Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/06/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 10:15 PM 6/2/2008, Jerry Lehrer wrote: >Vick, > >The problem afflicting some Summarits is the peeling of the paint that >Leitz used on the edges of one of the inner >elements. The peeled strip can be seen just behind the diaphragm if that >has happened. > >That is why my Summarit is on its way to DAG for a CLA > >The earlier Summarits had a multi leaf diaphragm, which makes for >beautiful bokeh. Later models had a 5 leaf >iris. Leitz had difficulty obtaining quality materials for some years during and after the War, and shortcuts included those Wartime red shutter curtains, the use of grey paint on once-chromed areas, and the like. In all four Zones, the occupying powers required that German companies put down hard cash for chrome and tungsten and oil and the like -- the Soviets went further in their and just forbid the importation of lubricants, resulting in that horribly green congealed grease on many Carl Zeiss Jena lenses: it is rumored, perhaps with reason, that Zeiss was forced to use coagulated cow guts or somesuch to grease their lenses! In any event, poor materials mark most German cameras and lenses made between 1939 and, say, 1952. And, of course, Zeiss controlled the patent on the Smakula vacuum-deposit coating technology, so Leitz was forced to use a drip method with produced a moist surface which did not endure well on outer elements. The history of the Summarit is most interesting. The story is murky and there are two different explanations set out with some vehemence. Dr Blood in the UK has written at length on this but I believe he has reached improper conclusions. It seems most likely to me that Taylor, Taylor, and Hobson -- who owned the Lee patent on a derived Gaussian design -- noticed that both Joseph Schneider Kreuznach and Max Berek at Letiz were working along similar lines and so drew all three companies into a common arrangement with led to the production of the 1.5/5cm Leitz Xenon in 1936. This lens was uncoated and remained in production until 1950. It was a bit of a stinker as anyone who has used it and then shot with the Zeiss contemporary, the 1.5/5cm CZJ Sonnar, will attest. In 1949, Leitz began to coat the Xenon. This became the Summarit and its performance was improved dramatically: it still was not nearly the lens that the Zeiss Sonnar was, but it certainly narrowed the gap. I never particularly liked the Summarit until an early member of the LUG, Marvin Moss, directed me to his website and showed me some of the pictures made with a Summarit in the 1950's. I then bought another, and have used it with good results ever since. Sure, in crticial times, I am more likely to use a Sonnar in LTM or a Jupiter-3, but the Summarit is still a wonderful lens. Leitz later reworked that heavy lens mount and renamed the lens "Summilux" while marginally opening it up to f/1.4. It lasted only for two years in M-mount production (though for four years in LTM) until it was replaced by the second version of the 1.4/50 Summilux which remained in production until a few years back. Leitz finally had a lens which could met the standard set by Ludwig Bertele in 1931. (COLLECTOR HINT: these lenses have not yet been recognized as collectible by collectors: all first-version 1.4/50 Summilux are collectible and, for heaven's sakes, they only made 548 of the LTM version! Snap 'em up while they're cheap! Then sell 'em to buy that M8.) Mine is 891761 and probably dates from 1951. A very hasty run through my references does not reveal any mention of a reduction in the number of the aperture blades. Mine has twenty or twenty-four blades, although my foggy eyesight problem keeps me from counting more accurately. Finally, this lens in its Xenon form, used an external bayonet to mount filters and hoods. All Summarits had booth the external bayonet and an "E41" (41mm female thread) fitting. I have several of the bayonet-mount filters for the Summarit but, when I shoot with the beast, I use an Ednalite 602 41mm Series VI adapter and with Series hoods and, on occasion, Series filters. Marc msmall@aya.yale.edu Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!