[Leica] Subjective lens impression (part 2)

[Alfred Breull <puma@hannover.sgh-net.de>]

2/50 Summar:
The Summar is Leitz's first f 2.0 lens, introduced in 1933. It shows
it's best results between f 3.2 and 6.3. In this range, it is comparably 
sharp, like my Kodak Retina Ia 3.5/50 mm Xenar from the 50ies. In this
range, it is a "high contrast lens", but different than we use the phrase
today. Here it means, that the lens shows clear colors but hardly shadow
details. To give an example: When you look at a tree at dawn or sunset,
you clearly see the colors of the bright parts, but the shadows are 
gone and almost black. That's what the lens does, even in bright daylight. 
Additionally, the unsharp areas are more unsharp than in a "usual" 50 mm,
almost like from the 2/90 mm M Summicron. Both effects (suppression of
shadow details and "increased" unsharpness) result in the most impressive 
3D or pictoral effect I've ever seen from a 50 mm, incl Noctilux. The 
highlights are over-pronounced, which gives an additional impression of 
light in your pictures (like in impressionism). At f 2.0 the corners 
tend to be dark and the colors are almost gone. It is a warm to neutral 
lens.

2/50 Summitar:
The Summitar is Leitz's second f 2.0 lens, introduced in 1939. There are
uncoated and coated versions. In my experience, both appr. agree in their 
rendition. It shows it's best results between f 2.0 and f 4.0/ 4.5, but
you may use it up to f 8 or f 9. It is more sharp than the Summar, and it's 
sharpness is comparable to the 2/50 coll Summicron or between the coll
Summicron and the rigid chrome Summicron. At f 2.0 the Summar's
dark corners are gone. The unsharpness compares to the rigid chrome
Summicron. The color rendition is (far) more rich than from 
the Summar, comparable to the 1.5/50 Summarit or even the rigid chrome
Summicron (but less than strong than in the coll Summicron). At low light 
(1/60 at f 2.0, E 100s), the color impression changes from saturated to 
transparent (like thin water colors in painting). There are many shadow 
details, but far far less than in the current 50 mm Summicron. The 3D 
effect compares to the rigid chrome Summicron (less strong than in the
coll Summicron), but is significantly less strong compared to the Summar.
It is a "cold" lens.

2/50 coll Summicron:
The coll Summicron was introduced in 1953 (1954 M version). There are
at least 2 versions, maybe 3 (if you count different coatings as 
different versions). The first (usually below s/n 1 mio) has a high(-er)
amount of rare earth included in the glass melting process, and was 
described by Marvin Moss 2, 3 months ago. If you look thru the lens,
the glass appears slightly yellow ("yellow glass" Summicron). The pictures 
are a little more warm than from the other versions (Viewfinder article). 
The second, which I know, has a "blue" coating, which "peels off" after 
long year's claening, and was decribed by Marc J Small recently. The 
glass is not yellow anymore. The third version has a coating which 
looks like  "reflecting light" or like a mirror if you look from 
the side, and yellow if you look from above (this lens is sometimes 
also described as "yellow glass" Summicron). I know nr 2 and 3 from 
experience. They show best results between f 2 and 5.6, and the optimum 
at f 4.0. Although they are "somehow" sharp at f 8, I often have wished,
I had another lens mounted at this f-stop. In my impression, they are 
a (very) little less sharp than the 2/50 Summitar, but have a very 
beautiful out-of-focus rendition (strongly modeled, but less strong 
than from the Summar). The colors are very saturated, almost as
strong as in the current Summicron (at daylight at or above f 4 and 1/250, 
E100s). They are more strong than from the rigid chrome Summicron in sun
shine, but less strong than in pictures from the rigid chrome 
Summicron after rain. In general, the lens has a "soft" sharpness
and saturated colors. It's a warm to neutral lens.

continued ...

Alf



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Alfred Breull
http://members.aol.com/abreull/index.htm
http://members.aol.com/mfformat/c-mf.htm