Leica Summar 50mm f2

[dougdarter]

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Hi,

 

I have just purchased a beautiful old 50mm Summar, c 1930. It is of course, collapsible. Does anybody know of any reason that this shouldn't be used on an M8?

 

I use my collapsible LTM 50mm Elmar without any problems, though obviously uncollapsed.

 

I just love these old lenses!!

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[dcoombs]

I've used mine without problem on the M8. It's fun to use the older lenses with the M8 and be able to discern the differences quickly, isn't it.

 

Doug

[dougdarter]

I thought it would be OK, simply because I couldn't think why it shouldn't be. I've a feeling it will be softer than my Summarit - Lovely!!

 

Thanks.

[wlaidlaw]

My Dad was a great believer in the Summar on his IIIC. When he bought a Thambar in about 1959, we teased him that he need not have bothered because his Summar was soft enough. He struggled to see the funny side. For colour slides, he preferred its colour rendition to the later Summitar, which he had on his IIF.

 

Wilson

[ibogost]

I use a Summar without problem on the M8. Just don't collapse it, as the M8 is not meant to be used with older collapsable lenses; collapsing the lens could damage the shutter curtain. Some people place a rubber band or other impediment around the base of the collapsing barrel to prevent accidental movement.

[stunsworth]

I have an old - 1934 - Summar that I've used on my M8 a couple of times. I wound an elastic band around the barrel to make sure it couldn't be collapsed on the M8.

 

To be honest once the novelty of using the lens was over I had to conclude that is was soft wide open, lacking in contrast and prone to flare. However, after saying that, I can imagine it being useful under certain circumstances.

[ibogost]

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To be honest once the novelty of using the lens was over I had to conclude that is was soft wide open, lacking in contrast and prone to flare. However, after saying that, I can imagine it being useful under certain circumstances.

 

This is exactly why I like the Summar. Sometimes I want soft, low contrast, flarey images

[dcoombs]

Yes, it can be a flattering lens for people of a "certain age".

 

The difficulty is in finding one that hasn't been scratched by cleaning the front element.

[earleygallery]

My first Leica came with a Summar (my lllf) which it turns out had some sort of fogging inside that accounted for the type of images I was getting from it - I liked the soft effect and pastel tones with colour film.

 

I found a very clean example of a Summar at a camera fair recently and it produces very good results. Summar's are often referred to as 'soft' but incorrectly. They were made with soft glass which over time becomes scratched if not cared for - many s/h examples I looked at have badly scratched front elements due to too much cleaning. This in turn leads to the 'soft' images that people associate with the Summar.

 

This was taken with a Summar at f2.

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[Theodor Heinrichsohn]

My first Leica came with a Summar (my lllf) which it turns out had some sort of fogging inside that accounted for the type of images I was getting from it - I liked the soft effect and pastel tones with colour film.

 

I found a very clean example of a Summar at a camera fair recently and it produces very good results. Summar's are often referred to as 'soft' but incorrectly. They were made with soft glass which over time becomes scratched if not cared for - many s/h examples I looked at have badly scratched front elements due to too much cleaning. This in turn leads to the 'soft' images that people associate with the Summar.

 

This was taken with a Summar at f2.

 

I agree. More than 20 years ago I came across a rigid Summar in perfect optical condition that had been coated and used it on Kodachrome 25 and 64. The results ar f2 were definitely softer than with the Summitar f2 or the first version Summicron f2. Stopped down the lens produces very finely drawn photographs, particularly portraits, without being soft. The definition can not be compared with the new aspherics, which are cilinically sharp and produce quite a different impression.

In other words, a lens that has to be used for a specific purpose with a "pictorial effect".

The performance on the M8 is quite similar. Lots of fine pastel colours. Be sure to be very sparing with lens wiping. Use a brush and/or a bulb blower. Sorry, I have not managed to learn how to post pictures.

Teddy

[carstenw]

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