Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 19:24:58 -0600 >From: "Jeffery L. Smith" <jsmith45@bellsouth.net> >Subject: [Leica] Leica CL 40mm Summicron on other M-mount cameras >There is some speculation that the 40mm f/2 Summicron made for the Leica >CL will not focus correctly on other camera bodies. Has anyone used this >lens on a Leica M3 through M6 or on a Bessa-T? Or on a Hexar RF? >If it only focuses correctly on a CL, I'll leave it on that. I'd rather >use it on a Bessa-T. >Jeffery Smith Hi Jeff, I have a 40mm Summicron that I have used on my M6, M6HMTTL and my Hexar RF without focusing problems. Today it lives on my CLE (with the correct frames line). The angle of the focusing cam on the lens for the CL was slightly different that on other M's and this is supposed to produce focusing errors for the 40 and the 90 F4.0 which were produced especially for the CL. I guess that is true at the theoretical limit but in my practical experience I haven't had any trouble with the focus of my 40. Haven't owned the 90 so can't comment. BTW the 40 Summicron is a very nice lens, compact and produces the usual saturated Leica look. Haven't tried it on a Bessa T (no suitable finder yet - but it is coming) but I speculate that it should focus fine. My suggestion is, to be sure, shoot some frames with the lens on the camera body you want to use it on, but I don't believe there will be a problem. About my 40 Summicron, I dropped it one night about 6 feet off a stone wall to the pavement below while taking pictures of the bridge across the Danube between Buda and Pest. The mounting flange was bent and the next day I took it to a camera shop where they used a pair of pliers to bend out the flange so that I could still mount the lens. When I got home I had the Leica distributor send the lens to Germany - Wetzlar in those days - and they milled a new bayonet mount and installed it on my (then about 20 year old lens). I was surely impressed by that - it cost, I recall, about US$200 and took about 4 months - when I got the lens back it looked new. Still does since I haven't dropped it again! :-). Best Regards, Howard. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html