Summicron lens

[m00sehair]

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Hi!

Recently bought an Leica M2 (for a very decent price) with a lens attached to the camera. It's a Summicron 1:2/35 with a serial number of 1743748. The strange thing is when I search for the serial number I always end up with a "wrong (?)" result such as; "The Lens with serial Number 1743748 is a Summicron 90mm f/2, build in the year 1960. 3000 were made."

I some cases lists doesnt even have that serial number at all. 

It seems like it is made in Canada, which I don't know if it is good or bad? 

Can anyone help me share som light on this lens? 

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Edited September 8, 2024 by m00sehair
Added another picture.

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[UliWer]

You cannot rely on all those lists and databases.

Thiele‘s „Großes Fabrikationsbuch Leica Objektive“ (2022) says that 3000 pieces of the 1.2/35mm Summicron from 1743 501 to 1746 500 were produced at Midland, Canada in 1960.

At this time a large part of the Leitz lens production was in Canada, so this is neither good nor bad, but just normal.

[m00sehair]

3 minutes ago, UliWer said:

You cannot rely on all those lists and databases.

Thiele‘s „Großes Fabrikationsbuch Leica Objektive“ (2022) says that 3000 pieces of the 1.2/35mm Summicron from 1743 501 to 1746 500 were produced at Midland, Canada in 1960.

At this time a large part of the Leitz lens production was in Canada, so this is neither good nor bad, but just normal.

Thanks for your reply and help with clarifying what lens I have. 

[willeica]

3 hours ago, m00sehair said:

Hi!

Recently bought an Leica M2 (for a very decent price) with a lens attached to the camera. It's a Summicron 1:2/35 with a serial number of 1743748. The strange thing is when I search for the serial number I always end up with a "wrong (?)" result such as; "The Lens with serial Number 1743748 is a Summicron 90mm f/2, build in the year 1960. 3000 were made."

I some cases lists doesnt even have that serial number at all. 

It seems like it is made in Canada, which I don't know if it is good or bad? 

Can anyone help me share som light on this lens? 

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!

There are some issues with Thiele's list but it is many times more reliable than any of the 'look up' systems such as summilux.net which rely on data which has been input by owners. I would never use the summilux site.

William 

[Shac]

Is the camera you show in the post above the M2 you bought?

[luigi bertolotti]

🙂Me too was, at about the same moment, curios to ask the same question--- but the depicted camera is clearly a M4 🙂

Btw... I notice a slight difference from my item of the same kind (a bit later - 1.971.229 - from Wetzlar) : the position of the red dot.. my one, by any evidence, is a screw mount item with the factory-mounted bayonet adapter (see the small screw in 2nd pic) ... strange they did still make such built version in those years... but they continued even after : Lager depicts a Canadian item - 2.286.131 - still built as mine.

 

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Edited September 8, 2024 by luigi bertolotti

[Shac]

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That was my reason for asking Luigi - let's hope we get to hear

[Anbaric]

23 hours ago, UliWer said:

You cannot rely on all those lists and databases.

Thiele‘s „Großes Fabrikationsbuch Leica Objektive“ (2022) says that 3000 pieces of the 1.2/35mm Summicron from 1743 501 to 1746 500 were produced at Midland, Canada in 1960.

At this time a large part of the Leitz lens production was in Canada, so this is neither good nor bad, but just normal.

Our own wiki notes but doesn't resolve discrepancies in this serial number range:

https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Summicron_(I)_f%3D_3.5_cm_1:2

1740001*     1746500     Summicron f= 9* cm 1:2 (ELC.M-black+chrom)     1960     [6500]

* Lens nos. 1745260, 1745738, 1746019 & 1746308 are 2/35 Summicron (ELC.M3-chrom+M2-black)

Putting this together with Thiele, is it simply that the first 3500 lenses in this range are 90/2 and the next 3000 are 35/2, or something more complicated?

[UliWer]

vor einer Stunde schrieb Anbaric:

Putting this together with Thiele, is it simply that the first 3500 lenses in this range are 90/2 and the next 3000 are 35/2, or something more complicated?

That‘s what Thiele says.

Though I shouldn‘t be surprised if one found 35mm Summicrons in the earlier section and 90mm Summicrons in the later.

[willeica]

On 9/9/2024 at 10:20 AM, UliWer said:

That‘s what Thiele says.

Though I shouldn‘t be surprised if one found 35mm Summicrons in the earlier section and 90mm Summicrons in the later.

Thiele’s work is based on information from Wetzlar, but we have seen many times where serial number groups kept there are not just in an orderly sequence which can be relied upon for both cameras and lenses. For example I have discussed with Jim Lager my concerns about receiving a chrome Hektor in a batch that is said to be nickel in Thiele. He then pointed out to me that he had a photo of a chrome item from the same batch in his lens book. Serial numbers are at best a ‘general indication’ of when and in what group an item was made. That is why I don’t trust the summilux.net look up system which is even more random. The evidence is in the items which exist and which we can see. 
 

William