50mm Collapsible Summicron LTM - How to evaluate? Pix Good, Bad, Ugly?

[zauhar]

Look very good to me, I also have the collapsible summicron, probably my most heavily used lens now.

If you are looking to buy that, probably worth investing in a CLA (I am sure that was pointed out already).

Randy

 

[Bingley]

The results from your sample photos look pretty good to me. Interested to see some results in black and white.

 

[Souljer]

Hi,

Well I got it. Thank you all for your help.

The cost was just below $400. which is okay but not great. The ones that I've been watching on Ebay have been clearing $400 and $500; and these of course are lenses that I can't hold, examine and put on my camera for a test roll. So I feel okay about it. It probably will still need a CLA and a few other things but I think it's a good lens to start with rather than restoring something broken or unusable. It wasn't going to have any caps but the guy found a front cap. I'm not sure it's a real Leica cap as it feels cheap and tinny. It's also a slightly different chrome color.

I examined the lens again with a flashlight and I really did not see any wipe marks on the front or rear elements. The coating seems to be a purple color.
The serial number is: 1091817 so I guess I just missed the free dental x-ray 😀 and simply got an older version of the lens. Don't know anything else about it. Now that I have it sitting on the shelf it looks a lot bigger on the M6 than I thought it would.

Hey! If anyone knows where I can find a decent Leitz 50 S to M adapter ring at a fair price, please let me know.
I know using my 90 ring is going to get real old real fast since it brings up the wrong frame-lines.
I could actually use a few rear caps too for that matter. The camera can only cover one lens at a time! 🙂

I've wanted this lens for about 15 years so I'm real happy to get started with it (still need the CLA and adapter ring) and appreciate all the help.
Thanks again everyone.

 

[Brian Legge]

Get a Voigtlander one. I picked up a few generics along the way and the thickness was off on a few of them. I haven't had any problems with Voigtlander adapters. You can grab them on ebay for $30-40.

 

[Souljer]

Hi,

When I got my 85mm it came with a generic no-name LTM - M adapter. It was abused and slightly stripped (probably from someone trying to take it off wrong).

It would keep the lens on the camera but it would sometimes allow it to rotate and come off. I was cheap and broke. The lens was over $1000. and I didn't feel like investing more money into it, so I lived with it a while. When it fell off, but I caught it before it smashed into the ground, I decided to stop messing around with 'saving money' and get a proper Leitz adapter.

It's been working perfectly and safely ever since.

I don't know if Voigtländer was making these then, but I appreciate the lead and I'll look into them. If they are only a savings of $10. I'd probably still get a Lietz, but if they are a 50% or more savings then it's probably a good deal.

Thanks.

 

[xia_ke]

Souljer, not sure if you are sending it in for a CLA, but when I sent mine to Youxin he said he had Leica adapters for $50. Not sure if that is his going price or if it was a deal since I was having all of the other work done. Might be worth dropping him an email.

 

[Souljer]

Hi Xia Ke,

It works now (took the pix in post #1 with it), but I'm sure it could do with a good cleaning and some new grease, etc. I don't know how to reach Youxin, though I've seen his name mentioned on RFF many times.

Great idea. I'll include that idea when I send it in where ever it goes.

 

[xia_ke]

http://www.yyecamera.com/ 🙂

 

[Souljer]

Hi,

Great thank you, X!

When I was thinking more seriously of getting a collapsible Summicron I started looking for a UVa filter just for basic protection (all my lenses have one).
I found one for sale at about 1/2 of what most were going for. So I bought it.

It arrived today, so I now have the lens, he found a cap and I got the filter to protect the front element.
A great weekend so far, and it's only Saturday. 🙂

 

[paradoxbox]

voigtlander's adapters are good stuff, but they are brass (I believe leica's adapters are brass too) so they can still be stripped/damaged if you try to take the lens off too roughly. i have 3 adapters from voigtlander and they all work perfectly.