My new 1954 Leica Summarit 5cm f1.5, a little haze.

[kknox]

I just got my new old 1954 Summarit 1.5 5cm lens. Everything is like the day it left the factory not a mark on it. Except there is some light haze with a clear spot off center of the lens. I have had a collapsible with a fair amount of haze and the color pic's looked ok, I know you loose some of your contrast. Can someone tell me if I take some pic's with the haze & the clearer area or spot off center do you think it will show up in the pic's? Or should I just send it off to Sherry and have a full CLA first?. Thank's in advance.

 

[payasam]

I once had a Summarit which gave such impossible flare that it just sat for 17 years. There was no motivation to have it cleaned -- it came in a remarkably cheap lot of equipment which also included a fine Serenar 50/1.8. A couple of early test pictures showed, though, that it was sharp.

 

[b&w]

haze is a common issue for lenses of this vintage. you would loose some contrast due to the haze. although some ppl prefer it for b&w work, it can be some what compensated by using b&w filters (at the lost of some light). further, cleaning might not help much on the haze.

if in "the clear spot", you're referring to coating, this could pose problems with flare...

 

[LeicaTom]

Take some photos, you might end up liking the way it looks.....my 1956 Summarit has about 5 to 10% haze and it adds a very nice look to the photos, it`s one of my favorite lenses to use with my PinUps.

Here it is on my M6 with Fujicolor 100....

Tom

 

[Meleica]

the Summarit is a low contrast, high flare lens to begin with - add in the typical haze - and it only gets worse. Either leave it alone and use the flare inherent to the lens - or get it cleaned - but it will never produce the snappier results of say a 50 summicron.

Dan


Leica M Lens Guide

 

[Petroleum V. Nasby]

I think you should "send it to Sherry" for your "full CLA", spend a huge amount of money on it, then take two or three pictures of your cat or your kitchen.

When you tire of it it in a few months, sell it on eBay with fuzzy photo and a poor description, and maybe I can buy it for next to nothing.

 

[jmkelly]

Shoot some with it first and then decide if you want a CLA.

As I type I'm looking at my Summarit on the M6. I don't waste film on my cats (pet pictures - oh, and bees and flowers - are what digital was invented for) but it is one of my favorite lenses to grab atmospheric shots of my kids with.

Don Goldberg did CLA my lens. IIRC it was not that expensive.

 

[Stu W]

I too bought a mint Summarit that was so hazy it looked like it was filled with smoke. Unusable. Sent it to one of the regulars for a cla and it came back crystal clear. As it is an 80 year old design it wont perform with a Summicron but it is still a nice lens to use. Stu

 

[Stu W]

Oh, btw, it uses e41 filters which are a pain to find. I have a full set but I made an e41-e39 adapter so I don't have to carry around a second set. Stu