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Summaron 35mm f2.8 M lens


ryee3

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I agree with Andy about the best value for money as a 35mm Leica lens. I was astounded by it's sharpness, a lens of 1962 which nearly surpasses the 35 cron IV at 2.8 and although relative with 2.8 as the widest opening, a beautifull bo-keh. Very appropriate for (group)portraits. Like many older Leica lenses, I prefer it for B&W, and in that section I prefer it above the Summarit. If the Summarit is a bit too harsh for you the Summaron is your choice.

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I bought mine mint a couple of years ago from CollectCameraNL and it gave no sign whatsoever of having been fitted to a camera. Since then it has mostly lived on my MP so has been fitted/removed to/from a camera very few times. The picture below (X-Vario + Raynox c/u lens) shows similar slight changes of profile (at the 9 & 3 o'clock positions).

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  • 1 month later...
I got mine via ebay and tested to have severe front focus. An approximate repair quote from Leica for calibration is about 760USD. :( With that repair price, I can get another copy. Bad experience. Now I only use it to shoot at f8, lovely lens for B&W.

 

Just out of curiosity, was it a screwmount or a bayonet mount Summaron?

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Could Summaron 35mm f2.8 users (of both LTM and M mounts) share experience and inform me:

Q1. can a "no goggles" Summaron 35mm M-mount be used on an early M3, with correct rangefinder focusing (no goggles), using a SBLOO viewfinder?

Q2. can a screwmount Summaron 35mm be used with an M adapter ring, on an early M3, with correct rangefinder focusing (no goggles), using a SBLOO viewfinder?

Perhaps the focus system (wheel + lever mechanism on the camera, and the focus profile on the brass inner rim, is different on a screwmount vs M camera, although they shouldn't be different (the M adapter should allow correct focus).

Q3. for a Summaron f2.8 M mount with goggles, can the lens be removed from the goggles, to work on an early M3, with correct rangefinder focusing (no goggles), using a SBLOO viewfinder?

If the answer to Q2 is yes, that would seem to be the best Summaron f2.8 lens to buy, if you want to use it with both screwmount and M cameras.

User experiences and advice will be appreciated, since I am interested in this lens, especially if I could use it on both LTM and M cameras.

 

 

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I have all of these items, 3 different types of 35mm f2.8 lens, M3 and SBLOO . The answer to the first two questions is 'Yes'. I have the goggled version of the lens, but I have never removed the goggles. I believe, however, that I have read somewhere that the answer to question 3 is 'No'.

 

The LTM version of the lens works perfectly on M3s and M2s with the correct adapter. The only downside is a slightly larger minimum focus distance.

 

William

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Could Summaron 35mm f2.8 users (of both LTM and M mounts) share experience and inform me:

Q1. can a "no goggles" Summaron 35mm M-mount be used on an early M3, with correct rangefinder focusing (no goggles), using a SBLOO viewfinder?

Q2. can a screwmount Summaron 35mm be used with an M adapter ring, on an early M3, with correct rangefinder focusing (no goggles), using a SBLOO viewfinder?

Perhaps the focus system (wheel + lever mechanism on the camera, and the focus profile on the brass inner rim, is different on a screwmount vs M camera, although they shouldn't be different (the M adapter should allow correct focus).

Q3. for a Summaron f2.8 M mount with goggles, can the lens be removed from the goggles, to work on an early M3, with correct rangefinder focusing (no goggles), using a SBLOO viewfinder?

If the answer to Q2 is yes, that would seem to be the best Summaron f2.8 lens to buy, if you want to use it with both screwmount and M cameras.

User experiences and advice will be appreciated, since I am interested in this lens, especially if I could use it on both LTM and M cameras.

 

1 yes

2 yes

3 no

 As William wrote: LTM version focus coupling to 1m and M version to 70cm.

I have one with M mount (focus to 70cm) but the mount can be removed by unscrewing one tiny set screw.

So for me Summaron 2.8/35 M2 version early twin-mount, this is the best buy as it's full use on M and can be used on LTM (but not RF coupling in this case 70cm to 1m) :).

 

Very nice lens and it's IQ is bettered by none, even fully open.

 

See here : https://www.dropbox.com/s/wg9l5x63eizfgzr/Summaron.pdf?dl=0

 

found today from RFF : https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164257

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I have a lovely condition 35/2.8 Summaron LTM lens dating from 1961 bought from Peter Coeln at the Leica shop in Vienna. It has no marks or depressions on the RF cam.

 

When I got it, like I always do with a newly acquired RF lens, I checked the focus accuracy. This is very easy to do now with the M240, RF image convergence against focus peaking when zoomed. Peter had checked it before it sent it to me but I confirmed it was spot on.While I had it mounted, I took a few test images with the Summaron and M240. My expectations were not particularly high and I did wonder before I bought it, if I should have bought instead, one of the 1999 special edition 35mm/f2 LTM ASPH Summicrons. However, I was astonished how good the Summaron is. Other than slightly more vignetting, I could barely distinguish between images from the Summaron and my modern 35 ASPH Summicron-M. It sits all the time on my IIIg with a SBLOO viewfinder in the shoe. It is far better than my other 35mm LTM lens, a Voigtlander Color Skopar, admittedly not a good example of that particular lens, with horrendous aperture shift and a not very accurately ground RF cam. 

 

Wilson

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I have an M mount Summaron 35, that has also been very nice since getting the haze removed. Focus is perfect. I also have a Summarit 2.5 35. I find it curious that Puts says comparing it to the Summaron, "...a quantum leap forward in image quality."

I don't see it in my pictures, but I am happy with both.

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