[Leica] 50mm 1.5 Summarit

[Afterswift at aol.com (Afterswift@aol.com)]

I've been using a 50mm Summarit for years with my M3. "Soft and old look"? 
Try to find McKenna's photo essay on Dylan Thomas at a good library. She did 
a 
great job with a Summarit. I think David Duncan used a Summarit on an at 
home 
with Picasso book. Picasso was quite a showman. What I find in a Summarit 
image 
is an intimate quality. My Summarit has a perfect coating, well protected by 
a good UV filter. If you want to do a Hollywood mellow portrait use one of 
those Marlene Dietrich filters on any lens. I want to caution you, be 
prepared 
for hard focusing because at least my Summarit was made to very close 
tolerances. I never focus the Summarit at the viewfinder. I always preset 
the focus. I 
had Leitz remove some of the oil to make my Summarit somewhat easier to 
turn. 
It's one of the best people lenses I've ever used. My Summarit was 
calibrated 
in meters. Like most Leitz lenses, it will probably last forever. Try to get 
the rectangular clamp-on lens shade designed for it.   

Best,
Bob