Summicron 50mm v5 stray light / low contrast

[EnglishSpaniel]

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Hi Forum,

I bought the Summicron 50mm f/2 v5 second-hand some time ago. Over the last few weeks, I've noticed that as soon as the sun shines, I very often have stray light or a milky area in the photo and also less contrast.

The lens hood is pulled out and this occurs from different angles of the sun. It also doesn't matter which ISO, aperture or shutter speed. So often and quickly that it bothers me.

This phenomenon does not occur with other lenses on the M11, and I am not used to such behavior from other cameras and lenses either.

 

Hence my question, is this normal for this Summicron?

 

I also added an example image

Thank you!

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[PhotoCruiser]

I get the same using my old M39 lenses, really old ones from around WWII and their glass has some haze and have also black particles inside.

Have you checked that on your Summicron? Works best with diaphragm full open and strong light either from plain sun or a macro lens and a flash.
if you see some kind of "spiderweb" on the lens surface then then lens has glas fungus

Chris

[M11 for me]

Shooting against the sun is a special discipline. Try with different very small apertures.

[paulleica]

Swap the lens for a Voigtländer Apo Lanthar 50mm 2.0, which is not as sensitive to flare.

[Vanillasludge]

23 hours ago, EnglishSpaniel said:

Hi Forum,

I bought the Summicron 50mm f/2 v5 second-hand some time ago. Over the last few weeks, I've noticed that as soon as the sun shines, I very often have stray light or a milky area in the photo and also less contrast.

The lens hood is pulled out and this occurs from different angles of the sun. It also doesn't matter which ISO, aperture or shutter speed. So often and quickly that it bothers me.

This phenomenon does not occur with other lenses on the M11, and I am not used to such behavior from other cameras and lenses either.

 

Hence my question, is this normal for this Summicron?

 

I also added an example image

Thank you!

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!

I would shine a flashlight through the lens and see if there is any mist/fogging.   This is possible with the Summicron but your example looks particularly bad.  
 

best wishes 

[TomB_tx]

I've had similar "central veiling flare" with Summicrons since 1969 when the sun is just outside the frame. My Summarit 50 (similar optical design) can also show this. Not a defect - just a characteristic of the lens. However, haze, etc, can worsen it also. Zeiss Planar ZM is much more resistant to such flare - but I generally prefer images from Summicrons.

[lct]

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As @TomB_tx said. Better avoid shooting into the light when the sun, or other strong light sources, are just outside the frame. As for the Planar 50/2 it is superior as far as flare resistance is concerned but it is not perfect either. Planar 50/2 on M11:

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[hansvons]

On 2/9/2025 at 2:18 PM, EnglishSpaniel said:

 

Hence my question, is this normal for this Summicron?

 

I also added an example image

Yes. Perfectly normal. Whether you understand this as an issue depends on what you want to achieve. Some like me leverage flares for mood, others prefer clean pictures. That’s why the APO Summicrons exist. 

[Bronski]

Looks familiar, I have pics just like that taken with a Summicron 50 v5, too. Either avoid shooting into the direction of the sun, or get a different lens.

Paul suggested a VM APO-Lanthar 50/2 in #4, I thought that problems like this when shooting into the sun mean there is plenty of light, so I chose the VM APO-Lanthar 50/3.5, which can close focus down to 35cm, which the 50/2 can not. Like it a lot so far.

[hansvons]

1 hour ago, Al Brown said:

Most likely option: thin haze.

This is a V5 Summicron. Not sure how long proper haze takes to develop. Not am I sure whether the relatively modern coatings will develop haze at all.

My pristine V4 is similarly prone to flaring and has the same optics. 

[Jon Warwick]

I had a v5, and it seemed the veiling flare got progressively worse over the years. By the end, the flare looked like the image in the first post, and it occurred frequently. I bought the lens new in 2002, and sold it by c 2018’ish - so 16 years old or so.

I didn’t try what AI Brown suggests, so I don’t know if it had thin haze. I did notice the black paint at the rear inner part of the lens was delaminating and flaking off though. 

I’ve subsequently purchased another v5, used but manufactured in the last few years (c 2022 I think), and no veiling flare. Very different in that regard compared to my first lens.

Both of my v5 copies have a lot of field curvature though! Flat field like the APOs, it is not!! For landscapes, I seem to need to stop down to f11 to even begin to see the edges of the frame in very good focus. 

Edited February 13 by Jon Warwick