Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/01/05

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Subject: [Leica] rookie mistake with the DR Summicron?
From: "Patrick G. Sobalvarro" <pgs@sobalvarro.org>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 10:17:50 -0500

Some months ago I bought a DR Summicron in Zurich, and I had my first
opportunity to use it over the holidays. I have an M2, which works fine with
my other lenses.  I mounted the Summicron and got an entire roll of very
out-of-focus images.  They have a beautiful dreamy quality to them, and I
appreciate this because I harbor a guilty affection for the
photo-secessionists of the last century, but the truth is that I have no
desire to emulate them.

Now, here are the circumstances:
- - I don't have the eyes for this lens.
- - The lens appears to be in its normal focusing range -- e.g., 1m to
infinity.
- - The lens focusing mechanism and the rangefinder combine to give me correct
readings of the distances of things.  That is, if I measure 2m away and I
use the rangefinder to focus on something 2m away, the lens barrel reads 2m.
- - The lens is clear.
- - The front element is present.
- - The rearmost element I see is smaller than the rearmost element on my
Summarit, and seems deeper in the barrel, but that seems to make sense.  I
don't have another Summicron with which to compare it.

Is it possible that I have done something incorrect in using the lens?  I've
never used a DR Summicron before, and I'm aware it can be used in two ranges
when the eyes are mounted.  This one appears to be in the normal range (the
barrel reads in the 1M to infinity range).

I want to make sure I'm not doing something obviously stupid before I (a)
send the lens to a repair person, and (b) upbraid the person who sold it to
me.

Thanks!
Patrick