quick Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 I have just bought one of these and fp4 is what i am going to use , what do people think of film these days and what commands the high price of these wonderful cameras.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babouphoto Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 Amazing build quality. It will never die! And the lenses are wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 Had one for 43 years...always worked perfectly. IMHO my favorite Leica film body when my eyesight was better. Now using an M2, mostly a Leica iif...occasionally a Canon P with 50mm & longer lenses and a rebadged Nicca 5L. Never used the Summitar though. The prices, it seems to me, are reasonable if the condition is good and a CLA isn't needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Williams Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 The Summitar is an f/2 lens - perhaps you have a Summarit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur_mcculloch2 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Yes, as Richard Willimims say, the summitar is an f/2. FP4 is a fairly forgiving emulsion. I use it a lot. Developed in ID-11 (1:3 with about 20 - 22 mins development) it gives a bit of a grainy image. Holds the high tones and the shadows, though. Best developer with it is Bill Bowes catechol confection. I'd recommend that. Never used the M4 so cant pass judgement there. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur_mcculloch2 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 I should add, I find my summitar to be a bit soft on the edges, and prone to flare in contre jour situations. Needs a shade. And, it is famous for its 'leica look', which I think is just uncorrected spherical aberration. But there you go. Again, enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 I finally got a Leica M3 with a Summitar f/2 (LINK). I am forced to stipulate that it really is better made than my belovéd jury-rigged and jerry-built east German cameras o_O They may even be worth what they cost. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mukul_dube Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 The Summitar was good for its time but was surpassed by the Summicron. As Arthur says, it needs a hood more than other lenses do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur_mcculloch2 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 The Summitar was good for its time but was surpassed by the Summicron. As Arthur says, it needs a hood more than other lenses do. Have a safe and joyous Christmas. I've enjoyed your posts this year. Keep safe, and well, mukul_dube. He Ram. It offends my faith, but I think there are many paths to the same heaven. Regards, Arthur (apiarist1). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian1664876441 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 The Summitar 5cm F1.5 is very prone to build-up of haze, requires cleaning every 10~15 years. The lens is also optimized for close-up use at F2.8. Disassembly is not intuitive, has some hidden access ports for removing the barrel from the focus mount. After that, cleaning is not hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mukul_dube Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Thank you, Arthur. I have no faith that might be offended. I might tell you, though, that "Hey Ram" is not exactly a greeting. It is what Gandhi said after he was shot. Brian, please see what Richard Williams says. There never was a Summitar f/1.5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur_mcculloch2 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Yes, I know. I always took it as a greeting, but would be happily disabused. 'Oh God'. Have a great Christmas. I will look forward to your posts in the new year. Keep safe, I enjoy trying, at my age, to read other languages. I may not have got 'he ram' right. I took it as a greeting. Perhaps to the wheel of life. The coming and the going (one of our rescue dogs died last night - the day has been punctuated with burial duties), So will post this: Ιδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. And a photo of a good friend who visited us in the last few day - Jimbo. A school friend from long past. I've posted this earlier. Its funny how the past catches up to you. Keep safe, and have a good Christmas. Regards, Arthur (apiarist1). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian1664876441 Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Thank you, Arthur. I have no faith that might be offended. I might tell you, though, that "Hey Ram" is not exactly a greeting. It is what Gandhi said after he was shot. Brian, please see what Richard Williams says. There never was a Summitar f/1.5. It was a Typo on my part- i meant Summarit. I have both lenses, and the Xenon 5cm F1.5. At least with the latter- no typo's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher_a._junker1 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 Back in 1970 Hendrick's Photo in Syracuse NY had a going out of business sale where I bought a Summarit lens specific cast aluminum lens hood. It is Leica catalog number 12,500 code name XOONS. Many years later I bought an f1.5 Summarit 50 LTM exhibiting the same issues as yours. After test shooting, even with the dedicated XOONS hood, the resulting images were a waste of film. Fortunately I learned of a lens restorer, John VanStelten of Focal Point Optics, willing to take on restoring Summarit lenses. However, after cleaning and polishing the lens elements, he called and warned me that the lens re-coating process involves heating the lens elements to a high temperature before applying the coating, but if successful the lens could be fully restored. At that time the failure rate on the fronts element was just under 50% so I signed a waiver saying I'll risk it and go ahead as the lens was useless unless restored. John was totally successful and after optical bench work that involved element cementing, edge painting lens and barrel surfaces and centering of the lens elements, I received the lens back fully restored and re-coated. The results are stunning. Although it still flares, the hood helps. It gives a nice soft image for close ups and sharpens up as you stop down. Contrast is lower than current lenses, but still good. John VanStelten retired and closed his business several years back, but hopefully you can find a shop to do the same optical work; a restored Summarit delivers a unique and lovely image, b/w or color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian1664876441 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 The Summarit is optimized for F2.8 used close-up, will front-focus at F1.5. I took (one of) mine apart and changed the spacing between front and rear groups to optimize for F1.5 across the full range : Leica - Tales from the Greasy Side: Leica 5cm F1.5 Summarit, optimize for wide-aperture With my unmodified Summarit- I have two of them. https://cameraderie.org/threads/leica-50mm-f-1-5-summarit.39464/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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