Summicron 35mm / ZI Compatibility

[lawrence]

I have a 4th Gen 35mm Summicron and want to know if it is going to be compatible with the ZI. The reason I ask is that I assumed it would be compatible with my Bessa T and it isn't, so I don't want the same problem if I buy a ZI.
Thanks
Lawrence

 

[Avotius]

hm...it should be...why didnt it work with the bessa T?

 

[lawrence]

Avotius, 'it should be' ain't the same as 'is', as I have discovered with the Bessa. The reason both this lens and my 35mm f3.5 Summaron are incompatible is that there are some protruberances near the throat of the lens mount on the Besa that jam these lenses from mounting properly. This problem with the Summicron is mentioned on Stephen Gandy's site -- www.cameraquest.com -- but unfortunately I didn't read it prior to parting with my money. It would be good to hear from anyone with first-hand experience as the ZI is quite expensive and I don't want to make the same mistake twice.

 

[Avotius]

gotcha, didnt mean to sound rude up there, I havnt seen any compatability things online yet except some questions about the tri-elmar and 90 macro. Ill keep an eye out though.

 

[Way]

I've been using that combo (4th gen 35 cron/ZI) without any problems.

I have a 4th Gen 35mm Summicron and want to know if it is going to be compatible with the ZI. The reason I ask is that I assumed it would be compatible with my Bessa T and it isn't, so I don't want the same problem if I buy a ZI.
Thanks
Lawrence

 

[lawrence]

Hurrah! That's what I want to hear! I think the cron may actually be a bit nicer than the Biogon as it's more compact. How do you like the ZI/cron combo?

 

[Way]

I've been using that combo more than my MP!

 

[lawrence]

So you obviously like it! I'll definitely go for a ZI -- thanks for your help.

 

[Doug]

My early 35 'cron fits and works perfectly on my Bessa-T, so any incompatibilities must be with later lenses. ... Indeed I see at Cameraquest it's some intermediate models that have the problem: "7 elements type, serial #2974251 or later", while 8 and 6 element types including Asph are ok.

While the Z-I doesn't share the Bessa body casting, it's still a fine idea to check compatibility with stuff you want to use on it. 🙂