I am thinking of buying a Leica M 50mm summicron collapsible lens. It has a slight ding on the front rim and the aperture ring is stiff. The front element has cleaning marks and there might be fungus starting to grow.

I've shot with the lens and it seems fine. I like it for the glow it gives, compared to the newer summicrons so I figured it would be my second lens. Asking price is $150.

So, should I buy it? If I buy it, how much to get rid of the cleaning marks, loosen the aperture ring and remove any fungus, if any?

Also, I'm in Minnesota, and I read there was someone in Wisconsin who does Leica repairs. Any opinions on that person and any phone numbers? Otherwise, I'll just send the lens east.

Thanks in advance.

-- victor virtucio (danzfotog@yahoo.com), October 14, 2001

Answers

Try Don Glodberg at:

DAG Camera Contact Information Telephone 608-838-4769 FAX 608-838-4769 Postal address 2451 Thatcher Lane McFarland WI 53558 Electronic mail dagcam@chorus.net

www.dagcamera.com

-- Tony Oresteen (aoresteen@mindspring.com), October 14, 2001.

Victor, I also use a collapsible Summicron as a second 50, and I agree about the "glow." The price sounds right. I don't think you could find one in top shape at that price. $150 should leave enough for a good CLA. The stiff aperture ring should clear up with cleaning, unless due to mechanical damage sustained at the same moment as the "ding." Fungus sometimes grows back, though.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), October 14, 2001.

John at focal point just quoted me $150.00 just to refinish the front element, so it will cost much more than that if there are other problems. I'd say without reservation to pass on it and find a really nice one with only front cleaning scratches, which there are many around and go for in the $200 to $300 range. You'll come out ahead in the long run and will end up with a nice lens with a modern hard coating on it. By the way, there are very few (if any) other places I know of that do lens re-coating. Focal Point has done hundreds of older Suimmicrons.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), October 14, 2001.

Also try:

Sherry Krauter Golden Touch Quality Camera Repair

118 Purgatory Road Campbell Hall, New York 10916 Phone: 845-496-8834 Fax: 845-496-3956 krauter@warwick.net

-- Tony Oresteen (aoresteen@mindspring.com), October 14, 2001.

Andrew, point noted about the cost of refinishing the front element. But Victor likes the "glow", as the lens is now. So maybe a CLA for $75 or $85, if it frees up the diaphragm, would be enough.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), October 14, 2001.

If you like the images the lens produces as it is now for $150, buy it and don't spend another penny on it. Shoot with it, enjoy it, use it as it is. If you want to get the aperture fixed, elements re- coated and a complete CLA, then spend the time and money to find one in better condition to start with.

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), October 14, 2001.

The last time Don Goldberg did a CLA on a lens of mine (a mint Rigid Summicron), he charged me $90. Although the lens looked perfect when I sent it to him (removable lens element stuck), Don must have done some cleaning because it seems to have more contrast since I got it back.

DAG does good work at a reasonable price and he doesn't take weeks to do it.

-- Bud (budcook@attglobal.net), October 15, 2001.

"If I buy it, how much to get rid of the cleaning marks, loosen the aperture ring and remove any fungus, if any?" It's certainly going to cost a lot more than $90.00 to do all that, and am not sure any of the quality Leica repair places mentioned above even have the facilities to do lens re-coating. Like someone said, if you like the natural "diffusion" from the optical problems the lens has acquired, pick it up as a special soft image lens, but I'd still say forget about restoring it.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), October 15, 2001.

I own a beautiful 50mm collapsible Summicron lens and have been very happy with it over the past 6 years. It does have a certain "glow" which I would not trade for a newer version of the Summicron 50. At $150.00 I would purchase the lens and enjoy the images and the bargain!

-- John Alfred Tropiano (jat18@psu.edu), October 20, 2001.