Barrington Posted July 2, 2009 Share #1 Posted July 2, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have just been lucky enough to buy a Summarit 50mm/1.5 in M mount.I'm lucky because despite it's age it is in virtually as new condition (not bad for a 50 odd year old lens).I've seen far too many old Leica lenses that look like they have been cleaned with a brillo pad.So,has anyone had any experience of using one of these beasties?.As it's 50's technology I am not expecting it to be quite as good as my much more recent Summicron but I am after that elusive 'Leicaness' which I rather like-especially on black &white. Barrington Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 2, 2009 Posted July 2, 2009 Hi Barrington, Take a look here Leica Summarit 50/1.5. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted July 2, 2009 Share #2 Posted July 2, 2009 Oh yes, they are quite common and many members put them to frequent use. They have the swirly Xenon bokeh wide open, you may want to choose your subject, or rather background, with that in mind, and stopped down from 4.0 onwards the image quality is Summicron-like. An added bonus, when used on the M8, is that it is one of the few Leica lenses that will transmit UV light if you are into experimental photography. Otoh that means that you will need an UV filter quite often on film. Filters are readily available through the specialized shops. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted July 2, 2009 Share #3 Posted July 2, 2009 I have just been lucky enough to buy a Summarit 50mm/1.5 in M mount.I'm lucky because despite it's age it is in virtually as new condition (not bad for a 50 odd year old lens).I've seen far too many old Leica lenses that look like they have been cleaned with a brillo pad.So,has anyone had any experience of using one of these beasties?.As it's 50's technology I am not expecting it to be quite as good as my much more recent Summicron but I am after that elusive 'Leicaness' which I rather like-especially on black &white. Barrington I have one and like it a lot, and even if 50 is a someway strange focal on M8, this can be a pleasant soft portrait 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! And, as many old Leitz lenses, is also a fine item to manage : solid, brilliant, fine chroming... my one has the "Taylor Hobson" engraving which adds a certain flavor to the look... Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! And, as many old Leitz lenses, is also a fine item to manage : solid, brilliant, fine chroming... my one has the "Taylor Hobson" engraving which adds a certain flavor to the look... ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/89614-leica-summarit-5015/?do=findComment&comment=951010'>More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted July 2, 2009 Share #4 Posted July 2, 2009 I have one and like it a lot, and even if 50 is a someway strange focal on M8, this can be a pleasant soft portrait lens.... ...and one of your best Luigi. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted July 2, 2009 Share #5 Posted July 2, 2009 I like the Summarit. It's a very interesting lens. As with the Summar, the Summarit 1.5 has a very distinctive fingerprint. If you know what to look for you can pick out the negs with this lens from others on a lightbox. It really shines in black and white. Very romantic, pre-war look. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted July 3, 2009 Share #6 Posted July 3, 2009 ...and one of your best Luigi. ... Thanks to the subject... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrington Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted July 3, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thankyou everybody for the tips.As I only take black and white,I prefer older lenses that give me that vintage 'vibe'.Also,I find modern lenses sometimes too contrasty for my tastes. One other question though,can someone please tell what the filter thread size is? Many thanks, Barrington Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickp13 Posted July 3, 2009 Share #8 Posted July 3, 2009 i bought a b&w uv/ir cut filter online from germany, and this lens shade and cap from cameraquest: 41mm Screw in metal Hood, black or chrome, fits among others Leica 50/1.5 Summarit, 35/1.4 Summilux non Aspheric, 60/3.5 Visoflex Elmar, optional push on Voigtlander cap 41mm was the size i needed for my LTM summarit. good luck with your new / old lens! rick 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! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/89614-leica-summarit-5015/?do=findComment&comment=951950'>More sharing options...
dcoombs Posted July 3, 2009 Share #9 Posted July 3, 2009 I like mine, too, both for the feel of the lens and the results. Only thing that drives me nuts is the aperture ring works the opposite of all my other lenses. Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianv Posted July 3, 2009 Share #10 Posted July 3, 2009 I like mine, First one was M-Mount and had to get a second one for LTM. Wide-Open on the M3 This lens would be great on an M8 as its lower-contrast means that it preserves shadow details and will not blow highlights. Another wide-open on the M3: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcoombs Posted July 3, 2009 Share #11 Posted July 3, 2009 Those examples are great! Lovely softness, in keeping with the subject matter, and the dynamic range in B&W is superb. Shots to be treasured. Congrats! Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrington Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share #12 Posted July 4, 2009 Thanks guys for the great shots and I am now convinced the Summarit will give me exactly the results I'm after.The dynamic range is superb and will give me exactly the results I would like! The lens hasn't arrived yet but as soon as it does I will be out and about taking shots with it.I don't have an M8 as all my M cameras are film based but,I do have a film scanner,so I will post some results from it as soon as I can. Barrington Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roydonian Posted July 6, 2009 Share #13 Posted July 6, 2009 I purchased a 5cm f1.5 Summarit with clean glass about five years ago. It’s a nice piece of traditional mechanical engineering, but gives a soft low-contrast image when at full aperture. It’s f2.8 before fine detail starts to appear, and f4 produces high-quality imagery. A 5cm f1.5 Nikkor of similar vintage shows a similar improvement with stopping down, but at full aperture produces a similar quality to the Summarit at f2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianv Posted July 6, 2009 Share #14 Posted July 6, 2009 The 5cm F1.5 Nikkor is very rare- and reputed to be not as sharp as the F1.4 lens. I have a first-series "5005" Nikkor 5cm F1.4. The formula of it and the "Tokyo" lenses is a bit different from those that followed. The Diameter of the glass was increased sometime just before the Nikon S2 came out. "My Speculation": the Nikon M and Nikon S were 24x34 formats, the S2 was 24x36 format. The optical formula was changed to avoid vignetting with the larger format. Some examples of B&W with the first-generation Nikkor and my CLA'd Summarit here: Camera Work - Photography Discussion Forums - Brian's Album: B&W C41 Process film: Nikkor and Summarit All wide-open. One with the Nikkor, Wide-Open. This image has "blown highlights". I favor the Leitz glass for B&W. I should add that I have ~12 Nikkor 5cm F1.4's, mostly in S-Mount. And 5 Nikkor 5cm F2's. "No Bias Here". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roydonian Posted July 7, 2009 Share #15 Posted July 7, 2009 The 5cm F1.5 Nikkor is very rare- and reputed to be not as sharp as the F1.4 lens. Please excuse the limitations of a 66 year old memory. My LTM Nikkor is an f1.4 lens, not f1.5. As luck would have it, I found the Nikkor a few weeks after buying the Summarit, so ended up with both lenses. At short range, the Nikkor comfortably outperforms the Summarit at the wider stops, but at longer range the Leitz lens is sharper at the same stops. The Nikkor is also much warmer in terms of colour balance. I'm wondering if the second-model Summilux might be a better bet than the two older lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianv Posted July 7, 2009 Share #16 Posted July 7, 2009 Easily excused! If it was the F1.5, you would have a $2,000 lens. My Nikon M "Sync" had one of the first F1.4 lenses on it. My Nikon M "No Sync" had a collapsible Sonnar on it. I can tell the original owner was mad that Nikon discontinued collapsible lenses! The Nikkor was optimized for wide-open and close-up use. The Sonnar focus shift is probably responsible for the mid F-Stop performance. By F5.6, it starts to pick up again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrington Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share #17 Posted July 14, 2009 Good news! My Summarit arrived last Friday and it is even cleaner than expected.It really is like new.However,the weather since then has been a bit manky so I haven't been able to try it out yet.As soon as it gets a bit better I will take a few shots and will post them here. Barrington Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobkatz Posted July 31, 2009 Share #18 Posted July 31, 2009 Congrats....here a sample of mine but LTM, posted early... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted August 1, 2009 Share #19 Posted August 1, 2009 Jonathan Eastland used a 50mm Summarit with an Olympus EP-1 in his BJP review published this week and the Summarit out resolved the Olympus 28-84mm kit lens. In the comparison photo results published the Summarit picture shows hairs on a flower stem not visible in the Olympus lens photo. Abridged test report available here British Journal of Photography – professional photography news, camera reviews, images, exhibits, photos but only the magazine has the photographs. Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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