LEITZ SUMMITAR 5cm F2

Review and Photo example of the SUMMITAR 5cm F2.

Table of contents

Gallery

• Sample photo taken with the LEICA M9.

Review

The Summitar 5cm F2 is a standard lens released by Leica in 1938.

It has the same Gaussian lens construction as its predecessor, the Summar, but the front lens is a laminated lens, which means it has one more piece of glass than the Summar.

The image quality in the center is about the same as the Summar, but the peripheral areas are well-defined, giving it a sense of evolution over the years. Still, it doesn’t compare to the retractable Summicron, which can be purchased for a slightly higher price, so if you’re looking for a practical 50mm F2, I think it’s better to choose the Summicron, even though it’s a little more expensive.

The Summitar has a special 36.5mm thread for attaching filters, which is slightly recessed from the front of the lens, so regular filters cannot be attached.

Leica sells special filters, which can sometimes be found on the used market.

Third parties also sell 36.5 to 39mm conversion rings, which allow you to attach regular 39mm filters. In addition, the filter part is the same as the Steinheil Orthostigmat 35mm, so the filter adapter ring of the Summitar can be used.

Of course, if you want to try out a variety of lenses, there are many on the second-hand market, so it’s easy to choose the condition of the lens, and the lens price is low, so if you try it out and like it, that’s fine.

The number of Summitars manufactured is 170,000, which is more than the previous Summar, which was manufactured 120,000 units. The lens that was manufactured more than this was the first Summicron 50mm F2, which was manufactured in total 250,000 units, but there are various types of Summicrons, and if you broadly classify them into retractable, fixed, and glasses-attached, the number of each type manufactured would be in the tens of thousands. It is estimated that this lens is the most manufactured of the lenses with a retractable lens barrel, which is a characteristic of the lens.

Specification

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 Summitar 5cm F2
• Classic Camera Selection 19: How to Identify Leica Lenses (Asahi Sonorama) – Amazon Affiliate Link
  • Leica lenses (Shashin Kogyosha) – Amazon affiliate link
  • There is a review of the Summit P100 by Kyu Goto
  • The book describes the specifications and the differences in specifications, but does not mention lens depiction.
  • The appendix includes a diagram of the lens construction.

Update history

• 2024.06.06

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