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LTM: XENON 1.5, some shots.


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One of the hardest tasks in LTM photography is the accurate focusing of

f1.5 lenses on a rangefinder screw-mount camera, especially a camera

as old as a Leica II, and with the lens fully-open. Herewith a couple of cat

photos from today's roll of Kodak Gold 100.<div>00Gt11-30492384.jpg.0b9923fee29aee48a3559b1aea25cf11.jpg</div>

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Anhtu - yes I'm happy with the old Xenon. Exact image focus at

the film can be rather hit-or-miss, though. I used an early leica II

which has had it's lens mount - to - film-plane checked. Even

then, film might not always be flat in these old cameras. M

Leicas were better in this regard - stronger body, flatter film -

therefore more secure focus - all the more important with close

subjects. Regards.

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"One of the interesting attributes of the Xenon glass compared to many others is that there is no UV transmission through them (even with single coated Xenons)"

 

The Leitz Xenon 5 cm/1.5 is a pre-war lens (with a few of them made during WWII). These all left the factory uncoated. Some of the may have been sent to the factory for coating post WWII, but most of the examples that I have seen are uncoated.

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I seem to recall reading that the Summarit has the exact same optical formula as the Xenon but is coated, this being the only practical difference. I am not sure of this but I do recall thinking at the time that I read this that it was from an authoritative source. I have a very nice Summarit and although I do not use it a lot I cna say that it is more contrasty than these shots. In general I think it to be a vastly under rated lens and I imagine the same can be said to a point for the Xenon.
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Hello Eliot, Peter, David. I have read that the Summarit was of a

"similar" 7-glass optical design to the Xenon, but factory coated.

However, the big improvement in contrast suggests some

added optical variation. Close-focus/wide-open shots are much

cleaner with the Summarit. I think this latter lens has a better

quality of glass. Another jump in quality came along with the

Summilux 1.4, with its new composition glassware, but this lens

has a "similar design" to the Summarit! (See: "Collector's

Checklist of Leica Cameras Lenses and Accessories" by Dr. A.

Neill Wright and Colin Glandfield, 4th Edn., Thoroughbred

Books, UK, 1980).

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Another thought - there seems to be quite a bit of variation in the

later Xenons - slightly different mounts etc, and it would be no

surprise if a lot of these late-issue Xenons were prototypes with

a better glass element or two. My own Xenon is a late-issue

example, "wartime" serial number. Cheers.

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There was no change in the optical formula of the 5cm/1.5 Xenon during its lifetime. There were barrel changes. The early versions had three rings while the later ones had four rings, but with exactly the same optics.

 

The Summarit 50/1.5 is a different formula lens. It is not simply a coated Xenon as some have suggested. the general layout was similar to the Xenon, but the optics were improved, even aside from the coating.

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  • 11 months later...

John,

Very nice photos, I`ve been looking for a "late" Xenon too, records state they were run in the 491000 range (for the last of them) finding a late one is`nt very easy, but I`m interested in getting one, if you ever see another late production one around give me a yell!

 

Thanks

Tom

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  • 1 year later...
<p>I have a Schneider 5cm f/1.5 War Xenon on my Leica II.This is a different lens to the Leitz Xenon version.Does anybody else have a lens like mine and would anybody know if the design and configuration of the Schneider version is the same or is it different to the Leitz version.</p>
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<p>Hello John,<br /> Many thanks for your reply.I will take some photo's with it in the next week or so and get them scanned and post some examples on this thread.Unfortunately I don't have a scanner of my own and have to rely on local film processor for scanning.I am still trying to find out further information about this Schneider War version,particularly if it has the same configuration as the Leitz Xenon.It may be that the Schneider version was further developed during the War years since the Leitz version lens appears to have a longer barrel and only stops down to f/9, but the Schneider version seems to have a shorter more "chunkier" barrel and stops down to f/16.<br /> From the serial number(Ser.No.1917613) it seems to have been produced in 1944.<br /> Regards, William</p>
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  • 2 years later...
<p>I have a Leitz Leica modified Xenon 5cm F:1.5 that started life in 1939 as a German Ministry Of health X-Ray Xenon. Then is was reconverted by leitz to a three knurled ring Xenon. Serial# 491581 You can see the X-ray Xenon ring for the front made of Nickel, and it holds and unscrews with the first lens element. Only leitz could have done this. The lens has a very early coating of light bluish color and tested out on a m39 > m4/3 rd's adapter much better than most photographers realize. I often find that a lens of the 1930's test out far superior on a TTL DSLR mirrorless camera @ 5x critical focus than the rangefinder design they were orginally meant for. Regards, Don</p><div>00a3o6-445431584.thumb.jpg.cac3374f3d34e4c6c08e9d5642853f11.jpg</div>
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<p>I have a Leitz Leica modified Xenon 5cm F:1.5 that started life in 1939 as a German Ministry Of health X-Ray Xenon. Then is was reconverted by leitz to a three knurled ring Xenon. Serial# 491581 You can see the X-ray Xenon ring for the front made of Nickel, and it holds and unscrews with the first lens element. Only leitz could have done this. The lens has a very early coating of light bluish color and tested out on a m39 > m4/3 rd's adapter much better than most photographers realize. I often find that a lens of the 1930's test out far superior on a TTL DSLR mirrorless camera @ 5x critical focus than the rangefinder design they were orginally meant for. Regards, Don</p>
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<p>I have a Leitz Leica modified Xenon 5cm F:1.5 that started life in 1939 as a German Ministry Of health X-Ray Xenon. Then is was reconverted by leitz to a three knurled ring Xenon. Serial# 491581 You can see the X-ray Xenon ring for the front made of Nickel, and it holds and unscrews with the first lens element. Only leitz could have done this. The lens has a very early coating of light bluish color and tested out on a m39 > m4/3 rd's adapter much better than most photographers realize. I often find that a lens of the 1930's test out far superior on a TTL DSLR mirrorless camera @ 5x critical focus than the rangefinder design they were orginally meant for. Regards, Don</p>
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