martinb Posted November 11, 2006 Share #1 Posted November 11, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) I bought a 35mm Summicron-M Type 1 Canada at a very good price today. I took a long drive to buy it and thought it was mint but when I had a closer look it wasn't. The seller sold the lens at a really good price and knowing that the 35mm Summicron type 1 is quite pricey and good I wanted to buy it. After he himself discovered the problems with the lens he sold the lens at a 40% rebate on the already good price. The problems are the following... 1. The lens won't mount on my M7 for some strange reason. It mounted perfectly on his M2. He also had a Canon 100mm and an old 50mm summicron and both mounted to my M7. 2. Focusing is very stiff! 3. The front of the lens seem to have rotated a bit. So the dot which indicates which f-stop is used isn't centered anymore when looking from above the camera.. Apart from these problems it's in very good condition and glass looks very good. Can I do something myself about the problems? Do you think repair will be very expensive and hard to do? Would really appreciate your help here! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 11, 2006 Posted November 11, 2006 Hi martinb, Take a look here 35mm Summicron-M Type 1! Problems, repair and won't mount to M7... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
lambroving Posted November 12, 2006 Share #2 Posted November 12, 2006 Wouldn't mess with it. If it's that good cosmetically and the glass looks great, send it to Malcolm Taylor in the U.K.. Address, phone number and email removed. AB. PM ME if you need it. Give him a ring. Malcolm would have no problem doing a CLA on an 8-element 35/2. He is the Guru on old gear in Europe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted November 12, 2006 Share #3 Posted November 12, 2006 Malcolm Taylor is excellent, he's done work on my M6 and a friend's IIIG and we've both been very pleased with the work done. He can talk Leica's for Britain, so don't expect a 2 minute call if you ring him :-) He'll be able to give you an estimate for the work, so that will help you decide whether it's an economical repair or not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share #4 Posted November 12, 2006 Thanks for the tip! Maybe I'll contact him for a price quote. It would feel better not having to ship the lens to the UK though. I live in Sweden.. Based on the problems I mentioned do you think it'll be very expensive repair? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambroving Posted November 12, 2006 Share #5 Posted November 12, 2006 Thanks for the tip! Maybe I'll contact him for a price quote.It would feel better not having to ship the lens to the UK though. I live in Sweden.. Based on the problems I mentioned do you think it'll be very expensive repair? You won't know unless you make the call, but that's a prized lens, (not my cup of tea), but well worth doing right. If there are no complications, I'd guess $150 - $250 to make like new..., or better than new. You know someone who can work on Leica lenses in Sweden?! If you were in the U.S., Sherry Krauter could do the job. Both she and Malcolm are Wetzlar-trained and know how to check for centering, etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share #6 Posted November 12, 2006 You won't know unless you make the call, but that's a prized lens, (not my cup of tea), but well worth doing right. If there are no complications, I'd guess $150 - $250 to make like new..., or better than new. You know someone who can work on Leica lenses in Sweden?! If you were in the U.S., Sherry Krauter could do the job. Both she and Malcolm are Wetzlar-trained and know how to check for centering, etc. Thanks William! You know, Sweden isn't an uncivilized country with polar bears walking around the streets There are a few who can do good work on Leica here. I'm very close to Copenhagen too where the nordic Leica distributor is located. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambroving Posted November 12, 2006 Share #7 Posted November 12, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Martin, I would not send an 8-element to Solms. Ideally, you need an "old hand" to work on these. Leica send some of their older stuff to Malcolm. Hint, hint... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted November 12, 2006 Share #8 Posted November 12, 2006 I'd see what the Leica dealer recommends. If they recommend sending it to Solms rather than locally, I'd have Martin do the repair. His work is as good as anything you'll get from Leica, and he'll be cheaper. If you have to send the lens abroad then you may as well send it to the UK as Germany :-) Sherry is also meant to be excellent, but personally I'd prefer to send the lens to someone in the EU to avoid any possible hassle with customes etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share #9 Posted November 12, 2006 Steve, Do you mean Malcolm do the repair? What are your views on this lens? Is it any good? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted November 12, 2006 Share #10 Posted November 12, 2006 Hi Martin, yes I meant Malcom :-) I've no personal experience of the lens I'm afraid. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhsn Posted November 12, 2006 Share #11 Posted November 12, 2006 Hi Martin, FYI: 2-3 years ago I requested a quote for a Summicron-M 50mm/2.0 CLA at Nordisk Foto Import (the Nordic Leica Distributor). The quote I got was 1.800 DKK + parts. I'd imagine it would be closer to 2.000 DKK now (that is the equivalent of US$ 330). Rgds, Niels Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted November 12, 2006 Share #12 Posted November 12, 2006 Martin, I just bought a Summicron 35 8-element lens myself, the one with goggles, to complete the M3 kit I was dumb enough to sell 28 years ago in search for something "better". This lens was and is an excellent performer, specifically if stopped down to f4 or further. Fully open it cannot compete with the 7-element Summicron 35, let alone the 35asph. As far as know, they do not service lenses with serial nos. less than 2,000,000 in Solms anymore, so depending on the serial no. of yours I second the suggestion to send it to Malcolm Taylor in the UK. Another good address is Ottmar Michaely in Germany, have a look at the LHSA's website for their postal address, or send me a PM. As to the mounting (or rather non-mounting) issue, I happen to own a brand new 1.4/50asph LHSA lens, which also does NOT mount to my M7. It does, however, mount to my M3 without problems, as well as to my Bessa R2 and R3M. The funny thing is, all other of my Leica lenses (a good handful ) mount to all the afore-mentioned cameras without problems, so I really don't know why that particular lens will not mount to the M7. I guess it is the pride of a chrome version, old style looking lens not wanting to mount to a new-age black M7... Cheers, Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share #13 Posted November 12, 2006 Thanks Niels. Then I won't send it to Nordisk Foto Import. I can possibly get it repaired in Malmö. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share #14 Posted November 12, 2006 Andy, That sounds very strange! Do you think it may not be a fault with the lens? The point of the M system for me is that you can mount a lot of lenses from different manufacturers and old lenses too like my 35mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted November 12, 2006 Share #15 Posted November 12, 2006 Do you think it may not be a fault with the lens? Martin, well, since it does mount to three other cameras, I can't see it's a problem with the lens. I suspect it is a tolerance issue, as something appears to block when I try mounting it to my M7, the lens just does not turn any further than approximately half the distance necessary for complete mounting (I tried several times before giving up). Never happened to me before. BTW, the old goggled 8-element Summicron 35 mounts to both the M7 and the M3. Good luck in finding someone competent to CLA your new lens! Best, Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted November 13, 2006 Author Share #16 Posted November 13, 2006 I sent the lens to a good Leica repair center in Sweden today. Hope they'll get it fixed and that it won't be too expensive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share #17 Posted December 6, 2006 So today I recieved the lens again. The front of the lens is now centered, it mounts on my M7 and focusing is smooth. Focusing and aperture isn't as smooth as my previous Summicron 35mm 4:th version and ASPH but I guess I can't expect that from a 40 year old lens. I paid about 140 euros including shipping for the repair. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted December 6, 2006 Share #18 Posted December 6, 2006 Happy shooting! Let us know how you like the results. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share #19 Posted December 6, 2006 Thanks Andy. I'll let you know Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted December 7, 2006 Share #20 Posted December 7, 2006 I paid about 140 euros including shipping for the repair. Good news. 140 euros is a reasonable price, too. It's about what I paid Leica UK to service a 28mm Elmarit-R earlier this year. Happy shooting Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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