Leica’s early high-speed lenses SUMMARIT 5cm F1.5
A review and Photo example of the SUMMARIT-L 50mm F1.5 with the LEICA M9 and LEICA M8.
Table of contents
Gallery
The example photos were taken with the LEICA M9 and LEICA M8.
Review
1．Overview
The SUMMARIT 5cm F1.5 is a bright standard lens released in 1939 and the predecessor to the Summilux.
Around 75,000 were produced between 1939 and 1957, and it is a lens that is often seen on the second-hand market.
The lens comes in M-mount and L39 screw-mount versions, and because the M-mount version has an older mount shape, it cannot be officially modified to add the 6-bit lens recognition code used on digital M Leicas.
The minimum shooting distance is 1m, the aperture blades are 15, and the hood is XOONS.
2．Usability
The SUMMARIT 5cm F1.5 lens I owned had some scratches on its surface and was cloudy inside, so it produced a soft, blurry image at full aperture.
When shooting in backlight, ghosting occurred significantly, causing a drop in contrast in the results. This is rarely seen in the latest Summilux and Summicron 50mm, so even if you want to enjoy it as an old lens, you need to be quite persuasive.
The original Summarit lens surface is soft, so many used lenses have scratches on their surfaces. Lenses with clean surfaces should be very expensive if they are guaranteed to be original, and cheaper lenses may have had their surfaces polished. Surface polishing can range from amateur to professional, and the quality is up to the user to decide.
The heavy hammer-tone hood I bought after acquiring the lens was so heavy that I didn’t feel like using it regularly. I also remember the purchase price being quite high.
In the 2020s, the price of lenses in good condition has remained high. However, lenses with cloudiness, scratches, or dents have returned to the prices of the early 2000s.
Cheap lenses are unlikely to perform as well as they should. Still, it’s a good choice if you enjoy ghosting and low-contrast photos as mentioned earlier.
The beautiful silver barrel and sturdy hood satisfied my desire to own it, but I ended up selling it because I used it so little among the many 50mm lenses I had. I bought the lens at Kato Kaiyodo, which sold medicines and cameras in the same store in Kannai, Yokohama. As of 2025, this store no longer exists.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the SUMMARIT 5cm F1.5 , given the number of years since its manufacture, it seems that there are very few lenses that still retain their original condition. It may be a good lens to use just for fun without having excessive expectations.
The Summarit name was introduced with the Summarit 50mm F1.5 from 1939-1957, and the 40mm F2.4 focal length that was installed on the 1995 compact film camera Minilux.
Since the 2000s, as shown in the table below, Summarit has become established as the name for lenses that are slower than the Summicron and brighter than the Elmarit.
| Leica S mount (medium format camera) | Leica M mount | |
| Focal length:35 | F2.5(2013) | F2.4(2014)/F2.5(2007) |
| Focal length:50 | – | F2.4(2014)/F2.5(2007) |
| Focal length:70 | F2.5(2012) | – |
| Focal length:75 | – | F2.4(2014)/F2.5(2007) |
| Focal length:90 | – | F2.4(2014)/F2.5(2007) |
| Focal length:120 | F2.5(2013) | – |
Specification
| 項目 | SUMMARIT | SUMMILUX 1st |
| Focal length(mm) | 50 | 50 |
| Max aperture | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 16 |
| Lens Construction | 7 elements in 5 groups | 7 elements in 5 groups |
| Aperture blades | 15 | 12 |
| Min distance(m) | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Lens length(mm) | 43 | 52 |
| Lens Max diameter(mm) | 47 | 53 |
| Filter Size(mm) | A43/E41 | E43 |
| Lens hood | XOONS | XOOIM / 12521 |
| Weight(g) | ? | ? |
| Production numbers | 74,643 | 19,600 |
| Release date | 1939-1957 | 1958-1961 |
Reference links
- Leica Wiki 「SUMMARIT 1.5/50」
- Summarit 40mm F2.4 for Minilux
- Leica Summilux 50mm F1.4, first generation
Update history
- 2024.11.14
- 2024.03.24
- 2022.08.20
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