LTM Summicron 2/90

I have bought a beater (but apparently clean) LTM Summicron 2/90, relatively

late type (the one with the built-in collapsible shade); I have not received it

yet, and I can return it and it was really cheap so I don't really mind about

collector's value and things like that; actually, I want it as a user lens for

my LTM outfit. That said, I'd still like to know what I have. I don't know the

serial number yet. The lens has an M-mount red dot, so it may be rebuilt from

one of the early M lenses that originally had a LTM/M-mount adaptor glued on.

OTOH I had alwalys thought that Leitz didn't make these adaptor-M-lenses on a

regular basis anymore when this type of Summicron 90 came out. Now these are my

questions:

 

Does anyone know for how long Leica made LTM lenses that had M adaptors glued on

that were sold as M lenses, and if they did it with this particular type of

Summicron 90?

 

Do LTM lenses exist that were sold by Leica as orignal LTM lenses which have a

red dot?

 

Are there any compatibilty issues with early M lenses (with the originally

glued-on adaptor removed) when used on LTM cameras?

 

Thanks! Peter

only 35`s had the adapter factory added with a grub screw, no cement.

 

Anybody could have bought a red dot and added it.

 

If the adapter comes off, it should work fine on a thread mount camera, but it will be heavy and awkward. Wild guess it is twice the weight of the camera. Just check infinity focus and you shold know for sure. These heavy lenses will distort the body frame of the built up frame bodies, later screw bodies were made one piece and were much stronger. You can probably find an expert, but 111 c and newer should be ok. In any case, if you hold the lens rather than the body it should be ok.

 

There is no reason to glue an adapter on. Now if someone cut off the bayonet and concerted it to screw, there could be quality issues.

Thanks, Ronald. I already have the M-version of the same lens type, so I know what kind of beast I get, and, yep, it's approx. twice the weight of the camera. I don't really care about the weight, but I wonder how much of the 90 frame of my IIIg's finder is obstructed.

 

"only 35`s had the adapter factory added with a grub screw, no cement.

Anybody could have bought a red dot and added it."

 

According to Laney, all of the early M 90 Summicrons were LTM lenses with factoriy-added adaptors, the red dot being the only difference as soon as the adaptor was removed. Laney seems to be the only author mentioning this with regard to the Summicron 2/90. The one I've bought comes without an adaptor. Now, this is intriguing - there are supposed to be some 500 original LTM Summicron 2/90s, but they also didn't produce more than a few hundred M Summicron 2/90s per annum in the early years of production, so I just wonder how many red dot LTM Summicron 2/90s are around. A german Leica dealer offers three LTM Summicron 2/90s of this type at the moment, all of them with red dots. I have yet to see one without one.

This won't shed any light on the original question, but, while on this subject, I picked up a 50 Summarit f/1.5 that was supposed to have been an M lens. Well, it is--but not quite in the way I expected. It is really an LTM, with an adapter that won't come off. A friend at the local camera store, who knows Leica, felt it was glued on. There is no grub screw. Until now, I assumed someone, some previous owner, glued it on.

 

But now it sounds like maybe some adapters were glued on at the factory?

 

Question: does anybody know how to get it off? It won't yield to any reasonable, prudent pressure. How good could the glue have been in the '50's, anyhow? (pretty good. It's really on there.)

Epoxy, very good.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxy

Congratulation, this is very rare and expensive lens, whit very beautyful and classic Leitz optical rendition.

 

Ciao.

I was forutunate to acquire an early Nikon 85 f2.0 LTM which is made mostly of brass and is quite heavy. The closest I came to have it feel balanced in my hand using an LTM Leica was with a IIIg and Leicavit winder. If the Summicron 90 is as heavy or heavier than the Nikon, it really is better balanced and easier to use on an M body. When I use the Nikon now it is on an M3 with 90 bright line finder.