leica 50 advice sought

[back alley]

in case you missed it, my 50 collapsible summicron arrived yesterday and i promptly destroyed it.
my bad, totally on me...

so now i'm thinking that since i have a collapsible 90/4 elmar that maybe i should look for a collapsible 50 elmar. keep it in the family kind of thing.

i think the old summicron is sharper than the old elmar but from what i have seen the old elmar is pretty good and since i'm not a sharpness freak i think this would be a good choice for me.

first off, any comments from users would be greatly appreciated.

what would an average price on one be?

and does anyone have one for sale?

many thanks,
joe

 

[markinlondon]

I've just bought an older f2.8 elmar, Joe, but haven't had a chance to print anything from it yet. The negs look promising though and I love the handling despite the infinity lock and the aperture/focus rings being joined together. Strangely, this bugs me less than the built-in hood on my current Summicron 50. I'd say it would be the ideal companion for your collapsing 90.

May have some scans tonight, I'll post back,

Mark

 

[back alley]

and i just saw (again) the thread on elmars.

i'll leave this here though so i might optomise my chance of a sale.

 

[jonasv]

You may want to consider a collapsible f/2 Summitar, these seem to go for about the same price as most Elmars (150-175 USD), and they are nearly two stops faster. Of course, they are also a bit bigger. I can't tell about sharpness or signature since I've never used either.

Other than the "in praise of the elmar" thread, there is also a recent poll in the LTM forum with a lot of comments on various 50mm/5cm Leitz lenses.

 

[former member]

Essex will not charge you anything extra for sending them the lens in pieces.

Ask them for a quote.

 

[merciful]

Summitar, all wide-open.

 

[back alley]

Essex will not charge you anything extra for sending them the lens in pieces.

Ask them for a quote.

good to know brian.
not sure what i'll do with this lens yet.
joe

 

[back alley]

Summitar, all wide-open.

oh, i could live with that too!
joe

 

[FrankS]

Brian's is a good idea.

Other than that, could you put the lens together without the aperture ring for a constant f2 lens?

 

[back alley]

Brian's is a good idea.

Other than that, could you put the lens together without the aperture ring for a constant f2 lens?

always thinking eh frank!!

😉

 

[markinlondon]

Brian's is a good idea.

Other than that, could you put the lens together without the aperture ring for a constant f2 lens?

LOL, excellent. The perfect "available darkness" lens 😀

Mark

 

[FrankS]

I'd like to think it is one of my strengths. 😉

 

[VictorM.]

The Summitar will drive you crazy because of the odd filter size. Just imagine hunting down hoods and filters!

 

[back alley]

The Summitar will drive you crazy because of the odd filter size. Just imagine hunting down hoods and filters!

hhhmmm, oddly that is as attractive as not for me.

joe

 

[merciful]

Doesn't bother me. I rarely use filters, never hoods.

The Summitar will drive you crazy because of the odd filter size. Just imagine hunting down hoods and filters!

 

[markinlondon]

Joe, as promised I've uploaded some shots from my "new" 1965 50mm Elmar to my gallery.

Mark

 

[Doug]

Merciful, those are beautiful shots! It can't be all due to the lens, but the Summitar sure did its part!

 

[merciful]

Thanks, Doug.

You know, I enjoy screwing around with different lenses, comparing the way they go out-of-focus and flare (or not); and look old or new; and so on. But when it all comes down to it, it really doesn't matter to me to any great extent. Leaving aside my skill (or lack thereof), these'd be the same shots with a brand-new Summilux, or some FSU lens, or whatever; at least, they would to me. It's all about the moment: a view that I expect is shared pretty widely in this community of competent shooters, despite the fun we have fiddling about with gear.

Obviously, none of this really a response to your comment: I just felt like saying it. And all that being said, I want a Noctilux real bad. It goes all the way to one.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

The Summitar sure is a good contender. The Summar, Summarit and Elmar are all very different from each other, so it should all boil down to what it is that you're looking for.

If it is a "sharp" lens from the lot, then perhaps an f/2.8 Elmar, or the Summitar (taking the old Summicron out of the equation). The filters for the Summitar are not hard to find; they are hard to find at reasonable prices. There's a difference.

If you're going to consider Essex, also consider DAG. Get a quote from both. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[back alley]

thanks gabriel.

right now, i'm reading up on summarits.
too damn many variations for this old boy.
i should probably just get the summicron cleaned and put together and shoot some film and see some results before i jump into another 50.

the m3 feels great with the big 1.2 canon on it so i'm not lacking now.

i have a canon 1.2 and 1.5 and from what i have read the elmar actually sounds the 'best different' from the others. in fact a good clean old elmar sounds about right. i bought the summicron because no one bid over 99 bucks, really.

confused in edmonton...