Leica Summarit .5cm f1.5

[kivis]

Can anybody tell me anything about the Leica Summarit .5cm f1.5 circa 1953 or thereabouts? Really a gorgeous chrome lens.

 

[T42]

50mm Summarit f/1.5

Greetings, Akiva.

I will guess you mean 5.0 cm Summarit f/1.5, and not 0.5 cm.

It has seven elements in five groups. It is said to have been "corrected" for high definition at its maximum aperture of f/1.5. And it is supposed to improve in definition, reaching a maximum at f/4.0. It is a rigid lens, not a collapsible like the Summicron of the same era. The barrel does not rotate during focusing. All this per the Leica Manual of Morgan and Lester, 1956.

I sent my Summicron of that era to Sherry Krauter for a cleaning and "rebuild." The cleaning improved the contrast quite a bit. It had built up a faint haze on the inside glass surfaces. Probably outgassing of lubricants, I guess.

Good luck.

Planning to put one on your ZI?

 

[kivis]

Well I picked up a M3 and I sent it and the lens for CLA, then we'll have some fun.

 

[T42]

Congratulations!

I have a feeling that your M3 will be with you from now on, Akiva.

 

[randy6]

I think those look fine. Older lenses should cleaned. I also use Sherry K from the golden touch. But sometimes I use a repairman from canada. right now I'm having a sticking shutter looked at for my Leica IIIf self timer red dial and a ziess ikonta c. The Summarit 5cm 1,5 in screw mount I had has been cleaned. But I felt it did not produce enough contrast. I sold mine and bought a summicron 5cm. I like it better. I also keep an elmar 5cm and use it a lot. I also had a cooke 5cm lens And this is a lens that's worth alot but I didn't feel was made as well or produced as nice of image as a summicron.

 

[robertro]

Aesthetically, this is one beautiful lens to look at and handle.

The optics are fast and reasonably sharp with a nice "glow" wide open and sharpen up considerably at f2 or f2.8. if you have a specimen with the usual issues of very soft front coating (many scratches and coating marks are common) and haze inside the lens, images will be very soft, but if you get a nice specimen, it's superb for portraits. I had one that was a mess; after cleaning it is excellent. Has a bit of a "swirly" bokeh, which works well when used consciously.

 

[kivis]

Anybody what filter size this lens will take?

 

[softshock]

Anybody what filter size this lens will take?

There is a special Leica bayonet mount and then there is an E41 filter thread. 40.5 filters are even too small, so don't try them. From my searching online it seems that 41 filters can be had special order though!