LEICA SUMMARON 28mm (L39)

Review and Photo example of the SUMMARON 28mm F5.6(L39 screw mount old version).

Gallery

LEICA SUMMARON-L 28mm F5.6 Photo example (with Leica M9)

Review

The Summaron 28mm is a Leica L39 screw-mount wide-angle lens released in 1954.
The official name is Ernst Leitz Gmbh Wetzler Summaron f=2.8cm 1:5.6
The mount is a screw (L39) mount, and if you want to use it with an M mount camera, you will need to prepare an L/M adapter.

With a simple configuration of 6 glass elements, it is possible to obtain fine, detailed depictions with fine lines even at maximum aperture.
However, since the maximum aperture is F5.6, with the LEICA M9 and EPSON R-D1, where you do not want to increase the ISO sensitivity too much, you often have to worry about camera shake due to a decrease in shutter speed when shooting in dark places such as indoors.

The one I had was 1.67 million units and was manufactured in Germany in 1961. The lens barrel was a little loose, the lens was cloudy, and there was a little oil on the aperture blades.
The lens I bought with the hood included, the hood of the Summaron, is quite rare, and the crepe paint from this era is very beautiful. The paint appears to be durable, and although there are some scratches on the entire surface of the hood, there were no noticeable scratches on the hood surface.
However, with the hood I had, the screws came off when I pushed in the leaf spring and turned the screws that fixed the hood to the lens in the direction of removing them. Normally, I think a stopper is machined at the end of the screw to prevent it from getting lost, but it is unclear whether the previous owner turned it too much and the stopper broke, or whether it is correct for the screw to come off.
Since I often use other 28mm lenses, I ended up selling the hood and lens as a set in exchange for another lens.

Although it is a dark lens, it has a compact and well-organized design, and has been popular for a long time.
The number of units manufactured is less than 10,000, and as the years have passed, the number of good examples has decreased, so in the 2020s, they are less frequently seen on the used market, and used prices are on the rise.

On November 2, 2016, LEICA released a reprint version of the Summaron 28mm with the lens mount changed to M mount. The shape of the lens barrel is almost the same as the original, but the design of the focus ring knob has been changed. Also, although the shape of the lens hood is the same, the hood surface does not have the characteristic crepe coating, which is disappointing as it has a smooth surface.

Specification

Item	Value	note
focal length(mm)	28
Maximum aperture	5.6
Minimum aperture	22
Lens configuration	4groups 6elements
Minimum distance(m)	1.0	Linked to the camera’s rangefinder from 1m to infinity.
Lens length(mm)	18
Lens max diameter(mm)	49	Excluding protrusions
Filter diameter(mm)	34
Weight(g)	150