bradhusick
Active member
Time to fund a 35 lux, so I am selling one of my most treasured lenses. I think it's one of the most beautiful lenses Leica has ever produced.
It's still in new condition. It's the Leica 50 Summicron 50 Year Anniversary lens. There were a total of 500 ever made. This is still in the box, all papers, special certificates and packaging included. This is a solid brass lens with silver chrome finish. It has the most modern Summicron optics in the classic knurled ring design, without the dumb slide-out shade that never stays put. It comes with a beautiful slotted black shade. Most importantly, the infinity setting of the collimator is up to 10 times more precise than the standard cron. Here's what Erwin Puts has to say about it:
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The 50 year Summicron version
Optically this version is identical to the current version, introduced in 1979. (Generation 4). I compared a Summicron #3650186 ( my own) with a Special Edition #3952197 and on the bench they performed identically. Optically the current Summicron can still claim to be the world's best 50mm lens. This is not the same as saying that the Summicron 50mm is the best lens in the world. it is a very versatile lens, that performs very well in close up and infinity settings and at intermediate distances and at every aperture. You can use it without reservation at f2 and 70cm and can expect excellent quality. In some conditions, especially when you take pictures against a large, very clear sky, that functions as a large soft box, you can see some flare (hot spots) in the middle of the image.
A comparison of the mount shows that the SE version has a different mount. The standard Summicron has an inner and an outer mount (helix) that both move relative to each other. In the new mount there are the same helix constructs, but now two pins fix and guide the movement.
The SE version has a very smooth and even movement and its mechanical engineering is of a very high level. As example: the infinity setting (collimator check) has an official tolerance of 0.02mm. This tolerance is often exceeded by Voigtlander and Konica lenses and to be honest, sometimes a Leica lens is close to the limit. The Summicron Rigids I tested had indeed tolerances that could be mesured in a few hundreds of a mm. The SE version was within 0.003mm of the norm. That is 3 thousands of a mm and so a factor of 10 better than previous versions.
There will be of course a debate whether the Rigid version or the SE version is mechanically the best: for choice of material and accuracy of machining the SE wins. But the deep satin glow of the Rigid finish has its own attraction.
The current Summicron offers performance that exceeds the capabilities of most users. The SE version adds a retrolook and will fit the MP seamlessly. On my M7 the SE looks very good and has some elegance the normal version lacks.
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I am offering it here for $2130 shipped Priority Mail in CONUS. Please add $60 for Paypal, no premium for cashier's checks. If it doesn't sell for this (very good) price I will hold onto it. The first photo is the actual lens on my M9, the others are stock.
It's still in new condition. It's the Leica 50 Summicron 50 Year Anniversary lens. There were a total of 500 ever made. This is still in the box, all papers, special certificates and packaging included. This is a solid brass lens with silver chrome finish. It has the most modern Summicron optics in the classic knurled ring design, without the dumb slide-out shade that never stays put. It comes with a beautiful slotted black shade. Most importantly, the infinity setting of the collimator is up to 10 times more precise than the standard cron. Here's what Erwin Puts has to say about it:
*********
The 50 year Summicron version
Optically this version is identical to the current version, introduced in 1979. (Generation 4). I compared a Summicron #3650186 ( my own) with a Special Edition #3952197 and on the bench they performed identically. Optically the current Summicron can still claim to be the world's best 50mm lens. This is not the same as saying that the Summicron 50mm is the best lens in the world. it is a very versatile lens, that performs very well in close up and infinity settings and at intermediate distances and at every aperture. You can use it without reservation at f2 and 70cm and can expect excellent quality. In some conditions, especially when you take pictures against a large, very clear sky, that functions as a large soft box, you can see some flare (hot spots) in the middle of the image.
A comparison of the mount shows that the SE version has a different mount. The standard Summicron has an inner and an outer mount (helix) that both move relative to each other. In the new mount there are the same helix constructs, but now two pins fix and guide the movement.
The SE version has a very smooth and even movement and its mechanical engineering is of a very high level. As example: the infinity setting (collimator check) has an official tolerance of 0.02mm. This tolerance is often exceeded by Voigtlander and Konica lenses and to be honest, sometimes a Leica lens is close to the limit. The Summicron Rigids I tested had indeed tolerances that could be mesured in a few hundreds of a mm. The SE version was within 0.003mm of the norm. That is 3 thousands of a mm and so a factor of 10 better than previous versions.
There will be of course a debate whether the Rigid version or the SE version is mechanically the best: for choice of material and accuracy of machining the SE wins. But the deep satin glow of the Rigid finish has its own attraction.
The current Summicron offers performance that exceeds the capabilities of most users. The SE version adds a retrolook and will fit the MP seamlessly. On my M7 the SE looks very good and has some elegance the normal version lacks.
*********
I am offering it here for $2130 shipped Priority Mail in CONUS. Please add $60 for Paypal, no premium for cashier's checks. If it doesn't sell for this (very good) price I will hold onto it. The first photo is the actual lens on my M9, the others are stock.
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