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Am I the only one who takes Summitar over Summicron?

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darkosaric

darkosaric

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Joined
Apr 15, 2008
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I was just chatting with a fellow APUGer over private message, and I realized that Summitar is my favorite lens in whole Leica world. I sold my DR Summicron, and my Type III 50mm Summicron, and many other lenses, but my Summitar (I have pristine sample, without haze or marks) is always on M3. I don't know exactly why - call it a micro contrast, or Leica glow, or placebo effect :smile:, or whatever - but there is something in this lens that draws me more than other.
 
I'm on the fence as to keeping my Summitar or letting it go. My favorite is the 5cm ƒ3.5 Elmar on my IIIF, but then, I've always liked a good Tessar type lens.
 
darkosaric said:
Yes, Elmar f3.5 is my second favorite lens (I have both LTM and M mount version), only it is f3.5, and that is a problem in north of Europe where I live.
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I understand. Here in sunny California, there is usually enough light, sometimes too much, depending on what film is in the camera.
I remember when my wife and I visited her sister in England, my meter was recommending more exposure than I was used to
giving my film. I forgot that our eyes adjust automatically to different light levels and the daylight wasn't actually as bright there. I did
manage to under expose a few rolls before I discovered that.
 
I will stick with my good old trusty Japanese Summicron. It's everything I need at it's focal length.
 
If it has “the glow” it has haze :wink:
My favorite Leica lens is my LTM Summaron 3.5cm/3.5. I don’t feel I have to justify that I like above my Summicrons - I just do.
 
Nitroplait said:
If it has “the glow” it has haze :wink:.
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Yup. Amazing how haze is seen as a positive in old Leica glass, but trashed if it is in a $20 Pentax 50 f2!

Leica lenses are fantastic. But 60+ year old lenses will need a cleaning! You'll be surprised at the difference.
 
No, my Summitar has no haze, nor Summar. I had one Summar with "glow", but got rid of it. I have searched long until I got Summitar and Summar in pristine condition, and paid premium price - but not regretting a moment. Summitar makes crystal clear images, but what I wanted to say is that makes pictures in a way that I find very pleasing, but can't explain exactly in words.
 
Well I have always thought that Summitar is one of the worst lenses Leitz ever produced. It is too soft, but whatever floats your boat.
 
darkosaric said:
No, my Summitar has no haze, nor Summar. I had one Summar with "glow", but got rid of it. I have searched long until I got Summitar and Summar in pristine condition, and paid premium price - but not regretting a moment. Summitar makes crystal clear images, but what I wanted to say is that makes pictures in a way that I find very pleasing, but can't explain exactly in words.
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I do not personally care for the "glow" produced by a hazy lens. My Summitar is also clear and clean, as are my 3.5cm Summaron and 5.0 and 9.0cm Elmars.
My most used 5.0cm lens is the Elmar, but I do like the Summitar very much, so I'll probably keep it. There does seem to be a unique look to pictures made
with the Leitz lenses that I find very pleasing, but those pictures were made with clean lenses, not hazy ones. But it is also quite possible to make perfectly
dreadful pictures with a pristine Leitz lens. I also have a Jupiter 8 lens that I like to use on ocassion, but that's another story.
 
cliveh said:
Well I have always thought that Summitar is one of the worst lenses Leitz ever produced. It is too soft, but whatever floats your boat.
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Mine ain't bad, but I don't shoot it wide open. Couldn't care less about "Bokeh"!
 
darkosaric said:
I was just chatting with a fellow APUGer over private message, and I realized that Summitar is my favorite lens in whole Leica world. I sold my DR Summicron, and my Type III 50mm Summicron, and many other lenses, but my Summitar (I have pristine sample, without haze or marks) is always on M3. I don't know exactly why - call it a micro contrast, or Leica glow, or placebo effect :smile:, or whatever - but there is something in this lens that draws me more than other.
Click to expand...
No you're not. I purchased a '46 Summitar here from the classifieds several years ago, flawless glass and coatings, a SOOPD lenshood, the correct Leitz cap (which fits no other lens) BUT but, but, and again but separation in the front cemented pair. However the price was irresistable and it is now recemented. It's hard to quantify - however I find it's rendering smoother than the Summicron, the only version of which I have experience with is IV. My Summitar lives on a Canon IIb, and occasionally visits a Zorki S when I want flash synch.
But, what do I know?? My other favorite 50 for RF is the Helios 103. :wink:
 
George Mann said:
I will stick with my good old trusty Japanese Summicron. It's everything I need at it's focal length.
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Remind me again which lens is the “Japanese Summicron”. A Google search shows several lenses fitting that description.
 
I have a pristine summitar as well. Very sharp and the only lens that beats it in my arsenal for "rendering" is my chrome nosed fd 35/2 ssc. My copy of the summitar is fantastic. Very sharp, renders very nicely (can't really quanitify it). I also have the 35/3.5 summaron mentioned above. A nice lens and surprisingly decent but the 50/2 summitar is my favorite.
 
Mark Crabtree said:
Doesn't sound right. Perhaps you mean Summarit.
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Summatir doesn’t sound right. Surammit either. Summitar is well accepted in the Leica world.
 
I’d say Placebo. Or magical thinking.
 
NB23 said:
I’d say Placebo. Or magical thinking.
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Sometimes I think so as well, but only sometimes, that is why I wrote it :smile:.
But blind test is hard to do - I always know which lens and camera I use. I can say that I have different "modes" of shooting depending on camera/lens that I use. For example when I use Lomo cameras - I know you can make great photo with that camera as well, but I am less concentrated, and more relaxed, and the final results are different, if that makes sense.
 
darkosaric said:
Well, I must agree here - from all 50mm Nikkors that I have/had (and I tried all except those f1.2 and modern G) - this is my favorite.
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Another vote for the Nikkor H, I have five one for each body. I've had the other Nikkor 50s, the -H is better wide open than the f1.4 -S is stopped down to f2. The f1.2 is big and heavy, I'd take the f1.4 over it, the actual difference in illumination is insignificant in view of the bulk. Bokeh be damned.
I use my Summitar mainly on a Canon IIb which has selectable magnification in the viewfinder. The high magnification allows very accurate focussing and the package is compact and handles well.
 
NB23 said:
Summatir doesn’t sound right. Surammit either. Summitar is well accepted in the Leica world.
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Except that the Summitar is sharp as hell and has wonderful contrast - the contrast is likely what Darkosaric is commenting on.
 
You must have got a good one. When I shot rangefinders, the rigid and collapsible Summicrons were better than my Summitar. This was a long time ago, but I vaguely remember something about filters for the Summitar being expensive and hard to find too.

The Nikkor H 50 2 is a great lens, but it sure doesn't image like a rangefinder Summicron lens. All of my H Nikkor 50's made nice photos w/ nice bokeh, but Summicron 3D imaging and beautiful, smoooooth bokeh? No, none of them did that.
 
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Yes, I have a good one, and with adapter that takes normal 39mm filters:

summitar.jpg
 
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