Uncoated Summarit and M 8 ?

[dee]

Other than my Russian lenses and cv 35 f2.5 Classic , my sole Leitz lesnes are an Elmar and an uncoated , crystal clear Summarit .

I was somewhat wary of this old lense , which came with a 1949/50 III [ surely it should be a post war coated lense ?

But I am beginning to appreciate it's vintage ... delicacy and low contrast .

Does anyone have any thoughts on this lense ?

Oddly to me , it seems a little sharper / more detailed than my new J 8 , but the J 8 is more contrasty . A coated Fed collapsible is also a bit crisper and has more sparkle that the 195os Elmar ... but I am now enjoying the subtle differences in presentation .

Maybe I should but a modern 50 , [ I love the 67mm effective length ] but for now , I have some excellent vintage lenses to play with .

dee

 

[Sonnar Brian]

As far as I know, all Summarits were coated. The Xenon was not coated.

Of course, someone could have used a Summarit name ring to repair a Xenon.

I love my Summarit, soft wide-open and very good stopped down at F4. I also like the F1.5 speed.

The Summitar was available in uncoated and coated versions.

What is the Serial Number- will give the age of the lens.

 

[Ronald M]

If it is not coated, it`s not a Summarit

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Stranger things have happened. Someone like me could have gotten hold of one. I have a collapsible Summicron made out of two different Summicrons. Works GREAT! But the color of the coatings on the inner and outer elements is "unique".

 

[jaapv]

If it is not coated, it`s not a Summarit

Not necessarily. If the coating was damaged, it could have been removed. That is very easy, it rubs off with vinegar.
For this lens, coating or no coating is of very little impact on the image quality. One could have it recoated, but it is not worth the hassle.

 

[dee]

Sorry - it's a Summitar ! OOPS !

 

[PeterL]

My Summitar was originally very soft, but after a CLA, it's very nice now. Stays slightly soft when wide open, which I think is very nice for portraits. Tack sharp when stopped down, though. So it's actually a great all-purpose standard lens with the bonus that it's a great portrait lens wide open 🙂


Peter.