mjw Posted July 21, 2009 Share #1 Posted July 21, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I just received a call from a local shop that deals in used equipment. He has a Leica M3 and Summitar 5cm lens that he is asking $750 for. Can I use this lens on M8? I read that it is screw mount and needs an adapter, but he says it is "M-mount". Also, is this a good deal? I have not seen the condition of the body nor the lens. I would love to purchase an old film body, but am unsure if this is the right move. Any thoughts/comments/recommendations are appreciated. Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 21, 2009 Posted July 21, 2009 Hi mjw, Take a look here M8 + Summitar 5cm?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dcoombs Posted July 21, 2009 Share #2 Posted July 21, 2009 The summitar in good condition is a fine classic lens. There are several threads on the forum for you to read about it. It will certainly work on an M8, too. The price sounds good, depending on condition of both camera and lens. I would expect to send the M3 for a CLA, which typically costs around $300, if it hasn't been refurbished recently. Could be you've found a deal. Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 21, 2009 Share #3 Posted July 21, 2009 The Summitar is OK if you want an old fashioned look. I will take a photo tomorrow with mine + LTM to LM adapter on the M8 to try and illustrate this. Two problems. You cannot buy an off the peg UV/IR filter for it, as it uses an A36 tapered thread filter. Don Goldberg said he was going to make an A36 to e39 adapter for me last year but I am still waiting. There is a Leica adapter and I have just found one - SOOGZ. Secondly, the lens hood (commonly known as the Barn Door) is horrible and you really need a lens hood with the Summitar on the M8. Once I get my adapter, I will use an Elmar-M 50/2.8 hood on it. The M8 seems more prone to flare with the Summitar than a film Leica (e.g. my IIF or M4) does. Do NOT collapse the Summitar on an M8. If my measurement is correct, it just hits the shutter. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 21, 2009 Share #4 Posted July 21, 2009 Correction - apparently the SOOGZ e39 adapter, which is a slip over the front ring of the lens type with a locking screw, will not fit the Summitar. I need an SNHOO, which has a tapered a36 thread to screw into the Summitar. The last one sold in February on eBay for $258! Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 22, 2009 Share #5 Posted July 22, 2009 Here is a picture taken today with the 50/2 Summitar on an M8. This is a 1953 collapsible hex diaphragm coated lens in VG condition. No artistic merit just to show what it is like. This is taken wide open (f2). It was focused on the far tree. You can see that at f2, it really is quite soft and pretty low contrast. Sorry it is not a more interesting picture but busy today, so this is just a quick pic from my terrace. Wilson 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/91366-m8-summitar-5cm/?do=findComment&comment=970341'>More sharing options...
padraigm Posted July 22, 2009 Share #6 Posted July 22, 2009 you know I kinda of like this look.. I must throw mine on my M8 more often. The pic does not look "clinical" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 22, 2009 Share #7 Posted July 22, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) you know I kinda of like this look.. I must throw mine on my M8 more often. The pic does not look "clinical" I think it might be quite good for taking pictures of ladies of a certain age. It would remove wrinkles better than Oil of Ulay. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted July 22, 2009 Thank you for the follow up and the photo. I took a look at the body and the lens yesterday evening. The camera has some damage (mostly the vulcanite is cracked) and the lens looked cloudy. I do think that I like the softness of the lens in the photo you posted. After reflecting on it, I think that my main interest was in the M3, but I didn't know how the Summitar would perform on the M8. I think that I will pass right now on both and try to track down an M6. (If anybody knows of one that someone wants to sell, please let me know). Thanks again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 22, 2009 Share #9 Posted July 22, 2009 Thank you for the follow up and the photo. I took a look at the body and the lens yesterday evening. The camera has some damage (mostly the vulcanite is cracked) and the lens looked cloudy. I do think that I like the softness of the lens in the photo you posted. After reflecting on it, I think that my main interest was in the M3, but I didn't know how the Summitar would perform on the M8. I think that I will pass right now on both and try to track down an M6. (If anybody knows of one that someone wants to sell, please let me know). Thanks again. Slightly OT but my favorite is the M4 (not M4-2 or M4-P). That was the last Leica made before the cost accountants arrived. It has all brass gears and has a beautifully smooth rewind and very quiet shutter. The only downside apart from the lack of built in metering, is that it does not have 28mm framelines but the outside of the VF is about 28mm. You can get a really nice one for about £500/€600/$800. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted July 22, 2009 Share #10 Posted July 22, 2009 I just received a call from a local shop that deals in used equipment. He has a Leica M3 and Summitar 5cm lens that he is asking $750 for. Can I use this lens on M8? I read that it is screw mount and needs an adapter, but he says it is "M-mount". Also, is this a good deal? I have not seen the condition of the body nor the lens. I would love to purchase an old film body, but am unsure if this is the right move. Any thoughts/comments/recommendations are appreciated. Thank you. First of all I would ask the shop, if they really meant the 2/50 "Summitar", which indeed was only produced with screw mount, or the 1.5/50 "Summarit" which was also produced with M-Mount. Both names are very often mixed up. Leica's modern "Summarit"-line of lenses, which have f 2.5 but nothing in common with the old f1.5 Summarit making things even more complicated. The lenses are very different. The Summitar was collapsible and preceded the Summicron, the rigid Summarit preceded the Summilux. Neither is "bad" but each was "outdated" (the Summarit just giving another name to the old Xenon from the 30s) at the times when the M3 was produced. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted July 22, 2009 Share #11 Posted July 22, 2009 About the offer and your decision : you must think well to what do you like to have and for which use: M3, in my opinion, is mainly to be seen as a "superclassic" that is nice to have, but can be not the optimum choice as a user camera (though M3 is always a pleasure to use) : M6 is obviously more complete : much more focals manageable with the finder, TTL meter. And if you like the idea of using an old classic, I agree with Wilson that M4 is someway better: in conclusion: 1) if one likes to do seriously Leica M photography , M3 is not the best choice 2) if one likes to have a Leica M to be used sometime, M3 (typically, with a Summicron 50) can be a good choice. 3) if one tends to collecting, M3 is simply a must. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 22, 2009 Share #12 Posted July 22, 2009 First of all I would ask the shop, if they really meant the 2/50 "Summitar", which indeed was only produced with screw mount, or the 1.5/50 "Summarit" which was also produced with M-Mount. Both names are very often mixed up. Leica's modern "Summarit"-line of lenses, which have f 2.5 but nothing in common with the old f1.5 Summarit making things even more complicated. The lenses are very different. The Summitar was collapsible and preceded the Summicron, the rigid Summarit preceded the Summilux. Neither is "bad" but each was "outdated" (the Summarit just giving another name to the old Xenon from the 30s) at the times when the M3 was produced. I agree, the 50/2 Summitar which I was using today with a Voigtlander LTM to LM adapter is not not not an everyday lens for the M8. At some point you will forget and collapse it and then - goodbye M8 shutter = EUR 2000+ repair. If you want a cheaper lens with an old fashioned look, I would go for a series 1 rigid Summicron or an earlier 50/2.8 Elmar-M, which you can safely collapse. These would not cost a lot more than a Summitar. I use the Summitar from time to time, just because I have it (my father bought it new with his IIF in 1953, which is the camera it still normally sits on). Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcoombs Posted July 23, 2009 Share #13 Posted July 23, 2009 About the offer and your decision : you must think well to what do you like to have and for which use: M3, in my opinion, is mainly to be seen as a "superclassic" that is nice to have, but can be not the optimum choice as a user camera (though M3 is always a pleasure to use) : M6 is obviously more complete : much more focals manageable with the finder, TTL meter. And if you like the idea of using an old classic, I agree with Wilson that M4 is someway better: in conclusion:1) if one likes to do seriously Leica M photography , M3 is not the best choice 2) if one likes to have a Leica M to be used sometime, M3 (typically, with a Summicron 50) can be a good choice. 3) if one tends to collecting, M3 is simply a must. Aside from Luigi's and Wilson's observations, I would add one more important consideration regarding the M3 - that is the viewfinder magnification. The M3 has the highest magnification of all the Ms, 0.91, which being close to 1:1 means you can shoot with both eyes open. Sounds funny, but makes a big difference in candid photography. Also, the high magnification makes it the easiest to focus. The drawback is that it has framelines for 50mm, 90mm and 135mm only. If you shoot with wideangle lenses, the M3 is not your tool. The M4 has the framelines for 35mm, but the trade-off is a magnification of 0.72 (I think that's right, isn't it, Wilson?), which is also standard in the later M series film bodies. So it's up to you depending on what you want to use it for. Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 23, 2009 Share #14 Posted July 23, 2009 Doug, You are correct the M3 is 0.91X, the M1, 2, 4, 5 and standard 6 are all 0.72X. The M6HM was 0.853X and on the new MP and M7, you can choose 0.58, 0.72 or 0.85. The M8 is 0.68X. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
russell Posted July 23, 2009 Share #15 Posted July 23, 2009 The M3 is the best body for the 50mm that focus to 1 meter. I used mine with a Noctilux for awhile as a great combo. The A36 UV/IR filter I had made from an old yellow A36 filter that Foto Huppert in Germany swapped out for me. They removed the yellow glass and put in the UV/IR. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanMarianne Posted November 21, 2009 Share #16 Posted November 21, 2009 I use a Summitar on my M4-P. It has the correct, tapered (yellow) filter but I also use the lens hood from my 1958 Summicron; not a tight fit but effective and relatively secure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnguyen Posted November 22, 2009 Share #17 Posted November 22, 2009 Here's the pic of the Summitar f2 on my M8. I no longer have the lens and replace it a collapsible 50mm f2 Cron. By the way it can be fully collasible to the M8 body if you wonder. 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/91366-m8-summitar-5cm/?do=findComment&comment=1126031'>More sharing options...
judal98 Posted August 26, 2010 Share #18 Posted August 26, 2010 Hi, this is just a heads-up for anyone looking for a SNHOO adapter...Heavystar just started selling I guess what you would term, "replicas" on eBay...I just recieved one, and it does the job (seems to screw in well, holds an E39 filter well and even matches the finish to a reasonable degree...and the price is very fair IMO...about $18 shipped, US). Ok, hope this helps somebody. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eleskin Posted August 26, 2010 Share #19 Posted August 26, 2010 Funny, with care, my Summitar collapses fine on my M8 with no damage at all. Just to be safe though, I use a rubber band around the chrome barrel so the lens collapses only most of the way, not all, so there is no chance of shutter damage. My Summitar I bought for the swirly bokeh and lower contrast for special effect. Used correctly, it is a really wonderful lens. if it is hazy, unscrew the front element and lightly clean the elements. That is what I did, although I had little haze. Best of all I bought mine cheap from Pacific Rim Camera here in the USA for $175. They said it had slight separation on the elements. I saw little online and thought it was mint when I received it in the mail. It seems Pacific Rim deals with large inventory of all kinds they need to sell fast, so they do not have time to go over the equipment and price it higher. They price low to sell fast! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 26, 2010 Share #20 Posted August 26, 2010 Funny, with care, my Summitar collapses fine on my M8 with no damage at all. Just to be safe though, I use a rubber band around the chrome barrel so the lens collapses only most of the way, not all, so there is no chance of shutter damage. My Summitar I bought for the swirly bokeh and lower contrast for special effect. Used correctly, it is a really wonderful lens. if it is hazy, unscrew the front element and lightly clean the elements. That is what I did, although I had little haze. Best of all I bought mine cheap from Pacific Rim Camera here in the USA for $175. They said it had slight separation on the elements. I saw little online and thought it was mint when I received it in the mail. It seems Pacific Rim deals with large inventory of all kinds they need to sell fast, so they do not have time to go over the equipment and price it higher. They price low to sell fast! The collapsable Summitar must be pretty close on the M8. I tried it first on my M4, which was just about to depart on its initial CLA (after 52 years!), so a contact with the shutter would not be a disaster. The back of the lens hit the protective bars above and below the shutter tracks. On the basis of this experience, I decided it would be too risky to collapse on my M9 or M9. In fact I don't use it at all, as at some point I will forget and collapse it. For an old 50mm lens, I use a Zeiss Opton f1.5 Sonnar on an Amadeo Muscelli mount. From a detailed discussion some time ago where we measured various models of Summitar, it would appear that the three models all have slightly different rear projections when collapsed. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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