Leica LTM Early Summar produces stunning results

[Simon Bruxelles]

It's worth posting this auction because it shows just what early Leitz glass is capable of. The pictures in the auction (which is nothing to do with me) were taken on an early 8cm Summar used as a macro lens. The same seller also has a 12cm Summar with similarly spectacular results. Bizarrely he seems to think these lenses are new when they may be more than a century old. Either way the results speak for themselves.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Leitz-Summar-80mm-Macro-Lens-Nikon-Canon-Leica-etc-/250797767508?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item3a64b63b54#ht_6898wt_1141

 

[Erik van Straten]

Indeed spectacular! Great!

Erik.

 

[raid]

The images are very impressive.

 

[rogerzilla]

Are they actually Micro-Summars? The name came from microscope lenses.

 

[Bill58]

WOW! Simply stunning.

 

[David Hughes]

Are they actually Micro-Summars? The name came from microscope lenses.

Hi,

They look like enlarger lenses to me. But the original enlargers used the 39mm lens from the camera and so they are interchangeable, perhaps? Especially used on bellows or with an adapter on digital.

Regards, David

 

[John Lawrence]

I think it's a macro lens originally intended for use on the Leitz / Linhof microscope and copy cameras - such as the Aristophot.

There are some pictures and details of said camera here:

http://www.glennview.com/copy.htm

John

 

[Ronald M]

These are micro summars for sure. I have a 25 mm one.

 

[David Hughes]

Interesting, thanks.

Ages ago I tried to find out what the original Mikro-Summar was but got nowhere. I figured if Oscar was building a small camera he'd use an off the shelf lens for it and that seemed the obvious. But I never found a thing about them. Not even what they were intended for pre-UR-Leica.

Regards, David

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Hmm, this has gotten me interested in getting an LTM enlarger lens and trying some fixed-focus macro-photography. Should be easier then dragging that visoflex+bellows around everywhere.