Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/09/19

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Subject: Re: 50 mm SM lens
From: ABreull@aol.com
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 10:32:27 -0400 (EDT)

In einer eMail vom 19.09.1997  08:04:34, schreiben Sie:

>In a message dated 97-09-19 02:11:53 EDT, you write:
>
><< and I definitely like the bokeh of the yellow glass
> Summicron also.
>  Alf
>  >>
> Alf - by yellow glass do you meant the Summicrons below 
>s/n 1,000,000 that were made with radioactive Thorium and
>most have turned warm colored?
> Lately there has been much ado about them in the British
>LHS Newsletter by Dr.Cyril Blood and the LHSA Viewfinder
>by Bill Gordon.
> I have one of the lenses that was written about and find that
>shooting neg color, the warmth is filtered out but will show
>up on chromes.  These lenses are rare & carry a premium.
>***************Marvin Moss********************


Exactly that lens, although I wouldn't know whether the s/n needs to be below
1 million. My coll. screw mount is from the fist production & selling year,
1953 (meter), and has the s/n 1.093.400, and my coll. M mount is from the
first M mount production & selling year, 1954 (feet), and has the s/n
1.167.402. 

The visiual difference between both lenses is, that the M mount Summicron's
coating gives a cold-grey impression (the glass is very clear !), while the
screw mount Summicron is more dark blue (clear glass, also). Additionally,
the M mount front lens reflects the light more strong (in a way, as if you
look in some kind of mirror), while the reflection in the screw mount's front
lens is less strong (has been in a board for 20 years). My dealer sold the
Summicron complete with a IIIf (red dial, auto release), and the nice number
6 89089 (1954) to me on $ 750.

By the way (1), what does  D/A mean [context: IIIf red dial D/A] ?

I specially like, that both the lenses show a somehow cold spectrum, but I
wouldn't know their behavior with color negative material - since I never use
it [ I "hate", that labs interprete my pix by their filter selection ! ]. The
shaprness (in slides) is very near to the actual Summicron, but the unsharp
areas give a somehow more pleasant impression, and the contrast is a little
lower (in my perception).

By the way (2), how do you get the LHS or LHSA newsletters ?

Thanks in advance for your answers,
Regards,

Alf