LTM Summarit vs M-mount Summarit

Jungle Jim · 03-11-2006

Hello All!

I'm going to be taking a Black and White Class this fall at the local Junior College and thinking of picking up a Summarit for Black & White work. I've seen both versions advertised. Any difference between LTM and M-mount as far as construction, glass, or coatings (other than the mounts)? Any thing to watch out for when shopping for this lens? Thanks for any suggestions!

richard_l · 03-11-2006

As far as I know, there is no difference between the screw and bayonet version other than the mount. Summarits are prone to haze, which often can only be observed by shining a bright light through the lens.

Guy Bennett · 03-11-2006

According to Laney, Puts, and Sartorius, the only difference is the mount.

photodog · 03-12-2006

Think twice before buying one of these. I own a Summicron, Summarit and a Summitar. The Summarit has a softer look at f/4 and wider. By soft I mean lower in contrast and slightly unsharp edges. Other than haze, the front element of the Summarits and early Summicrons tend to have cleaning marks. If you really want a Summarit, I may be putting one up for sale soon.

Regards,

Photodog

Brian Sweeney · 03-12-2006

They are optically and mechanically the same. The engraving for the F-Stop moved from the aperture ring to the lens body somewhere in the run.

Watch for haze. It can be cleaned, but will often leave the coating worn away. Better to have no coating than a layer of haze. Essex CLA'd the haze out of two of my Summarits. Soft wide-open, but sharp enough. Very sharp at F4 and smaller.

This lens ran $140 on Ebay, add ~$80 for the CLA.

CLA'd Summarit on Canon 7.

Wide-open first, F4 second.

Jungle Jim · 03-12-2006

Thanks for the info everyone. I have the last edition tabbed Summicron that is absolutely tack sharp. Not good when photographing any lady over 28 years old. I'm looking for the 1940-50's look in B&W and the softness and swirlies that were described in the old search threads sound like what I need. Perhaps John at Focal Point or DAG can work their magic on any internal haze, without disrupting the coating. From the descriptions on e*ay, all of the Summarits have some form of haze, from very slight to very heavy.

Ronald M · 03-12-2006

Who would not like the Summarit? See the examples posted. I love mine for people and moody shots.

Quality varies widely. Check the haze with a small light, not large, from the opposite end you look thru. Have a dark background. Check from both ends.

A proper shade is important as I`m sure haze and lack of a lens shade contribute to most of the bad comments. The shade is rectangular clamp -on and unique to this lens. $100/$150.

Summitars are cheaper and get similar results. All the comments about haze and the proper shade apply. Shades are $75/$100.

Both require filters that are not common.

After all is said and done, your teacher may not like your choice of lenses and downgrade you accordingly because you don`t get snappy modern results. I would not say what I used other than a rangefinder.

Brian Sweeney · 03-12-2006

I have used 40.5mm filters with a strip of teflon tape (plumming supplies) on the Summarit. Fit on well. There is also a Series VI adapter for it. Otherwise, the 41mm filters are hard to find. But not impossible.

payasam · 03-13-2006

Had one (screw) for 17 years from 1985, but didn't use it because of the impossible flare and the difficulties involved in having it cleaned. Coating and glass both very delicate. But I remember using one for a couple of rolls back in the 1960s, and the results were stunning. Look at Brian's two.

Jungle Jim · 03-17-2006

So much for Raid's suggestion of NOT buying anything in March. Chalk it up to March Madness!! I now have a nice Summarit from 1952, very very light haze and some minor cleaning marks. Also looks like a very tiny bubble or two inside the glass. Got a XOONS hood for it and a dinged Leica Yellow filter (only $12.) The hood seems to be a little hard to push on, almost have to use some force to go on to either the lens itself or over the filter. Is this normal? I've unscrewed the bolt on the hood all the way. Once on, it stays on pretty well after tightening.
Anyways, thanks for all the answers folks. Once the rain stops, I'm off to take some pictures.