Removing eyes on summicron and summaron

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vangabriel

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I was wondering if it is possible to remove the goggles off of either of these lenses and still use them on my M2? I read somewhere that it wouldn't focus properly? I dont like how they look and I would look into buying one if I could remove the goggles
 
Yeah, I've a 35/3.5 Summaron and removing the goggles screws with the focussing. But I want to get a separate finder anyway, most of the time with the 35 I shoot hyperfocal so it doesn't bother me.
 
If you remove the goggles, these lenses can be used with no problem on a m4/3 camera (Panasonic G1, Olympus EL-1, etc), with an M-to-m4/3 adapter.
 
All you lose is the RF, use them as scale focus lenses. The distance scale will still be correct. The RF will be off.
 
Why not simply replace them with goggle-less versions? It'll be better than tinkering with two perfectly fine lenses.

In the meanwhile... I do like my Elmarit 135mm f2.8 BECAUSE of its goggles. :)
 
Agree with Francisco... I bought my Summaron *because* of the goggles, to be used on my M2. Makes it much easier to see the framelines... and around the outsides of the frame. Very satisfactory!

Maybe "learn to love" the goggles? :)
 
Goggles on summicron

Goggles on summicron

I take it we are not talking about the Summicron DR here. In the past I have used the lens without goggles on my M2 without any obvious focussing problems. Furthermore the goggles have their own carrying case whihc suggests they were not meant to be a permanent fixture.

Forgive me if this is an idiot question.
 
Doug said:
Agree with Francisco... I bought my Summaron *because* of the goggles, to be used on my M2. Makes it much easier to see the framelines... and around the outsides of the frame. Very satisfactory!

Maybe "learn to love" the goggles? :)
Click to expand...

I don't like the distorted view I get through mine, they darken the viewfinder considerably and mine are vertically misaligned (although they weren't before I had the lens CLA'd...)
 
John, the goggles for the DR Summicron 50 is a quite different situation. And you're right; the lens is normally used without them, and the goggles are put on when you want to focus closer... Thus the term "dual range".

For the several 35mm lenses that were offered in goggled form, this was specifically for the M3 camera, which didn't have native 35mm framelines; the widest is 50mm. So these goggles "demagnify" the finder in such a way that the 35mm field of view appears within those 50mm framelines. The lens, then, brings up the 50mm framelines when mounted, the goggles are not easily removable, meant to be left on always, and the optical properties of the goggles are such that if they were removed the RF would misfocus the lens.

As it happens, the goggled 35mm lenses work fine on other M cameras too, expanding the view of the 50mm framelines to show 35mm. I like this effect on my M2, whose in-built 35mm framelines are so far out at the edge of the view that I can only see the ends simultaneously in peripheral vision. The 50mm frame is easy to see, so with the goggled lens that frame shows me the 35mm field, I can easily see all around the outside of it, making it much more pleasant to use.
 
I own both Summaron 35/2.8 and Summicron 35 with eyes for the Leica M3. I use both these lenses on all my M cameras (M2, M3, M4, M5, M7 and MP). If you remove the eyes, the focus not work properly. Moreover, the cams of the Summaron and Summicron 35 with goggles engage the 50 mm framelines, in the finder of all M cameras: the goggles widen the 50 mm framelines up the 35 framelines, in the finder of all M cameras.
Ciao.
Vincenzo
 
What if one mounts a 35mm Summicron with eyes on a M6? Will the 35mm framelines be easier to see (smaller) and the RF stil accurate? I like using 35mm, but when wearing glasses the framelines get too close to the edges. Anyone tried that already?
 
umcelinho said:
What if one mounts a 35mm Summicron with eyes on a M6? Will the 35mm framelines be easier to see (smaller) and the RF stil accurate? I like using 35mm, but when wearing glasses the framelines get too close to the edges. Anyone tried that already?
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I don't have an M6, I use my goggled Summaron on the M3 for which it was initially made. However, the lens will bring up the 50 framelines on your M6, so I would assume that means it will do exactly what you want it to do, as the framelines for that focal length should be well away from the edge of the viewfinder field.

The whole purpose of the goggles is this: when the M3 was first released, the widest lens the viewfinder had frames for was the 50 (it also has 90 and 135 framelines). The goggles "condense" the field of view of the 35 into the framelines for the 50. So on any Leica body, it will bring up the framelines for that lens, and what you see within them will be what you'll get on film with the lens. The caveat of course being that you might get just a bit more/less than you expect in frame at the edges; not sure to what degree the inherent general inaccuracy of rangefinder framelines is affected by this conversion on the M6. It shouldn't be too much to worry about, I would estimate.
 
I've always wanted some sort of de-magnifier from 35mm and wider, It'd be so good to be able to use, say, a 21mm without an external VF. I have nothing again those, but needing only 1 VF would be sweet. Those screw on 0.85x de-magnifiers do not work so well, from what I've read. Something that would go in front of the VF would be best, I assume.
 
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