Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/05/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 03:47 PM 5/5/2007, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote: > >Item 1. I recall hearing that the Summaron 2.8 has the same optics as >the Summaron 3.5. The lens diaphragm was tweaked to open wider at the >request of a well known photographer. I have always read that this occurred at a New York Chess Tournament when Eisie was being challenged by low light with his 3.5/5cm Elmar and queried Ernst Leitz New York about a possible remedy. The story runs that they redid the stops on a lens in stock so that it could open to f/2.8 and sent it over to him, and the rest is history. Officials at Leitz and Leica have both claimd the story to be true and have denied it flatly. But the optical construction of the late 3.5/5cm and 2.8/5cm Elmars do seem to be identical. I have never heard this story about the 3.5cm Summaron though that is possible. We are now well into the realm of camera apocrypha and, as all of the principals are dead, we probably shall never be able to pin the truth down. I probably ought to ask Emil Keller while he is still around as he might well have heard of this. Marc msmall@aya.yale.edu Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!