Leica LTM Summitar aperture blades?

[rtphotos]

Ok, I think with everyone's help we've narrowed it down even further. I searched the archives for the earlier post Joe mentioned reading and came across this 2 year-old thread:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19518

In that thread "ffttklackdedeng" states that he has a round iris summitar with serial 792XXX, the latest recorded round-type I've come across to date.

And Todd Hanz has just noted that he has a 7978XX which makes it the earliest recorded hex iris summitar so far. [By the way Todd, fantastic images, and definitely distinctive].

So somewhere between 792XXX and 7978XX (ca.1950) is the turning point between round and hex irises from what I've seen.

You guys are going to get me to take the Summitar out again.

Great! Everyone, shoot'em up! And thanks, J. Shriver for your input and interesting info.

rt

 

[Telewatt]

According to Puts' book (citing two disagreeing sources), my lens was factory coated. Coating started in October 1941. Not all production was coated, just for "war photographers". Also, it may be a later lens than 1942, Puts' sources note that the serial number block allocated in 1942 for Summitars was still being used in 1945.



...I only have the hexagonal domed blades in my Summar. ....

The coating of 1941 was a different coating, because of the Zeiss rights ...an yes, only for military...the normal Zeiss/Schott coating was from November 1945...


the hexagonal blades in the Summar was for the Agfacolor film with the special Filter, so you needed the form...

regards,

Jan

 

[Drambuie]

I have just recieved a Summitar 8564xxx with hex (curved) blades. Discussing this with our beloved Malcolm Taylor he suggested the change was an attempt to improve on some abberations inherrent in back-end of the Summitar design. As the discussion moved quickly on to other 'Malcolm' topics I didn't find out any more ... next time maybe. A