25 year old Leica Summicron 35mm f2.0 ASPH

[SAM72]

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Hello all, I have the opportunity to buy a 25 yr old Leica Summicron 35mm f2.0 ASPH for what seems to me a decent price (1500 Euro). Are there potential issues with such a "vintage" lens I should be aware of? (Or perhaps it doesn't qualify as 'vintage'...)

regards,
SAM

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[Nachtmsk]

25 yrs old? A babe in the woods. I have a similar lens 35/cron (but non-ASPH) that I bought used in the late 80's. Works great and I don't really think of it as vintage at all. For me vintage is stuff made in the 60's and earlier - just like me

At the time I think I spent $450 for it!  1500 Euro seems like a good price.

Just check for all the typical things:  fungus, smooth blades, chips/scratches, etc...

[Anbaric]

This is actually my most recent Leica lens, which I still think of as 'modern'! As above, check the usual things (shining a flashlight through it at various angles can help). Check nothing is loose (it can be tempting to mount and unmount the lens by grabbing the rectangular hood, which you shouldn't do because it can loosen things over time). It's a great performer on film or Leica digital, but doesn't do so well in the corners when adapted to use on some third party cameras (e.g. Sony) that have thick sensor stacks. If by some miracle the discontinued and very hard to find 14043 hood cap is still with it, keep it somewhere safe and buy a third party alternative that won't fall off and get lost - Match Technical make a rather expensive one, Red Dot in the UK have a cheaper but uglier one, and I bought a nice 3D-printed one on ebay that doesn't seem to be listed at the moment. The hood itself should click on firmly (be careful when mounting and unmounting it as the clips can scratch the barrel if they aren't lined up correctly; having a hood cap means you won't have to do this often unless you change filters a lot).

Edited September 26, 2023 by Anbaric

[Bronco McBeast]

Daaaamnnnn, just like that, the 35mm summicron asph has become Vintage glass.

 

[spydrxx]

Good choice...plenty sharp!

[Anbaric]

1 hour ago, Bronco McBeast said:

Daaaamnnnn, just like that, the 35mm summicron asph has become Vintage glass.

 

I'm going to take mine to a 2000s theme party:

https://www.themixer.com/en-uk/plan/2000s-theme-party/

[TomB_tx]

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I still think of my 1969 Summicron 35 v2 as modern - but then I drove a '73 Beetle until last year.