Collapsible Summicron v Summitar

[marc_lieberman1]

I am the proud owner of two nifty 50's: (1)a post war LTM Summitar with great

coatings and (2) a slightly newer, first generation collapsible Summicron. At

first blush, these lenses look almost identical. However, they have a couple

subtle physical differences.

 

They take different types of filters-- the Summicron takes the relatively easy

to find 39mm filter and the Summitar takes an odd ball type filter. When

extended, the barrel of the Summitar is slightly longer, too long to collapse

completely in a standard Leitz rear lens cap. The Summicron collapses fully

into a regular rear lens cap.

 

And then there is the shape of the aperture. In the Summitar, the aperture

blades form a perfect hexagon. In the Summicron, the blades form a decagon, 10

sides that for all practical purposes look like a circle. Both these lenses are

capable of making beautiful black and white portraits, which is how I use them.

I've never used either with color film.

 

Another difference is that the Summicron aperture ring "clicks" and the Summitar

"slides."

 

Does anyone know why Leitz changed the shape of the aperture and the length of

the lens barrel and whether either change has an effect on image quality?

[ronald_moravec1]

Cost reduction. Probably not significant difference in pics.

[cardy_chung]

Hi Marc,

 

The hexagonal shaped aperture blades will give you hexagonal blur in the out-of-focus areas. Some people think it's good. I personally don't like it and find it un-natural.

 

Wide open there is practically no difference. Stopped down the Summicron gives you finer details which makes it a slightly better landscape lens (but it is still quite a bit behind the Rigid/DR or the current Summicron).

 

For portraits, I find the Summitar has a little bit more magic than the Collapsible Summicron, but you have to be aware of the hexagonal shaped effect on the out-of-focus areas. Better still, keep looking and find a good Summitar with the circular blades. While the Summitar is longer extended, but it's actually shorter when collapsed.

 

Cheers.

[john_shriver]

Some Summitars have apertures have 12 (if I counted right) curve-sided blades. Mine is a coated wartime one, and has these.

 

As for the physical size, it is a consequence of the optical design, not a goal one way or the other. But, the Summicron indeed doesn't get much smaller when collapsed.

[jim nichols]

My Summitar was made in 1949 and has what appears to be 12 blades, forming a nice circular opening when stopped down.

[vincenzo_maielli]

Mine 1952 Summitar is same to the Jim's Summitar. Is a very great optic.

Ciao.

[matthew_allen1]

Curious - my coated 1951 Summitar (SN: 931xxx) has a hexagonal aperture.

 

The Summitars with the circular apertures don't have a "*" after the name do they? That would make them Summicrons in disguise.

 

Matthew