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My Dual Range Summicron comes home

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
About a year ago a bought a 1958 vintage Dual Range Summicron in anticipation that there would some day be a ff M9 and that the DR could be mounted on it. I turned out to be half right: there is now an M9, but the DR doesn't mount on it because the close focus cam interferes with the inside of the camera body. These lenses have a build quality that will redefine your definition of "excellent", but they are fairly cheap as they are too common to be collectable and are orphans in a digital age. I got an EX+ copy at KEH for well under $1k. This is a sentimental journey for me. I had an M3 with a DR in the '70s.

I recently sent the DR off to Don Goldberg to have the close focus cam removed - this means that it is no longer rangefinder-coupled in the close focus range, so the close focus attachment no longer has any use. My version has a feet scale - close focus is 3.4 feet. I felt a little bit like a vandal, altering this beautiful object

The lens came back yesterday, cam removed and freshly CLAd and voila - it mounts on the M8.2 and M9. Cost of removing the cam and CLA: $180 - on a total cost basis this lens is still cheap by Leica standards.

How does it perform? I won't bother posting my typical brick wall torture test images, but at f5.8 and 8.0 this lens exhibits corner to corner sharpness that is similar to its modern namesake with somewhat less contrast - very attractive drawing to my eyes. Very little vignetting (as would be expected at this focal length), no or no discernible linear distortion (ditto) and lovely brokeh. At f11 still fine; at f16 diffraction is evident, again as expected. At f4.0 the corners soften, at 2.8 this spreads to the edges and at f2.0 20% or so into the frame.

No focus shift - focus appears to be extremely accurate and benefits from the 1.25 magnifier.

This is going to be on my M9 a lot.
 

carstenw

Active member
I also have a 50 DR and am on the waiting list for the M9. Finding out that they didn't solve this problem was really hard on me. I was hoping to use it as intended. I have vague thoughts of M9 vandalism...
 

cam

Active member
or sell it to me for a really good price, Carsten. i've been dying to try that lens on my M3.
 

helenhill

Senior Member
or sell it to me for a really good price, Carsten. i've been dying to try that lens on my M3.
Oh Hey Cam,
I think YOU would ADORE the DR for its Sharp signature which would compliment some of your pre asph lenses & Nocti

heres a few DR shots / Film though / Tri X & neopan1600
click on to make BIGGER

Woody / Congrats on your journey back ...the DR is Grand !
 
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