Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/08/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In a message dated 8/5/00 1:00:34 AM Eastern Daylight Time, wvl@marinternet.com writes: << In February of '99 I bought my first Leica gear in Singapore from a second hand dealer. I got a very clean M6 and selected a 35 Summi and the "notoriously crappy" collapsible 50 Summi. I shot a role of Reala 100 at all apertures with each lens, had it minilab developed only, and went to my hotel room where I used a Canon 1.4 50mm as a loup to examine the results. Even under those limited conditions it was obvious the the "notoriously crappy" lens was indeed a "notoriously crappy" lens at 5.6 or below when compared with the 35 Summi. It went back to the shop were it plus a little cash was transformed into a 1980's 50 Summi that was outstanding. >> In 1999 I have to wonder why anyone would buy a 50's collapsible Summicron vs. the 80's (or even 70's) version in the first place. The prices aren't all that much less unless the glass is marked up or the barrel is heavily worn. But for screwmount owners back in 1953, that "crappy" lens was something to hoot about. My collapsible Summicron lived on my M2 with an adaptor until about '69, but hasn't seen much duty since then.