Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/08/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 07:19 AM 8/2/96 PDT, ThomaP@nacm.com wrote: >Unless you need the f/1.4 speed the Summiliuxes offer, the f/2 >Summicrons are generally regarded as the finest lenses around. The >later black alloy mounts are lighter than the chromed brass ones, the >performance contrastier. Some swear by the higher resolution of the >earlier Summicrons, others by the higher contrast of the later ones. All >are great - I have used old and new 50mm. The very latest ones have >non-removeable lens heads, precluding enlarger or close-up device >usage. > >A good Wetzlar 50mm Summicron in black alloy can be bought for $500, >the 35mm counterpart $800. The latter is frequently Canadian, but the >quality of Canadian lenses, for this user, is as good as the German ones. > Recent correspondence on this list suggests that quality control has >fallen at Leitz, so look for lenses _without_ the focal length marked on >the barrel - distinguishing them as late-70s to early-80s - if you believe >these concerns. The difficulty with the last point is that all of the current version of the 2/50 Summicron are marked with the focal length on the barrel, and refusing lenses so marked means that the current version is thus taken out of consideration. I don't believe it is over-stating the case to say that the second version (1969 - 1979) is generally regarded as the poorest variant of the Summicron lens -- plus it has that annoying 'dead focus' when close-focusing on an M3. Marc msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!