Summilux 75mm 1.4 with Leica M9

Rob-F said:
I don't seem to see a cut in the cam. Where should I be looking? Is it what looks like a slight depression in the surface?

The cam can be rotated? That's great news! I was starting to worry, after another post said these problems are fixed with tape!
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Yes, it is the slight depression in the surface. The error in focus in your lens is "around" 0.04mm. When adjusting a Sonnar 50mm F1.5, I find that is has to be done within 0.01mm. That slight depression is a fine adjustment for deviation in the focal length. An internal mechanism translates the 75mm focus to the 51.6mm motion expected b the camera.
 
You need to be careful when shopping for these "collectible" lenses as sellers may claim the lens to be Version 3 when in fact it is Version 1, say.
In one part of the ad it states "collapsible hood" while in another part the lens hood catalog number is listed.
There is a link "Full Specs" given:

Full specs​

BUILT-IN LENS HOODYesMINIMUM FOCUS DISTANCE (M)0.75FILTER THREAD (MM)60MAXIMUM APERTURE - TELE (F)1.4APERTURE BLADES10MAXIMUM APERTURE - WIDE (F)1.4YEAR OF RELEASE1980LENS MOUNTLeica MIMAGE STABILIZATIONNoMINIMUM APERTURE (F)16AUTO FOCUSNoWEIGHT (GRAMS)560
 
raid said:
You need to be careful when shopping for these "collectible" lenses as sellers may claim the lens to be Version 3 when in fact it is Version 1, say.
In one part of the ad it states "collapsible hood" while in another part the lens hood catalog number is listed.
There is a link "Full Specs" given:

Full specs​

BUILT-IN LENS HOODYesMINIMUM FOCUS DISTANCE (M)0.75FILTER THREAD (MM)60MAXIMUM APERTURE - TELE (F)1.4APERTURE BLADES10MAXIMUM APERTURE - WIDE (F)1.4YEAR OF RELEASE1980LENS MOUNTLeica MIMAGE STABILIZATIONNoMINIMUM APERTURE (F)16AUTO FOCUSNoWEIGHT (GRAMS)560
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flEaBay is a deceitful place.
 
This auction site still has here and there some good buys. Just don't believe everything that is said in the auction.
 
f.hayek said:
flEaBay is a deceitful place.
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The 75mm Summilux we've been discussing was indeed from there. after changing my mind back and forth some 8 or 9 times, rationality won over emotion and I sent it back. Much too much anxiety and worry. If I ever decide to buy such an expensive item again, I'll get it from a reliable seller such as an RFF member or sponsor. Thanks for all the help in sorting this out.
 
For inexpensive accessories, the risk is manageable--been burned once or twice, with a seller trying to pull a switch hoping it would't be noticed (or sending an empty box, as happened to a friend). When it comes to a $3k mechanical device that's 35+ years old with an unknown provenance, purchasing from a mysterious source is akin to driving with your eyes closed. Just bought, and await the arrival of a 40 year-old camera from KEH--they grade very conservatively and though I did pay ~15% more than the auction site, sales come with returns and a 6-month warranty for repairs from a brick & mortar shop around for 34 years.
 
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I have bought many items from KEH over the part (many) years. I trust their conservative rating system of their used items.
 
The seller just told me that his "supplier" told him that "the problem" is that the lens was adjusted for a film camera, while the results I got were obtained on my digital Leicas. Sounds like baloney to me. I use all my lenses back and forth between M9, M7, MP, M5, etc.
 
Rob-F said:
The seller just told me that his "supplier" told him that "the problem" is that the lens was adjusted for a film camera, while the results I got were obtained on my digital Leicas. Sounds like baloney to me. I use all my lenses back and forth between M9, M7, MP, M5, etc.
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Agreed. Bring along some slices of bread and a bit of mustard to go along with the baloney.

Jim B.
 
I agree. I have used for years the same lenses on Leica film cameras (Standard, IIIf, M3, M6) and digital one too (M8, M9, M10). No adjusting was needed. Bread and mustard .....
 
While it sounds like the seller may be creating reasons not to refund, adjustment for digital was at the heart of the 35 Summicron re-issue. The original iteration was designed during the late film era and the re-designs were reportedly made with calibrations better suited for the flat and unforgiving digital sensor in mind.
 
There is definitely no difference in calibration between a correctly set up 75 Summilux between film and digital. Film is more forgiving, but otherwise the calibrations are the same.

Whatever they say stay firm and send it back.

Marty
 
Freakscene said:
There is definitely no difference in calibration between a correctly set up 75 Summilux between film and digital. Film is more forgiving, but otherwise the calibrations are the same.

Whatever they say stay firm and send it back.

Marty
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Right, I have sent it back and the tracking shows it has been received. I'm a little anxious about getting a refund as there was a snafu with the tracking number; so I've got my fingers crossed.
 
I would not send payment of such a large sum without first making sure that the seller is someone you can trust.
Hopefully, you will get back your full payment very soon.
 
Freakscene said:
There is definitely no difference in calibration between a correctly set up 75 Summilux between film and digital. Film is more forgiving, but otherwise the calibrations are the same.

Whatever they say stay firm and send it back.

Marty
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There is a difference in calibration, albeit slight but Freakscene is right; stick to your guns with this seller.
 
f.hayek said:
There is a difference in calibration, albeit slight but Freakscene is right; stick to your guns with this seller.
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There is a difference, there isn't a difference; it would really be helpful and informative to have some actual data about this. I don't believe I've seen anything about Film vs digital focus calibration in the LHSA Viewfinder. Nothing about it that I have seen for Nikon, either. Anyone have any references?
 
That’s great news. If you buy another, it may also need calibration to your cameras, but hopefully it will only be a few mm off focus point, not inches. It was just discouraging how far off it was; were it mine I would have been concerned that

Rob-F said:
There is a difference, there isn't a difference; it would really be helpful and informative to have some actual data about this. I don't believe I've seen anything about Film vs digital focus calibration in the LHSA Viewfinder. Nothing about it that I have seen for Nikon, either. Anyone have any references?
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We may be talking at cross purposes. Leica built some new equipment to do this, but when I had mine done at Wetzlar and watched while the technician do it, they told me that the focus point for adjustment for film and digital was the same, but the tolerances were tighter for digital. I don’t have any references, but I am very confident of what I was told.

Marty
 
Freakscene said:
We may be talking at cross purposes. Leica built some new equipment to do this, but when I had mine done at Wetzlar and watched while the technician do it, they told me that the focus point for adjustment for film and digital was the same, but the tolerances were tighter for digital. I don’t have any references, but I am very confident of what I was told.

Marty
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This is likewise what I was told by a tech at Leica's US facility when I inquired. What I was told was that because of the nature of film, the tolerances to the calibration didn't need to be as precise as for digital. Lenses now calibrated required additional work to insure less 'leeway' when adjusting the moving parts of the focus system to insure that precision time and again during regular use. More time consumed = greater cost
 
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