Ancient Standard Lens 2 LEITZ SUMMAR 5cm F2

A review and Photo example of the LEITZ SUMMAR 5cm F2.

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Gallery
Review
Specification and more
Reference links

Gallery

The sample photo were taken with the LEICA M9

1．Overview

The Summar 5cm f/2 was a standard lens released by Leitz (Leica) in 1933.

The main specifications are as follows, with details listed in the table.

Aperture: f/2
Lens Construction: 6 elements in 4 groups
Aperture Blades: 6 or 10
Minimum Focusing Distance: 1.0m
Leica M Rangefinder Camera Rangefinder Coupling: 1.0m
SOOMP Hood

2．Usability

The Summar 5cm f/2 was a standard Leica lens, an early lens that used a Gaussian lens design.

However, perhaps because it was an early Gaussian lens, the design seemed less refined than that of lenses like the Summicron. This may also be due to the deterioration of the lens used.

When shooting with this lens at the widest aperture of f/2, the in-focus area was beautiful, but the image became soft in the out-of-focus peripheral areas, resulting in noticeable double-line bokeh.

I didn’t pay a particularly high price for this lens, so I wasn’t expecting much, but even after seeing the results, I felt it was a rather mediocre lens, so I got rid of it after a while. Fortunately, since it was a Leica lens, I was able to sell it for about the same price, so it didn’t cost much to play with.

This negative impression may have been due in part to the fact that I used a LEICA M9 camera; if I had used an EPSON R-D1 or LEICA M8 with a smaller sensor size, the imperfections might not have been visible because they would not be captured at the periphery. Also, the imperfections in the peripheral areas may have been rendered less clearly with a film camera. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to use it on a digital camera with a 35mm full-frame sensor.

This lens is sometimes displayed in second-hand shops under the name of the standard Shen Tong Principal lens, and a fixed-barrel version called the “Hyottoko Zummar (Zumar).” It is very expensive and is a collector’s item. Looking at the sample images in the book linked above, I don’t think there is much difference between this and the regular version.

3．Summary

In conclusion, to sum up the Summar 5cm f/2, it was a pioneer of Leica Gauss-type lenses, but it cannot be said to be a perfected lens. 120,000 were produced in the six years leading up to the release of the Summitar, so it was undoubtedly a popular lens.

Because so many were produced, it is possible to find a lens in good condition, but in those cases, it is generally expensive.

Specifications, considerations, etc.

Leica experimented with f/2 standard lenses until they reached the Summicron, and it was the Summar that finally reached f/2. It adopted a Gaussian lens construction and can be considered the prototype for the Summicron. Released three years after the Hektor, which had a modified triplet lens, it is believed to have been developed in parallel with the Hektor.

Items	Hektor	Summar	Summitar	Summicron
Focal length	5(cm)	←	←	←
Max aperture	2.5	2	2	2
Min aperture	18	12.5	12.5/16	16
Leaf blade	6	6/10	6	10/16
Lens Construction	6elements in 3groups	6elements in 4groups	7elements in 4groups	←
Min distance(m)	1.0	←	←	←
Lens length(mm)	32	–	–	–
レンズ最大径(mm)	47	47.8	47.8	47
Filter size(mm)	A36	←	36.5	39
Hood	FIKUS	FIKUS/SOOMP	SOOPD	SOOFM / IROOA / ITDOO
Weight(g)	190 130	205 180	240	–
Release date	1930	1933	1938	1951
Production number	5,600	127,950	172,390	253,314

Reference links

Leica Wiki Summar 5cm F2
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)
- The Summar is reviewed by Hiroto Takashi on page 86
Leica Lenses of the World (Shashin Kogyosha)
- The fixed-barrel Hyottoko Summar (Summar 5cm) is reviewed by Kawamura Shiro on page 78

Update history

2024.04.27

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