Summilux 50mm 1.4 Version

There were only 3 versions of this lens, Version I is serial up to 1,844,000 and version 2 was in production from 1962 until 2004, when the FLE ASPH came out (started at 3,971,xxx). Yours is most likely a Version II.
 
You've got a Version 2, circa 1972. An excellent and frightening piece of glass. Price is hard to compute accurately without a full description and photos (presume yours is black), but a clean specimen of any variant of V2 will generally fetch well over $1300 US. Not because it's rare, but because it's so damned competent.
 
You've got a Version 2, circa 1972. An excellent and frightening piece of glass. Price is hard to compute accurately without a full description and photos (presume yours is black), but a clean specimen of any variant of V2 will generally fetch well over $1300 US. Not because it's rare, but because it's so damned competent.

Exactly. That's why it is in production for 40+ years UNCHANGED. Probably one of the longest production Leitz lenses.
 
So being it's a V1, that means it's not a 'black' lens?

No black just refers to the actual color, like my copy:

kt-L.jpg


Most of the first version copies were delivered in chrome. V2 came in chrome, black chrome (like mine), or black paint; also, depending on the manufacturing year, the focus ring shape changed, from knurled to "ribbed". Your's is an early copy of the first Summilux version from 1959 or so.
 
Back
Top Bottom