Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/08/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Eric, The Summitar and version one and two of the Summicrons had pretty soft front coatings that messed up fairly easily. Getting a properly done coating on some internal elements will help, but the Summicron's took advantage of new glass technology to improve curvature of field and possibly coma. Don't worry about the differences, just enjoy your lens and it's unique signature. Don don.dory@gmail.com On 8/21/06, Eric Ladner <ealadner@comcast.net> wrote: > > > Marc James Small wrote: > > > I will be the iconoclast, and I will stick with the Summitar. I love > > that > > lens, > > And Don Dory wrote: > > > The Sumitar is about as good as the first generation Summicron with the > > Summicron having a flatter field. You will find that the older > > Summicron > > that you have is the first version where they were trying to take > > dollars > > out of the lens and therefore it really is only modestly better than > > the > > Summitar and that would be from the better coatings. > > Well, I've always liked my Summitar, even though I have always also > wished for a DR Summicron. But given theses comments, perhaps I'll stop > worrying about close focusing, and just be happy with what I have. It > came, in M-adaptor, with my single-stroke M3, purchased in 1972 for > only $125. Of course, the shutter turned out to have a pinhole, > requiring fairly expensive repairs, but I've never regretted the > purchase. With a 35mm Summaron RF and a 90mm Tele-Elmerit it's still my > favorite camera. > > I'm wondering about the coating, though. A couple of years later, > living in Houston's humidity, I noticed fungus on one of the Summitar's > internal elements. My memory is that at the time recoating by Leitz > was about $60, and that a local camera store had a similar lens for > about the same price. Rather than take a chance on a lens someone else > was getting rid of, I had mine recoated. > > So, I wonder, if the quality difference between a Summitar and an early > Summicron is mainly the coatings, does my mid-70s coating lessen the > difference? > > --Eric > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >