Leica LTM Summar tips?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
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st. paulitan

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Anybody got any tips on how to get the best results from a Summar LTM lens? Film speed? Film brand? Lighting? Wide open or stopped down one stop? I've got one that I love, but the results can be mixed.

Thanks!

Bill
 
st. paulitan said:
Anybody got any tips on how to get the best results from a Summar LTM lens? Film speed? Film brand? Lighting? Wide open or stopped down one stop? I've got one that I love, but the results can be mixed.

Thanks!

Bill
Click to expand...

Heh - this must be "Summar" day on RFF (... just posted this very "snip" about using the Summar on another thread). I have one and - yeah, love it too but results can be mixed.

1. Of course use a lens hood - always.

2. Films - I like it with XP2 Super for black and white, and I love the results I get with that lens with Kodak Ultra Color Professional. Haven't used it with traditional black and white for some reason.

3. Wide open contrast goes out the window - BUT, scanning in and adjusting levels works wonders so no fear of F2 if I'm scanning.

And this is probably the best advise about this usage of this lens:

2/50 Summar:

The Summar is Leitz's first f 2.0 lens, introduced in 1933. It shows it's best results between f 3.2 and 6.3. In this range, it is comparably sharp, like my Kodak Retina Ia 3.5/50 mm Xenar from the 50ies. In this range, it is a "high contrast lens", but different than we use the phrase today. Here it means, that the lens shows clear colors but hardly shadow details. To give an example: When you look at a tree at dawn or sunset, you clearly see the colors of the bright parts, but the shadows are gone and almost black. That's what the lens does, even in bright daylight. Additionally, the unsharp areas are more unsharp than in a "usual" 50 mm, almost like from the 2/90 mm M Summicron. Both effects (suppression of shadow details and "increased" unsharpness) result in the most impressive 3D or pictoral effect I've ever seen from a 50 mm, incl Noctilux. The highlights are over-pronounced, which gives an additional impression of light in your pictures (like in impressionism). At f 2.0 the corners tend to be dark and the colors are almost gone. It is a warm to neutral lens.

http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/ll.htm
 
I've been pretty happy with it from f5.6-f11 with Delta 100 in bright light (no surprise, like most lenses). Under lower light, like you, results have been mixed. I'll get a bunch of ugghs followed by an okay, that looks kinda cool. I think I need to change my developing for low light some. Sanders McNew and NickTrop have used it well, hopefully they will have some tips.

Edit: Oops, Nick beat me too it!
 
I have a slightly hazy example (reminds me, gotta send it to DAG someday soon...) that I like for all the reasons Nick and others mention in other threads. I don't have a hood for this lens, and anyway that horrible rectangular barn door thingy offends my sensibilities. My rules for my own use: 1) always indoors and 2) always indirect lighting with the light source more or less 90 degrees to the subject. I like it at f2, so most of the time I am shooting HP5+ or Delta 400.
 
foto_fool said:
I have a slightly hazy example (reminds me, gotta send it to DAG someday soon...) that I like for all the reasons Nick and others mention in other threads. I don't have a hood for this lens, and anyway that horrible rectangular barn door thingy offends my sensibilities. My rules for my own use: 1) always indoors and 2) always indirect lighting with the light source more or less 90 degrees to the subject. I like it at f2, so most of the time I am shooting HP5+ or Delta 400.
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I heard that some haziness contributes to the lovely "glow" from this lens, is that what your experience also?
 
Here are some photos taken with the Summar.

RFSummar12.jpg


RFSummar9.jpg


RFSummar11.jpg


RFSummar3.jpg


I really like the Summar for portraits in the open shade. My first Summar was stolen, so I bought another one last year.
 
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Raid, your Summar must be very clean, these pictures are undistinguishable from those made with modern lenses as far as contrast and sharpness :)
 
shadowfox said:
Raid, your Summar must be very clean, these pictures are undistinguishable from those made with modern lenses as far as contrast and sharpness :)
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I'm not so sure. Are the tones so smooth because the subjects are so young, or is it the Summar? Both?
 
Results depend a LOT on the aperture you use. Wide open has lots of light falloff, crazy swirly bokeh, and low contrast. All improve as you stop down.

Even the slightest haze has a large effect.
 
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