Summaron 2.8 flare question

[quietglow]

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Not long ago, I bought a very nice Summaron 2.8 (1969 serial) which had been recently serviced. Sparkling clean glass, no marks, etc. When I shoot this lens in low light settings wide open, and there's a bright light source in frame or nearly in frame, it flares in an very obtrusive way (photo below). The really odd thing is that if I stop down to f/4 the flare vanishes. To me it looks like that wide open it's flaring off the inside of the lens barrel. My question for you Summaron owners (and maybe V1 Summicron 35 owners) is whether this is normal. Many thanks.

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Edit: I looked at those and thought "ugh, someone probably thinks I hate this lens." In fact I love it, I also used it for this (keeping on the same theme) but at f/5.6.

 

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by quietglow

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[a.noctilux]

I think it's normal.

 

I have those 35mm Summaron 2.8/3.5/Summicron I of same period.

These lenses with single coated glass can not do miracle in this difficult lighting.

 

Or look at them as "Leica glow" bonus ⁉️.

As I state so often, learn to know the lens in use or try another one (W.I.P. for me since long) hoping better behavior (if possible).

I know why I use so many lenses in same focal length, no one is "perfect" at any price or period.

 

...part of them ...

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[quietglow]

3 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

Or look at them as "Leica glow" bonus ⁉️.

Ha! It's a special lens with extra glow!

Thank you for confirmation. I saw a post in which you mentioned having both the summaron and summicron v1, so I hoped you'd see my question. Definitely agree about needing more than one to cover all the uses. I REALLY like this lens outside of this issue. And really on a digital body, it's not that big of a problem really. I just bump it up to f/4 and up the iso if I want to shoot into a light source.

[spydrxx]

I had one for over 30 years as my primary lens. Got really familiar with its performance in a lot of different situations, and eventually got several others to overcome its "shortcomings". Looking back, I regret selling it, as it had a lot to recommend it...the flare in certain situations did annoy me, but I learned how to tame, not eliminate, it. It seems you really enjoy yours...don't ever sell it...you might regret it later on.

[shirubadanieru]

For sure, Summicron V1 ~ V3 35mm, Summaron f3.5 / f2.8, Summilux 35 pre-asph, etc all flare like crazy, but you learn what causes the flare and what doesn't, and sometimes flare can add to the image, so that's up to you to decide according to what you want. 

Looking at the flare you got though, it seems to be hitting the lens from the side maybe? So I think the IROOA hood would probably be your friend in this situation in case you don't have it yet. I hardly use hoods by the way, but if there are instances in which I know I will be encountering situations that can make the lens easily flare and I want to avoid that, then I bring it along.

[quietglow]

11 hours ago, spydrxx said:

I had one for over 30 years as my primary lens. Got really familiar with its performance in a lot of different situations, and eventually got several others to overcome its "shortcomings". Looking back, I regret selling it, as it had a lot to recommend it...the flare in certain situations did annoy me, but I learned how to tame, not eliminate, it. It seems you really enjoy yours...don't ever sell it...you might regret it later on.

Good advice! (and advice that I wish I'd heeded with numerous other Leica things)

 

10 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

For sure, Summicron V1 ~ V3 35mm, Summaron f3.5 / f2.8, Summilux 35 pre-asph, etc all flare like crazy, but you learn what causes the flare and what doesn't, and sometimes flare can add to the image, so that's up to you to decide according to what you want. 

Looking at the flare you got though, it seems to be hitting the lens from the side maybe? So I think the IROOA hood would probably be your friend in this situation in case you don't have it yet. I hardly use hoods by the way, but if there are instances in which I know I will be encountering situations that can make the lens easily flare and I want to avoid that, then I bring it along.

An IROOA was firmly mounted for all the above shots. It has no effect when the light source is in the shot. I don't think this is caused by oblique light falling on the front element. If I shot a series of shots with the bright light centered and then steadily moved out of the frame, it would flare the same all the way across. What's kinda interesting is that the lens is otherwise very flare resistant. Stopped down just one stop from open, I can't get it to flare in any condition (including shooting into the sun). 

Thanks much for the help!

[jankap]

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Before the movie "Easy Rider" flare was a no-go in the movie world. With this movie flare became the value it earns as an artistic tool.

In the case of the summaron the flare is heavy. But the pictures are eye catching, beautiful!

[mon10a]

Hmmm. I have not experienced significant flare from my f2.8 35mm Summaron. Glow at night, yes; flare, not so much.

My copy is from 1960. (Note that the lens type in the exif is incorrect.)

m

 

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M10 at ISO 6400 and 1/30 second; 35mm Summaron at f2.8

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by mon10a

[quietglow]

1 hour ago, mon10a said:

Hmmm. I have not experienced significant flare from my f2.8 35mm Summaron. Glow at night, yes; flare, not so much.

 

 

I am getting more accustomed to how mine flares, and mine wouldn't flare in that instance either. For one thing, the light source needs to be brighter and/or nearer. Also, while I know the idea of "correctly exposed" when shooting night scenes is very subjective, mine flares when there is considerably more exposure than in your image.

Here's a shot from yesterday that demonstrates that other than wide open, this lens is actually very flare resistant. 

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Edited February 6, 2022 by quietglow

[Huss]

On 2/3/2022 at 1:44 PM, quietglow said:

Not long ago, I bought a very nice Summaron 2.8 (1969 serial) which had been recently serviced. Sparkling clean glass, no marks, etc. When I shoot this lens in low light settings wide open, and there's a bright light source in frame or nearly in frame, it flares in an very obtrusive way (photo below). The really odd thing is that if I stop down to f/4 the flare vanishes. To me it looks like that wide open it's flaring off the inside of the lens barrel. My question for you Summaron owners (and maybe V1 Summicron 35 owners) is whether this is normal. Many thanks.

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!

 

Edit: I looked at those and thought "ugh, someone probably thinks I hate this lens." In fact I love it, I also used it for this (keeping on the same theme) but at f/5.6.

 

 

Pretty sure it's normal.  And that last pic is great!

[quietglow]

16 minutes ago, Huss said:

Pretty sure it's normal.  And that last pic is great!

Thanks!