Summicron 35/2 type 2/3

[Svenersson]

Interesting! I have recently bought a V2 Canada -serial 231xxxx.
It is in very good condition, clean lenses, smooth aperture and focus. But, after I have bought it, I start looking at the aperture index, it is at 10 o’ clock! Must be wrong….then I start googling, OK, I am not alone, perhaps I am not cheated.
But it is a good idea, rather a feature than a bug, considering the tabs. As said earlier in the thread, perhaps produced by Leitz, someone must know?

 

[Rayt]

I don’t think the lens was modded. It’s just a rarer late v2 with aperture tab and filter threads. Beautiful lens!

 

[Svenersson]

I don’t think the lens was modded. It’s just a rarer late v2 with aperture tab and filter threads. Beautiful lens!

Good to hear!

 

[BlairD]

I don’t think the lens was modded. It’s just a rarer late v2 with aperture tab and filter threads. Beautiful lens!

Mine is an earlier 231**** serial number V@ from 1969, with filter threads and offset aperture. Made in Canada. I find it strange that many of these odd versions were made throughout the V2 production cycle and not many mention them or a known history. They are very 50mm F2 ELCAN military edition like, and I think the tab was meant for gloves also. Great pairing with my Midland Canada black chrome M4...with the pairing it looks very similar to the KE-7A with the ELCAN 50mm F2. Not sure what Leica was thinking removing the lens filter thread for the series VII filters on some lenses, my buddy had a pre-asph summilux 35mm with no threads and it was just an annoyance to be forced into the hood to protect the glass at all times in use.

 

[kodachrome25]

The orientation of the aperture index mark can be positioned anywhere round the lens mount
The white dot is on a ring all part of the optical block, which is held in place in the focus mount by a thin black retaining ring with notches for a lens spanner. Just loosening this retainer allows the lens block to turn so the index mark can be positioned wherever

 

[Rich1950]

I’m the OP and I just got my 35/2 v2 back from Youxin Ye who performed a CLA. I did not direct him to but it came back alined like a normal lens. When the aperture stick is aligned at the 3 o'clock position it results in the index reading alined to f/5.6. Real easy by feel to add or subtract a stop. That would place the aperture range from f/4.0 to f/8.0…an optimal spread.

Perhaps some of these offsets are users rough housing the lens to remove it from the body and displacing the aperture index mark. Or maybe people read in a magazine the offset is a PJ thing and performed a DIYS or a tech made the change

Post number 10 wrote this. “And I believe its *main* purpose is that it keeps the aperture tab from overlapping the focusing tab at any point in its travel--as designed, the aperture tab will stop on either side just short of the focusing tab”. After re-reading this post and shooting today I did a check with my serviced lens. At infinity and f/2.0 the stick and tab coincide. Not an issue for me but when the focus is at .7M the focus tab is in the 9 o'clock position and a bit awkward.

Multiple reports of the aperture offset. Is the offset in the exact position. If so, that likely points to a factory configuration. It’s a bit odd the literature is silent on the offset.

 

[Rich1950]

This is an old thread but today I was looking on eBay and noticed a product box for a 35/2 v2. The box had a picture of the lens and my gosh the aperture index was off-set to the 10 o’clock position when behind the camera looking down.

BOX ONLY Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 11309 w/ Foam | eBay

So there is verification Mandler had a purpose in mind when he designed the lens.

My lens SN is 2461396. The SN on the box is 2734593.

 

[rulnacco]

This is an old thread but today I was looking on eBay and noticed a product box for a 35/2 v2. The box had a picture of the lens and my gosh the aperture index was off-set to the 10 o’clock position when behind the camera looking down.

BOX ONLY Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 11309 w/ Foam | eBay

So there is verification Mandler had a purpose in mind when he designed the lens.

My lens SN is 2461396. The SN on the box is 2734593.

Yes, and it's interesting that lens was made in Canada, and mine--which has the 10 o'clock offset--was made in Wetzlar. So it seems that this was for a time at least the standard configuration. (Mine has serial number 2393XXX.)

Here's another Canadian version, serial number starting with 244, which has the offset. And here's yet another Canadian lens (SN 231+) at 12 o'clock. So there is definitely some variability out there. Would be interesting to correlate serial numbers with aperture index placement to see if Leica switched at some point, and when that happened--and which orientation did they eventually conclude was best for the V2.