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Black 35 Summicron 8 Element


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Interesting thread. I use a late Wetzlar serial nr. 2313xxx which is chrome and it produces beautiful images. However the lens has been very heavily used and looks really terrible, has never been CLA'd and I am about to send it in for service. It had occurred to me that it might look a bit better if it was painted or anodized black at the same time. That screwmount looks pretty good to me, especially pic. nr. 3 which shows a close-up of the anodized finish. As a practical matter, is it wise to get an original chrome sample redone with a black anodized finish? It would certainly look better with my black MP3 but I'm wondering if it would devalue the lens in the future. I'm not planning on selling it but my heirs might...

 

I agree that this lense draws beautifully. That is why it has been the one that I have used most, on all cameras from the M4 onwards up to an including the M8. As mentioned before, I did not personally like the images with Version II and III. Version IV is different, but I have also used it on various occasions, like it and even gave one copy to my son together with a M5 and the 28/2.8 last version before the two aspherical ones.

In your case, I would try and have the chrome parts re-done, but personally don't feel it to be a good idea to apply black paint.

Teddy

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Hi fellows!

Peter, I agree with Theodor about repainting your lens,you have to consider even that original products are no longer available,so the finish would be unpredictable .

 

Theodor,you have all original 8 elements 35 summicron!

IMHO one best ever lens!

The original finder is very very rare indeed,I had the one in Lager book and now is in Leica Museum in Wien (and it's value is very high,seems to be one of a kind)

 

All the Best M.

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[The original finder is very very rare indeed,I had the one in Lager book and now is in Leica Museum in Wien (and it's value is very high,seems to be one of a kind)]

 

Sabears, what original finder do you mean? I've never heard of another finder than good old 12010 SBLOO, not rare at all, or do you mean the black version of this one?

 

Erik.

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Sabears, you mean this one.

This one was from Tom Abrahamsson, I think. Henri Cartier Bresson also had one.

 

Erik.

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No, I do not have it. But I do have an original black paint 50mm finder, SBOOI, also very rare and nice...

I've downloaded this picture years ago, I think from Tom Abrahamssons Rapidwinder site. I know it is not allowed to publish here items from others, but this was just for reference purposes.

 

Erik.

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  • 9 years later...

I bought three lenses a couple of years ago. One of them were the black 35 ´cron 1st version. I didn´t know what I´d bought, soon I was told about it. It was in B+/A- cond. I thought it was to rare and expensive for me to use so I sold it to Leicashop for 2000 euros. They sold it later for 3000 euros. The man who sold it to me made some money, I made some money and Leicashop made some money : ).

 

Anyone know what these are worth now? I can't find anything in the way of as sold pricing anywhere?? Is there an online price guide anyone can direct me to?

 

I have a 174xxxx Canada one in Black chrome. It's a lovely little thing but seeing them listed on eBay at USD $13-20K certainly gives me pause for thought!

I'd be just as happy with a chrome one personally, devastating as the current ensemble looks on my black M-A.

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Anyone know what these are worth now? I can't find anything in the way of as sold pricing anywhere?? Is there an online price guide anyone can direct me to?

 

I have a 174xxxx Canada one in Black chrome. It's a lovely little thing but seeing them listed on eBay at USD $13-20K certainly gives me pause for thought!

I'd be just as happy with a chrome one personally, devastating as the current ensemble looks on my black M-A.

You could sell it, buy a chrome one and a chrome M-A to match it and go on holidays!

 

I saw one go last year maybe but I can't remember the price except to note that I should stop dreaming of owning and using one. It was over A$10k.

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Anyone know what these are worth now? I can't find anything in the way of as sold pricing anywhere?? Is there an online price guide anyone can direct me to?

Give a look here : http://collectiblend.com/Lenses/Leitz/

 

Most are pices made at auctions (the best reference imho) , and with patience you can go to the sites of the quoted auction houses and look for details (for example, in WestLicht site you can search for all their past auctions, see the single items and prices.. same for Rahn, LP and Others)

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Thanks all and yes, only worth what someone will pay for it of course. Assuming someone does, its far exceeded its value to me as a device for channeling light onto film.

I'm going to investigate turning it into a 7 element and any remaining cash can go towards film, travel and coffee.

A shame, previously I was determined to keep, use it, and collectors be damned(!) but common sense has to prevail somewhere.

Westlicht sales indicate something in the region on Euro 10K, well into the 1% territory from where I sit (not in the 1%!)

 

I wonder what Oskar would have made of all this?

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...A shame, previously I was determined to keep, use it, and collectors be damned(!) but common sense has to prevail somewhere...

I'm starting to have a similar feeling about my Summilux 35 chrome... I have had and used it for 25 years around, always considering it simply as a fine and usable lens... now, it's a pair of years that, for someway unexplicable reasons (it is not a rarity, in itself) mean prices on auctions have surged to levels that make me think seriously.... my problem is that :

1) I like it a lot (have also a black one... is NOT so fine... :) )

2) It took so many pictures on my Ms (M2 M4 M8 M240), in so many years, in so many places, that I feel sentimentally tied to it...

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I gave up trying to find an LTM Summicron 35 at anything approaching a reasonable price. I was not worried about cosmetic condition but only optical. In fact I could buy one of the superb LTM Special Edition ASPH Summicron 35s at half what I would have to pay for the LTM 8 element. In the end I bought a mint 35/2.8 Summaron for less than a third of what I would have had to pay for the LTM Summicron 35 8 element. I expected to be a little ambiguous over the performance of the Summaron but I can detect little difference between it and my 35 ASPH Summicron on the M240, which is one of my favourite lenses. Were any of the V1 35 Summiluxes ever made in thread mount? 

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Afaik NO Summilux 35 in SM does exist : years ago the Italian magazine Classic Camera displayed a IIIG with a Summilux 35 onto... but it was an experimental IIIG with BM, iirc.

 

Thanks Luigi; it was what I expected. I would imagine the few factory (maybe 32) BM mount IIIg cameras fetch huge money. The sort of thing Peter Coeln or Breguet Cameras sell, with lots of noughts on the end of the price. 

 

Wilson

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Thanks Luigi; it was what I expected. I would imagine the few factory (maybe 32) BM mount IIIg cameras fetch huge money. The sort of thing Peter Coeln or Breguet Cameras sell, with lots of noughts on the end of the price.

 

Wilson

Imagine the price if you ever found a screw mount v1 2/35! It might be cheaper to buy the BM IIIg!

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Imagine the price if you ever found a screw mount v1 2/35! It might be cheaper to buy the BM IIIg!

 

I found a number of them for sale. They were all around £4 to £5000. Screw mount Special Edition ASPH 35 were around £2200 to £3000. If I had not already had an M version of this lens, that is what I would have bought. I paid €1200 for a mint (looks pretty much unused) 35/2.8 LTM Summaron. Quite a few of the special edition 1999 series LTM lenses seem to be coming onto the market recently. The lenses comprise: 50 V5 Summicron, 50 V3 Summilux and 35 ASPH Summicron. My guess is that the middle aged original Japanese owners, who bought these lenses 18 years ago, are now popping their clogs. Their widows are now selling off all this "Leica junk that took up all the room in their apartment" and moving in the new toy boy instead.   :)

 

Wilson

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We have had discussions about screw thread 35 Summicrons before, and as I said then I was working for the Leica dealer in Montreal in the late 60s, and the Leica rep told is that any Canadian made lens could be supplied to order in 39mm screw mount I cant recall if/how many we sold, but there must be some late (above 2 million) 8 element Summicron 35s around.

They were 'home produced' to, so my M3 version with goggles cost less than $10 more than a Summaron imported from Germany.

 

Gerry

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