Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/08/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mark, I have had several of my Leitz 50's from the fifties gone over at Focal Point. Yes, the performance improved quite a bit, but for flare reduction you just are not going to beat a triplet design with a double Gauss and mono coating. I wouldn't trade my very early Summicron or Summicron DR for anything, but it you are traveling to dusty, impoverished Africa, especially to a part that is being victimized by its ruler, I would not take a $500 lens. Now, a fifty dollar Sonnar knock off, you bet. That was why I suggested the Jupiter 3 to Daniel Don don.dory@gmail.com On 8/16/05, Mark Langer <langeratcarleton@gmail.com> wrote: > Don, a lot of 50s vintage Leica lenses that suffer from flare can be > remarkably improved, even if they look clean, by having them > professionally cleaned and collimated. I've had lots of dud Summars > but until I bought one that Sherry had worked her magic on, I had no > idea what this lens could do. Similarly, a Summitar cleaned by > Reinhold Mueller was transformed. The most dramatic improvement that > I've seen in a lens was a prewar f2 50mm collapsible Sonnar that > looked as clean as a whistle, but was a terrible performer. I sent it > off to Henry Scherer, and it was transformed. You may have a similar > experience with some 50s lenses if you send them off to be properly > cleaned. > > The best bang for the buck still is a late Jupiter 3, which is just a > fraction of the price of the Japanese copies of it, including the > Canon 50/1.5 or the Simlar 50/1.5. But the Jupiter doesn't have that > massive chrome and brass construction that the Japanese lenses have. > On the other hand, the Jupiter balances far better on a screwmount or > M Leica body than the heavier Japanese lenses, which make a Leica a > bit tippy when you handle it. > > Mark > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >