LEITZ HEKTOR 5cm F2.5

Review and Photo example of the LEITZ HEKTOR 5cm F2.5.

Gallery

The sample photo were taken with the LEICA M9

Review

Hektor 5cm F2.5 is a standard lens released by Leica in 1930.

The model I owned had a focus ring that rotated almost all the way around, the distance was in feet, and the serial number 12xxxx indicates that it was made in 1932. The slender lens barrel matches digital Leica cameras, and I’m thankful that it doesn’t block the viewfinder’s field of view. The focus ring is at the base of the lens, so it’s a little difficult to use on an M-type Leica, so a Barnack Leica would be more suitable. The aperture ring has an operating section at the tip, just like the old Elmar 50mm, and it cannot be said to be easy to operate. The lens can be retracted, but I’ve never carried it around with the lens retracted because I’m afraid of accidentally hitting the sensor or internal walls.

I’ve only used it with the LEICA M9, but the focus is solid in front-lit scenes, and the blur in the front and back is a little messy, so it’s usable in some situations. There is no data left that was taken under harsh conditions such as backlighting. I wish I had taken this kind of lens with a film camera.

It has a triplet configuration with 6 elements in 3 groups, and all 3 lenses are bonded together. For this reason, the number of lenses produced is relatively large, around 10,000, but considering the fact that the first production was about 100 years ago, it is assumed that the bonded parts of the lenses have deteriorated and many of them are cloudy. . The lens I owned had many scratches and was cloudy, so I bought it cheap.

The four standard 50mm focal length lenses Hektor, Summar, Sumtar, and Elmar (old) are introductory Leica lenses at a reasonable price. However, some of these lenses were already manufactured nearly 100 years ago.
Therefore, the condition of each lens varies greatly. You’ll need to preview the item and decide if it suits your tastes before purchasing, or if you buy it online, you’ll need to feel like you can make money if you get hooked.

Specification

Items	Hektor	Smmmar	Summitar	Elmar
Focal length(mm)	50	←	←	←
Max aperture	2.5	2	2	3.5
Min aperture	18	12.5	12.5/16	18/16
Leaf blade	–	6/10	–	10
Lens Construction	6elements in 3groups	6elements in 4groups	7elements in 4groups	4elements in 3groups
Min distance(m)	1.0	←	←	←
Lens length(mm)	–	–	42.7	–
レンズ最大径(mm)	–	–	47.8	–
Filter size(mm)	A36	←	36.5	A36
Hood	FIKUS	FIKUS/SOOMP	SOOPD	FISON/FIKUS
Weight(g)	190 130	205 180	240	125
Release date	1930	1933	1938	1930

Reference links

Leica Wiki HEKTOR 50mm F2.5
Classic Camera Selection Book 19 How to Identify Leica Lenses (Asahi Sonorama)
- It describes the specifications and the differences between the specifications, and there is no mention of lens description.
- A lens configuration diagram is included in the appendix.
Leica Lenses (Shashin Kogyosha)
- Hektor has a review by Haruo Nozaki on P82

Update history

2024.04.27

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