Old Summilux M, 50mm confusion

[chris_raney1]

<p>Now I'm stumped. I posted weeks earlier asking about the advisability of purchasing a very clean version 1 lens from my local camera store. At its near-thousand dollar asking price I was warned by my betters here on this site to steer clear, not so much from the early version of this lens but from the obvious over-pricing of a 50yr old, second rate product.</p>

<p>Is this really the case? Now I'm discovering that even version 1, 50mm M Summiluxes are selling at a dear price on Ebay. What gives? Are these old chrome lenses suddenly scarce? To state my case once again: I'm looking for a low-light Leica lens (not interested in after-market product...at all), and since I'll be shooting this lens wide open at night my need for other f-stops are irrelevant, and easily covered by my other lenses.</p>

<p>I know Leica lenses have always sold for a dear price--the expression you get what you pay for comes to mind--and therefore even years of occasional use followed by decades of storage finds many of these lenses in surprisingly good shape. (Still wondering why I'm only looking for Leica glass?). </p>

<p>But have the version 1s, produced for only two years, suddenly become some sort of tantric, bokeh masterpieces?</p>

<p>What to do? And no: This poor school teacher would more likely spring for a good used car than for a modern aspheric version.</p>

<p> </p>

[fjords]

<p>if your crying p00r...and not clueLess... You might try a Sonnar clone, Like a nice Jupiter 3 KMZ.</p>

[bjscharp]

Maybe the ebay auctions are being grabbed by collectors, who blaspheme and don't take pictures with their Leicas?

[nee_sung]

<p>As far as I know, the early 50 Lux's are soft wide open. They become very sharp when stopped down. The F1.4 aperture was recommended by Leica itself for soft portraits.<br>

I had a used F1.5 50mm Summarit. I can confirm that it was soft wide open. I didn't believe it at first. I had it shipped back to Wetzlar and over-hauled, at tremendous expense. It was still soft wide open. I also had an early version 35mm F1.4 Summilux, purchased brand new. It was also soft wide open. I traded it in for a 35mm F2 Summicron, and made a small surplus.<br>

These 2 experiences, together with reports that the 50mm F1.4 was soft wide open, prevented me from buying the 50mm Summilux at that time (all the above happened in the 1980's).<br>

So if you're looking to shoot it wide open most of the time you might be disappointed. The fact that it has only been produced for 2 years will account for both the fact that it was probably "improvable" and scarce. You can probably get a later, more abundant model, with a more usable F1.4, for less money.</p>

[chris_raney1]

<p>You've given me food for thought, Nee. I already have a terrific 35mm Summicron ASPH and a pristine Tele-Elmarit 90. And of course my purpose for that extra stop and for that focal length would be to shoot it wide-open with slow film for outdoor, candid portraits, and for night shooting with Tri-X. I did snap that lens on my camera at that local shop and took a couple of quick snaps of the employees, wide-open, of course. Sure, the edges were soft, but I actually liked the look, even under damned florescent light. </p>

<p>Seeing the version 1 lenses often eclipsing the prices of the early version 2s on Ebay certainly has the sinister appearance that collectors are on the loose. But are the early version 2s--wide-open--that much more desirable than the version 1s?</p>

[35mmdelux]

<p>What they're worth in terms of performance and what some people will pay on the auction site are not necessarily related. In my mind the best pre-ASPH summilux is the E43 just before the E46 since its compact and has the later coatings.</p>

[peter_n1664876959]

<p>If you want the v.1 I think you need to be patient, and not just look at eBay but also the forums like here and especially RFF, where you can pick up the occasional bargain. Maybe you're doing that already though... I've been six years into Leica and over that time I've accumulated a small stable of lenses I really like. Sometimes I had to wait months for a particular lens, the E58 Noctilux for example. I think the v.1 Summilux 50 is a terrific lens and it's well worth staying the course for a decent price.</p>

[ant_nio_ferreira]

<p>Older, non-aspherical Summiluxes are all poor performers wide-open. The improvement is incredible when stopped to f:2. It seems that the Nokton or the Zeiss 1.5 are better, and probably much cheaper. The best is the current Asph Summilux. If you can afford it and really need the extra stop, go for it!</p>

[tim_barker1]

<p>I use the last model of the 50 pre-asph summilux (46mm filter, and close focusing to .7 meters). I do prefer the size of the 43mm version, but the prefer the closer focusing of my model.<br>

I guess the thing may not be as sharp as some of the newer glass, but the thing is plenty sharp for me wide open - where it gets most of its use by me.<br>

Ebay prices can be a little odd some times. I have my best luck shopping at Rangefinder Forum, here, etc. Or at KEH camera. If you are patient - and quick to act when a deal shows up - you get what you are looking for. If you don't feel like waiting, you'll probably pay a little extra unless you luck into a good deal.</p>