Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/08/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In a message dated 8/6/2007 4:44:27 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, lug-request@leica-users.org writes: the name has me a bit muddled. i have an old summarit, a 1.5 LTM. does the summarit name signify anything technical with respect to the design of new line of lenses or is it a mainly a marketing name for the line? --------------------------------------------------------------- I have a 1956 vintage f1.5 50mm Summarit M mount. Since the Summarit was conceived as a fast lens, perhaps Leica Solms thought that the Summarit label could be used for a class of lenses, more compact than the faster Summicrons. The only thing I didn't like about the Summarit -- which I still use -- is that the focusing assembly was made to such close tolerances that the lens was almost impossible to focus, so I had to set distance by judgment. When I returned the Summarit to Leitz NY with that complaint, they removed the oil so the movement now has some slack to it, but it's still a difficult lens to focus. I assume that won't be a problem with the new Summarit lenses. I can now just about use the rangefinder with it. It certainly has a lot of heavy duty glass and brass in it. It's a weighty character. It was the first lens I owned calibrated in meters. I bought it in Germany. Other than having too much of a good thing mechanically, the f1.5 Summarit is still a powerful lens that frees me from using speedlights. I think David Duncan used a Summarit for his book on Picasso and another excellent photographer used one to do a memorable book on the poet Dylan Thomas. I have both in my library. Both were shot in B&W, which seems natural for the Summarit. Incidentally, does anyone know the prices of the new Summarit lenses? Bob ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour