50mm TigerClaw

[Bobonli]

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I've been hunting for a 50 Summicron with the focusing tab and came across a "Tiger Claw" version at a reputable source. Yes, I know the tab is convex, not concave. Based on what I've found it has the same design as v.4. Is there anything else I need to know, performance characteristics etc? It doesn't seem to get a lot of coverage.

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[TomB_tx]

It is a v.4. likely made at Leitz Canada. Concave tab phased later, generally made in Germany. Equivalent quality, but coatings may have changed sometime during production 

[lct]

The Summicron 50/2 "Tiger paw" (or claw?) was my first v4 in the eighties. It is an early variant made in Canada with different coating than the German variant i got later on. The "Tiger paw" is said to have had plastic parts in its making but i was not aware of this when i used the lens and it had the same behavior as German v4 or v5 except that it exhibits a bit more flare. See:

 

Edited June 17, 2024 by lct

[105012]

I have an early 'Tiger Paw' v4 and a later concave v4. They seem identical in performance to me.

[rcusick]

I used to have an early Canadian tiger paw.   A couple of things I remember… the lens is sharp - as sharp as the v5 - which is natural as they have the same design.  The rendering is “cooler” that the v5 -probably due to earlier coatings.   I had it clad and six bit coded at Leica.  They had a bitch of a time claing it without breaking it because of the plastic components.   I loved the focus tab vs the current v5.  The only reason I sold it was that the rendering was different than my more modern lenses.   Otherwise I really liked the lens.  

[Bobonli]

Thank you all