 minutes ago, Topsy said:

FWIW mine does activate the 35mm frame lines on both my M2 and MP, I have the screw mount with Leica OEM adapter.

I have one of those adapters, but have never used it.  I had one screw-mount lens which I gave to Don last year, as a thank-you present.  Here's a photo of my adapter - apparently when used on a M2 it will accept screw-mount Leica lenses from 21 to 35mm, and on a M3 it will accept a 135mm screw mount lens, and presumably bring up the proper frame lines?  For better or worse, my lens was made with a bayonet mount, and since the only Leica M back then was the M3, there were no "35mm frame lines" in the cameras back then.  The M3 was the first (?) and it was designed for 50mm at the widest.  I'm just guessing at some of this, but it sounds logical.  

I'll try the lens later today on my M10, and see if it even works.  If not, and if the lens needs cleaning on the inside, that might be the end of it for me.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[MikeMyers]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I got to try the lens several times, and I even managed to get some reasonable results, after working with PhotoLab 5 for a while, but if any light was shining towards the lens, forget it.  I examined the lens more closely - from the front the glass looks good, and also from the back.  But opening the aperture all the way and looking through it - yuck!  It almost looks like someone left a piece of tissue paper in the lens.  Mold?  Whatever it is, for any practical use right now, it's useless.  

But, after a lot more internet searching I found this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tvm4wQRX2o

The scary thing about this video, other than its length, is that I am sure I can do everything in the video if I buy the tools.  I've even found where to get the tools.  There's a list on this page:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmeKfrnaeqc

It might take me a lot more time, but my lens is very similar to the one he repairs in the video.

I'm not sure what's going to happen.  My "China-Cron" should be arriving tomorrow, and all I really wanted was an affordable 35mm lens for my M2, most likely to be used for B&W photography.  If my local repair shop can fix my Summaron for less than $100, I'll probably do so.  If not, $100 will probably buy all the tools to do it myself.