Using an old 90mm Summicron on an M8

[MikeMyers]

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I've got my M8.2, and I was under the impression that all the old Leica lenses would fit on it.

 

I've got my old 90mm Summicron f/2 lens - "Summicron 1:2/90 Leitz Canada 1742911". I've used it with my old M2 and M3 cameras. However, when I tried to put it on my M8, It seemed to fit the mount, but when I turned it in the direction to lock it in place, it felt like it was hitting something. I had no idea of what was causing the interference.

 

Today, when I look on the back of the lens, I notice four "tabs" which presumably lock the lens in place. I've never had reason to look at them before, but when I did just now, one of them appears damaged, as if it had gotten bent and someone tried to straighten it out. Whatever is wrong with it, it's from over 35 years ago, and I never had problems using the lens on my film cameras. I guess the M8 has a tighter tolerance. I'm attaching 4 pictures I just took of the damaged lens tab.

 

 

Question #1 - is it reasonable to expect this lens to fit the M8?

 

Question #2 - if the lens "should" fit, who are the better camera shops that might be able to fix the problem?

 

 

Years ago, I used to deal with Marty Forscher at "Professional Camera Repair" in Manhattan, but I can't find any listing for them. There are repair shops in the Miami area, but I doubt they can work on an old Leica lens. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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[don_panko]

It looks to me as if the lens was dropped and it hit the locking tab. Before taking it in for repair I would try to bend it back or at least take off the high spot that is preventing closure. Oil paint (Prussian Blue) can be applied to one of the mating surfaces and the high spot will become visible when they touch. Remove the metal that was painted and try it again. It's an old technique for finishing machines that need to work to close tolerances. Essentially you are creating a custom fit.

 

My thoughts for your consideration.

[wstotler]

Hi. I use this old-style 90mm on my M8 regularily. Never had a problem. Consider contacting "DAG" (Don Goldberg) for a fix if you don't want to DIY.

 

Cheers,

Will

[MikeMyers]

Thanks for the advice.

 

"don_panko" I think is advising me to put some paint on the inside of the camera body, and then try to mount the lens - after it "hits", to remove the lens, look for where the paint is on the lens mount, and probably grind or file that spot. I'm a bit reluctant to do that, as I would feel very uncomfortable at using paint inside my M8. If anything goes wrong, I might end up with problems with the body. I know what I think he means, and it sounds like it should work, but I'm not a machinist and I don't know if I'm up to this.

 

Will, how do I contact this "DAG" person? I've never heard of him.

 

I haven't used this lens in over 35 years, so there's obviously no rush in fixing anything, but I'd like to be able to use it again should I ever want to.

[farnz]

Mike,

 

The tolerance on the M8's mount is a little tighter than previous M's and when it first appeared there are many reports about the stiffness of mounting lenses.

 

Your 90 Summicron should mount without a problem but from your photos the mount is damaged and may well have been dropped. The focus tolerance is also tighter on the M8 than previous M's because the flat sensor plane is less forgiving than the depth of film emulsion so if any of your lens's elements have moved when it was dropped, when you manage to mount your lens on your M8, you may find optical problems that were invisible on your film M.

 

My advice fwiw is to send the lens to Leica (NJ if they can do this there) and ask them to replace the mount and give it a CLA at the same time, which will sort out any hidden optical problems.

 

Don Goldberg (weblink) will also be able to do this and probably faster than Leica.

 

Pete.

[fotoism]

I agree with farnz.

 

Unless you are very good with your hands it is advisable to have it done properly by a trained person. The 90 Cron is a nice lens and it deserves a bit of tender loving care now to continue serving you.

 

You won't regret it.

[MikeMyers]

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Thanks, I've just sent an email off to dagcam@chorus.net and hopefully this will work out. I tried the lens one more time, and I think I understand now exactly what's going on. If this doesn't work out, I'll send it off to Leica (unless someone has other ideas of for a good Leica repair shop in the US).

 

Anyone know if Marty Forscher and "Professional Camera Repair" in NYC is still around? I doubt it, as this is something I remember from back in the 60's. My memory says "37 West 47th Street", but as that's from 35 years ago, maybe it's playing tricks on me. I tried to find them on the internet, but didn't get very far...

 

 

.....yikes, my memory is better than I thought. Why can I remember something from 35 years ago, but not what I had for dinner two days ago?????? ....or to always remove the lens cap before taking a great shot of the back side of the cap? Oh well. Thanks for all the advice!!!

 

(I found the latest info at http://photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00QBWy if anyone is interested...)