Leitz Germany Summicron-M 1:2/35--What have I got here?

<p>I find myself in posession of this great little lens, and I'm not sure of it's value or usefulness today. It was my fiance's Dad's, who was killed in 1991, and has been in a sealed case-unused- for all these years. It appears to be in excellent condition, no apparent scratches or flaws on either of the outer lenses.<br>

Serial # (E 39) 3396756. Says Germany on the side of the UVa filter, and Canada on the plastic hood.<br>

I am looking for any info you can give me--good, bad or indifferent as I will probably sell it soon, so I need to know more about it. Is there a specific site I can go to with the serial number? Maybe another site for old Lietz lenses? I've been Googling it, but am getting nowhere fast!!<br>

Thank you for your help,<br>

Lori Lafargue</p>

<p>e-39 is the filter size. it's apparently a leitz filter.</p>

<p>your serial # makes it a 4th generation pre-aspherical. also known as 'the king of bokeh'... if you are into that bokeh business.<br>

it is valuable, sought after and VERY useful. even more valuable if chrome i hear. <br>

in all it is a top flight lens. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>You've got a very valuable lens there, prices went up after M9. Depending on it's condition, you can easily get something between $1300 to $2000! They sell like peanuts! Search the great auction site for item numbers 220758468472 and 250787320693 for a price example.</p>

<p>K.<br /></p>

<p>Thank you both very much. I am delighted with your replies and the info given! I had no idea this lens is so valuable! It should enable me to buy a new DSLR that I've been dreaming of but just didn't have the cash. Now, to sell it.....</p>

<p>... and for (successfully?!?) selling this find you will hate yourself from, say, 2012 on 'till you die. Believe me, it's common knowledge around here/amongst Leica users.<br>

Keep that lens in a vault for year, and then, with the money you get from selling all your outdated digital gear, buy yourself a body that goes with your 35mm gem and start doing photography. Sounds snobbish, maybe, but either way, you'll see for yourself that I was right (ca. 70% prob.).<br>

Have fun!<br>

Pete</p>

<p>Hmmm....something to think about, for sure! But, it's been in my "vault" for 2 years already, since I got it. Not knowing anything about it, I decided to just lay low with it until such time as I needed to use or sell it. I doubt I'll ever have the money to buy a Leica body, especially being out of work for 4 months! Bills to pay, yadda, yadda...you've heard it all before. Then again, selling it may be more difficult than I think...I have it on Craigslist since early this morning and have not had even one hit. Thanks for your input, tho, I appreciate a different point of view, Pete. <br>

Thanks, Lori</p>

<p>Don't sell it on Craigslist. Sell it on eBay. It's a more liquid market. You can offer it with no reserve and expect to get a fair price for it. </p>

<p>If you want a quick sale offer it on the classifieds section of this site or Rangefinderforum.</p>

<blockquote>

 

<p>Don't sell it on Craigslist. Sell it on eBay. It's a more liquid market. You can offer it with no reserve and expect to get a fair price for it.</p>

 

 

</blockquote>

 

<p>Good advice. But, instead of no reserve starting price, I would put a buy it now price closer to the higher end (especially if it is in excellent condition). When it comes to collectible and desirable items, impulse buyers rock! Make sure you add very good photos of it (bounced flash and all).</p>

<p>Another thing, if you are selling it on ebay make sure you play by the rules and post it using fully trackable, fully insured methods, and update your Paypal item details with the tracking number. Payments can always be reversed, so don't be burned because of inexperience.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>K.</p>

 

<p>Here's a way to get a quick fix on the value:<br>

Go to KEH.com, select the "Sell your gear" tab.<br>

Fill out the form as follows:<br>

Category: Lenses and Converters<br>

Brand: Leica M<br>

Class: Fixed Focal Length Lenses<br>

Select a product: You'll have to pick the most likely "35mm F2 Summicron" It's either silver or black, and probably either "Germany" or "Canada" is printed on the lens itself somewhere.<br>

Then you'll go to a "Condition" page, which is pretty self-explanatory. (Condition has a very large effect on the price.)<br>

This will give you the price that they will pay immediately for the lens. Bear in mind that it is a WHOLESALE price, somewhere between half and three quarters of what you could ask for on eBay or elsewhere. They are a completely trustworthy firm, and fine if you just want some quick cash with no hassle.<br>

Of course you can get more for it if you're willing to expend some time and effort, but this gives you a starting place.<br>

You could also go to eBay, scan for "35mm Summicron", and look at the completed auctions for an idea of what they are actually selling for. Bear in mind that there are lots of different 35mm Summicrons, and great variance in condition. As old as yours is, it probably does not say "ASPH" on the front ring, so you should ignore any listings that say "ASPH" or "aspherical".<br>

Google "Leica serial numbers". There are several sites that will tell you the year of manufacture and other info.</p>

<p>Lori, would you sell this lens at a garage sale?<br>

Well, that's what Craigslist is when compared to the world market exposure & liquidity of Ebay.<br>

I certainly agree with the other wise people's advice...</p>

<p>Lori, If your lens is in good condition email Ken Hansen at <a href="mailto:khpny19@aol.com">khpny19@aol.com</a>. he will give you a fair price and you will have a very satisfying and fast exchange. </p>

<p>35mm summicron V4 is a gem! Don't hurry to sell it, but ebay is the place to attract more people to buy, take some photos of the lens, Im sure if the condition is clean, it will be higher price than KEH. If I were you, I will hold on and save more money after a year or two, then buy a Voigtländer Bessa rangefinder, it will be more fun than a DSLR combo! Good luck.</p>

<p>Well, if you were me (or anyone posting here) you'd keep it and get a Leica mody, digital or film, or a Bessa. But I can understand you wanting to sell it. However I also would not go to Craiglist,;and on fleebay, if you have not sold there and do not have at least a few good ratings, you probably won't get a fair price for it (we might be talking a few hundrer $ difference). I would agree to try here or the rangefinder forum first, if you are not in an absolute hurry.</p>

<p>Jeff Wheeler at http://www.qualitycamera.com is a far better source for Leica information and buying/selling than KEH. Like Ken , jeff has extensive dealings with serious Leica users the world over. If you are not going to sell directly on eBay, either Jeff or Ken Hansen are the people to speak with as they are both as honest and fair dealing as a summer day is long. </p>

<p>A lens can appear like new on it's "outside", while the "inside" can be bad news. Before you decide on a "value". Point a small flashlight thru the lens in both directions. And examine carefully. Things like fungus, dust and coating scratches, will then reveal themselves. Hopefully the glass is clear and bright.</p>

What you have there Lori is a lens that lots of hard working, talented pros like me would love to able get for a decent

price, to put on my last renaming Leica body, that does not have a lens on it, but can't afford because of how hype

had driven the price up.

 

So instead, it will probably go to some doctor on eBay who will take photos of his beer glass in a pub and brag about

his "Bokeh-King". From 2006 to January of this month, I shot tens of thousands of great images on Kodachrome but

needed to sell nearly all of it once I was done to help pay the bills I amassed while I was on the road.

So now I have one Leica body left with NO lens to use on it, the very camera that took the Very Last Frames of

Kodachrome ever, I might as well sell that too...

<p>Sell it at rangefinderforum.com for a fair ofer.</p>

Anything Leica I've put on photonet classifieds has sold quickly. Figure a price from looking at ebay

and/or finding someone who can determine the condition it's in, and make sure to take some good close

up photos of it. I wouldn't sell it to a dealer because you'll get a lot less.

 

I guess you don't, but if you did have a Leica body to use it to take some pictures with slide film that could be examined on a light table, that could also be a way to verify the condition.

<p>I recently sold one on ebay, and I will say this: and if it is in truly excellent condition, made in Germany instead of Canada, and with a hood, you should get more like $1,750-$2,000 for it on ebay. KEH and other dealers will probably give you about half of that.</p>

<p>"made in Germany instead of Canada"</p>

<p>Hogwash. The Bo-ke king is a Canadian Leitz lens design (Mandler) and just as well made as the German copy. </p>

I just placed a WTB ad for a USER condition 35 version 4 specifically stating that I am NOT paying $1,800 for your

unused mint condition shelf queen since I need this lens for WORK, not "Bokeh-King" pictures of your bottle of wine

after got off of work from your day job as a damn computer programmer.

 

If I can find one for between $1,000-$1,200 in moderate condition, I will keep my M6, if not, I'll get rid of it and never

use Leica crap again. Afterall, most people who use this stuff now are more into the fondle factor than making exceptional photographs....yes, I am THAT fed up with it!

<p>There seems to be a little confusion about the so-called 4th version of the 35mm Summicron. Versions 1 to 3 were designed and made mainly in Wetzlar and some can be had for a better price than the Mandler designed version 4. I once used version 4 and can attest for its nice smooth out of focus rendition in landscape, street, portrait and other forms of photography. Most of my other lenses, Leica or other, do not match this quality and possess what the Japanese call "ni-sen", or double line out of focus rendition, that is clearly visible in many wide aperture photographs.</p>

<p>If I wasn't interested in"bo-ke" andsmooth out of focus, the version 4 would likely not even be on my list. If I had $1,800 to spend on a 35mm Summicron, and wasn't worried about out of focus smoothness, there would be little question of choice, as the Summicron ASPH lens is available mint at about that price and is superior to the version 4, especially for wide aperture corner to corner sharpness.</p>

<p>I think that the classsic version of the 35mm Voigtlander-Cosina f2.5 lens is still in production. It is a fine complement to RF Leica camera users. I use if as often as my modern Summicron lens. At about $300, it is a great buy. For those not wanting to heavily invest in RF Leica, it is a logical choice in my opinion.</p>

<p>A 35/2 Aspheric for $1,800, really? Point me to where you see one Mr. Plumpton, because I gave up on that lens not long ago as it rarely fetches less than $2,100 and often hits $2,400. And frankly I could care less about what is out of focus because my clients hire me for what IS in focus so maybe I should go for my old Version 2 that I sold for $650 in 2007 and now spend $1,200 on the damn thing!</p>

<p>Mr. Bayer, we do have different clients, I guess. Those who have visited my gallery since 2002 are appreciative of images including those containing in focus and out of focus subject matter, provided that the context of the image communicates something to them and the out of focus is not related to the principal subject matter ofthe image (like portraits, where out of focus is often an advantage to obfuscate non essentials). Some clients of course are more technical in their appraisals, having an attitude like that of the once famous f/64 group, and need to see everything pin sharp (odd, as our eyes do not perceive things that way). These are often fine art buyers and not those concerned with the requirements of slick and fully in focus illustrations as one sees in much commercial advertising.</p>

<p>You seem to be quite unhappy about your Leica. Remember that no camera systyem is perfect, although I do agree with your frustration that the Leica lenses are too pricey. I tried to relocate for you from several sources the $1800 aspherical that I noted last week, and judge its condition (I doubt it was mint), but couldn't find it again. Maybe already sold. It may not have been in the mint condition of those recently sold on eBay for between $2200 and $2400. Sorry, but when we are not looking to buy something, excess information tends to be scrapped.</p>

<p>If you can keep yourself from being too discouraged, I would suggest that the recent slowdown in lens production and delivery at Leica is having a bad effect (supply anddemand) for buyers and will no doubt be resolved, and the high present prices of used lenses may well subside and take some of the pressure off (when little is available on the new market, the seller is bolder). Even if they don't subside, if you are patient enough (and have other equipment to carry you) you wil likely find what you want at a good price.</p>

<p>Two examples: A little over a year ago I picked up a late 1990s 50mm Elmar-M collapsible lens in mint condition for $600. Not cheap, but much below the then new price. I bought a 135mm Tele-Elmar lens (c1980) in mint condition from a New York store for $395. Both are perhaps not the most sought after lenses, but are getting much current use in my small arsenal of equipment and are really great performers.</p>