SUMMARIT-L 1.5/50
This is a record of using the SUMMARIT-L 50mm F1.5 (LEICA) with a LEICA M digital camera.
Table of contents
Gallery
Impression
This old lens is unrelated to the current lineup of M-mount SUMMARIT 50mm lenses.
SUMMRIT is a name that has been conveniently used by Leica in recent years, but this 50mm was the first lens to be named after it.
The surface of the lens is soft and there are many used lenses with scratches on the surface, and those with a clean surface should be very expensive if the original is guaranteed. (Surface polishing can vary from amateur to professional, and it depends on the user’s judgment.)
The solid lens I had had a certain amount of scratches on the surface and was cloudy, so the image was blurry and soft.
It also has a large amount of halo when backlit, which is different from the latest SUMMILUX and SUMMICRON lenses in that it has an old-lens-like appearance.
The beautiful silver lens barrel and the bulky hood satisfied my desire to own this lens, but I finally sold it because I do not use it often among the 50mm lenses I have on hand.
The lens was purchased at Kato Kaiyodo in Kannai, Yokohama, which is no longer there.
I remember that the hammertone hood I bought after acquiring the lens was very heavy and expensive. I still keep it with me because it is difficult to get it again if I give it away.
In the midst of the 2023 recession, the prices of lenses in good condition have been maintained, but the prices of lenses with defects such as fogging, scratches on the lens, and hit lenses have returned to the 2000s. The original performance of the lens may not be achieved, but depending on the degree of fogging, it may be usable enough.



Specification
Leica L/M-mount lens with a focal length of 50mm.
It was produced from 1939 to 1957.
The M-mount lenses have both M-mount and L-mount lenses, but the M-mount lenses cannot be officially modified by Leica to add a 6-bit code for lens recognition due to their old mount shape.
There are early and late models with differences in appearance.
The number of aperture blades is as many as 16.
Item | Value | note |
focal length(mm) | 50 | |
Maximum aperture | 1.5 | |
Minimum aperture | 16 | |
Lens configuration | 5groups 7elements | |
Leaf blade | 16 | |
Minimum distance(m) | 1.0 | Camera distance meter interlocked in all areas |
Lens length(mm) | 43 | L39 mount / distance from mount flange |
Lens max diameter(mm) | 47 | L39 mount / Focus lever excluded |
Filter diameter(mm) | A43/E41 | |
Weight(g) | – | |
Release date | 1939 | |
List price(Yen) | – |
Reference links