How con you tell if a 35mm or 50mm summicron lens is a particular version? I am interested in identifying the version of the 35mm summicron immediately before the asph version and the 50mm summicron immediately before the built-in hood version. Are these versions pictured anywhere?

-- Jim Lennon (jim@jmlennon.com), May 05, 2002

Answers

Identifying Leica Lenses by Sartorius. (sp?) Relatively inexpensive book available from Amazon. Great reference source.

-- Andrew (mazurka@rocketmail.com), May 05, 2002.

Maybe someone will contradict me--I believe the 50 version previous to the current one had no knurled focusing ring, only a tab, and was the only 50 version to have this particular combination. Just a guess, but I bet it also had the square-form letters and numbers.

Here's a nice link for you, too: http://cameraquest.com/mlenses.htm

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), May 05, 2002.

Michael is correct about the 50...but there were 2 versions of it. The earliest had a smaller tab which was convex rather than concave, and did not have the latest font style. It was also made in Canada vs the 2nd style which was made in Germany. The same Canada/Germany switchover was made on the v.4 pre-ASPH 35/2. Thanks to collectors and much mythological misinformation the Canada ones are priced less...so much the better for the informed user.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 05, 2002.

If you go to the link below and scroll down, there are a couple of views of the pre-aspheric 35mm Summicron. This is displayed as a benchmark of a compact lens and is used to show how small Voigtlander lenses are. The photos of the Leica lenses are in the middle of the link sitting next to the 25mm and 15mm V'lander lenses.

The link is a bit slow to load due to the clarity of the photos, but it is pretty much worth it. click

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), May 05, 2002.

Here is a link with a good photo of the last tabbed and external hooded 50mm Summicron. Go all the way to the bottom and see the black M2. Note: he has the older metal hood rather than the contemporary plastic one, but they look the same. I use the metal hood also on my late Summicron.

click

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), May 05, 2002.

Also try here. The pictures aren't 3D, but contain more variations.

To see the 35s, scroll to the bottom and click the link tagged "M35,40"

RE the 35 v.4 (immediate preASPH)

1) it has a fairly large-diameter aperture ring, the better to be usuable with the lens hood mounted. This is visible in the diagrams linked to above. The ring sticks out away from the lens barrel by close to 1/8 inch.

2) The aperture index mark is in a trapezoidal depression or notch, (which gets "filled" by a tab on the lens hood when it's attached - the hood has a replacement index mark since it hides the one on the lens itself).

3) The serial number - in some cases - is on the rear surface of the aperture ring under the lens. It's possible some later German versions moved the SN back to the front of the lens once they no longer needed that space for "Leitz lens made in Canada". But if the number IS hidden on the aperture ring it's almost certainly the last preASPH optical design.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), May 05, 2002.

This is a 4th version Summicron 35mm

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), May 06, 2002.

For the pre-built-in-hood Summicron 50mm go here: http://www.cameraquest.com/voigtBR2.htm

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), May 06, 2002.